I’ve learned many things in becoming a parent and one of the biggest is that I’m stubborn and argumentative. How do you argue with a one-year old? How do you argue with a five-year old? Is it worth it? Answers: easily, easily, and no. But I do it anyway because my instinct, when pushed, is to push back. This is what Democrats and Republicans are doing right now. Haha! You thought I was talking about parenting!
Here’s the deal: a small group of conservative Republicans, who feel they have to kowtow to fanatical Tea Party elements in their constituency, decide to make a hail Mary play. Unfortunately the game is already over, the fans have left the stadium, and Sen. Cruz is yelling, “C’mon guys! We can do this! I will fight with EVERY LAST BREATH!” It’s a great motivational speech but comically pointless. The Affordable Care Act has been passed by both houses of Congress and deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court. And yes, this can happen with laws that will later be overturned. But the real point is that this small group of ultra-conservatives decided to take a stand without a plan, without a chance, and with their only motivation to score a few political points so that if Sen. Cruz runs for president someday he can point to this event and say, “Look, I stood up when everyone else sat.” Problem is, Teddy boy, that nobody really thought you’d put a gun to the head of our economy and THEN ask to talk. What’s the first thing hostage negotiators want to do with a terrorist? Get them to put the gun down. You want to talk, you want to work something out? Fine. Put the gun down. Don’t hurt that frail economy that we’ve been nursing back to health the past few years.
Most sane and reasonable people look at this small terrorist group in Congress and think, “Why is anyone listening to them? Why does John Boehner’s job matter more than the national economy?” But they are thinking like sane, rational people. When you are dealing with a screaming toddler, your logic and maturity melt away like a pat of butter on a frying pan and you find yourself screaming and throwing diapers against the wall. Same goes for Congress now. There’s no sense in trying to negotiate with the lunatic fringe who thinks it’s better to drive our entire economy into the wall than to concede that a law was passed despite their protests. That’s how a democracy works: a 100% majority is never required. There are debates, discussions, compromises, and then a law is passed that some people might not like but bully for them. I think Democrats are absolutely right in refusing to negotiate until the government is reopened and the debt ceiling raised, yet this assumes sense and reason from a group that really is willing to burn it all down to make their point. Which, let’s not forget, is about PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE IT. This is what we’re going to blow up our country about? This is the stand the Republicans take?
Where are we now? Let’s take stock:
- A House Speaker who wants to keep his job so he won’t offend the extreme fringe but won’t say what the majority of Republicans really think: this is madness.
- Democrats that want to watch the Republicans drive our economy over a cliff, forgetting that they are in the passenger seats, complicit in their inaction.
- A president who knows that you don’t negotiate with terrorists because it emboldens the sweaty wild-eyed ideologue minority.
- A country that is watching the stock market, the housing market, faith from the international community, government jobs, and future political and economic stability swirl down the toilet.
I’ve never been this angry about government cock-ups because this one really underscores the toddler mentality on Capitol Hill: they’d rather hurt themselves and others than back down. No matter if the stand taken is over no peas for dinner or raising the debt ceiling. NO NO NO! I DON’T LIKE THAT!! WAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Writer, architect, father, husband.