Senate GOP Planning Sabotage On Steroids
An unfortunate pattern we’ve seen since 1993 have been attempts by the D.C. Republicans to sabotage a new Democratic President in a cynical effort to grab power. During Clinton’s first term, the GOP blocked a stimulus bill and a universal health coverage bill.
GOP sabotage escalated during Obama’s first term. Mitch McConnell and the House Republicans decided to oppose Obama on every front to prolong the recession and regain power. The likes of Mitch McConnell and Rush Limbaugh were open about their hopes that the country would fail and Obama would be a one term president. Usually, a president is ousted after one term only if the country is in trouble.
Republican efforts to hurt Obama and the country reached their low point in 2011 when Republicans refused to raise the country’s debt ceiling unless the 44th president agreed to deep spending cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. During this phony “crisis” generated by the GOP, consumer confidence was crushed and a fragile economic recovery was stalled.
Raising the debt ceiling shouldn’t be controversial and used to be fairly routine. Raising the debt ceiling doesn’t give the government the authority to borrow more money. Instead, it’s borrowing the money for spending that’s already been appropriated. It’s the equivalent of getting your credit card bill in the mail.
Refusal to raise the debt ceiling is the equivalent of stiffing America’s creditors. Economists contend that a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause a financial crisis that would be more harmful to the economy than the 2008–09 recession and would wipe out the widely anticipated economic boom. Moreover, a decision by the GOP to stiff our creditors would result in a government shutdown.
The Senate Republicans are once again up to their old tricks. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is scheming to refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless President Biden agrees to so-called “structural reforms” to spending. That’s D.C. Republican speak for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
The federal government will run out of borrowing authority in July 2021 and the debt ceiling will have to be increased. Scott is even talking about filibustering any increase in the debt ceiling. (It’s almost like Republicans are daring the Democrats to abolish or reform the filibuster.)
Last week, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) excoriated the Republicans for “trying to hold the debt ceiling hostage in a move that threatened massive consequences for the global economy. This is a page from the Obama-era economic sabotage playbook, and I’m not going to let Republicans play games with the economy for their political benefit.”
This ongoing GOP sabotage of President Biden clearly proves that the GOP isn’t fit to govern in these difficult times. Does anybody think the GOP could organize a two car funeral? Are you f*cking kidding me?
The Republicans are the party of the rich, sabotage, mass unemployment, mass illness, mass death and violence.
The Republicans will always be the party of Donald Trump. We must never let the voters forget that. History matters. Now let’s get it done!