Tea-Publican temper tantrum over taxes threatens an economic GOPocalypse

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The political party that believes in unicorns and tax fairies and whose politico-economic ideology has become a religious dogma of fundamentalist fervor for faith based supply-side "trickle down" economics, despite no empirical evidence to support their beliefs, threw a temper tantrum on Thursday and walked out of negotiations on raising the federal debt ceiling over the issue of raising taxes on corporations and the über-rich. Tea-Publicans are threatening an economic GOPocalypse if they do not get their way. G.O.P. Leaders Leave Budget Talks:

Congressional Republicans on Thursday abandoned budget talks aimed at clearing the way for a federal debt limit increase, leaving the outcome in doubt as they vowed not to give in to a Democratic push for new tax revenues as part of any compromise.

The breakdown was set off by the surprise decision of Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader and one of two Republicans participating in sessions led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., to quit the negotiations.

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“As it stands, the Democrats continue to insist that any deal must include tax increases,” Mr. Cantor said in a statement. “There is not support in the House for a tax increase, and I don’t believe now is the time to raise taxes in light of our current economic situation. Regardless of the progress that has been made, the tax issue must be resolved before discussions can continue.”

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Senate Republican and the party’s other representative in the talks, said later Thursday that he would also skip the next negotiating session as he and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, turned up the pressure on President Obama to play a larger role in the push for a debt limit deal.

“President Obama needs to decide between his goal of higher taxes, or a bipartisan plan to address our deficit,” Mr. McConnell and Mr. Kyl said in a joint statement. “He can’t have both. But we need to hear from him.”

Translation: We are holding America hostage to our demands to drown the government in the bathtub, and if you don't give us everything we want, we are going to kill the hostage. This is economic terrorism, let's just call it for what it is. Tea-Publicans are threatening to unleash a GOPocalypse debt crisis that will make the Bush Great Recession look like a day in the park in service to their masters: multi-national corporations and the über-rich.

As Steve Benen describes, So much for acting like ‘adults’:

Yesterday, with leading Republican negotiators in the bipartisan debt-reduction talks quitting the process, we didn’t see political maturity; we saw a dangerous temper tantrum.

The two Republicans in the talks, Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, and Senator Jon Kyl, the minority whip, had no intention of actually negotiating. Negotiations require listening to those on the other side and giving them something they want in exchange for some of your goals. 

That’s what this seems to boil down to: Republicans were incensed that Democrats want something out of this deal. It was as if Cantor was saying, “You don’t understand, this is our hostage strategy. You’re not allowed to ask for anything.”

That’s not really an exaggeration. As far as GOP leaders are concerned, they picked the game, so they also get to pick the rules. Republicans choose the policy goal (debt reduction); Republicans choose the solution (massive spending cuts); Republicans choose what gets taken off the table (tax increases); Republicans choose what Democrats are permitted to propose; and Republicans choose when the negotiations end.

After making all of this clear, Republicans urged President Obama to go along with what they perceive as “a bipartisan plan.”

For those who’ve succumbed to madness, “bipartisan” apparently means “Republicans get what they want and Democrats shut up.”

Exactly. The New York Times observes in an editorial opinion today, Republicans’ Temper Tantrum – NYTimes.com:

Congressional Republicans, who played a major role in piling up the government’s unsustainable debt in the first place, have thrown a tantrum and walked out of the debt limit talks. This bit of grandstanding has brought the nation closer to the financial crisis that Republicans have been threatening for weeks. But, at least now, their real goals are in sharp focus.

The two Republicans in the talks, Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, and Senator Jon Kyl, the minority whip, had no intention of actually negotiating. Negotiations require listening to those on the other side and giving them something they want in exchange for some of your goals.

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Mr. Cantor said that because he and the House would not support a tax increase, he was walking out of the talks until President Obama “resolved” the tax issue himself with House Speaker John Boehner. In other words, Mr. Cantor and Mr. Kyl preferred striking a Tea Party pose to the hard work of reaching a deal.

The negotiators say they have essentially agreed on about $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, which could be acceptable if they are phased in gradually and exempt the nation’s most vulnerable. But Democrats in the talks say that in exchange for agreeing to those cuts, they asked for some balancing increases in revenues. Their proposals were not to raise tax rates, but rather to end credits like those for oil and gas companies. One Democratic negotiator, Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, said they also want to curb tax deductions for the very rich.

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But at least 11 hard-line Senate Republicans have already said they will oppose any deal that does not include a balanced-budget amendment — a nonstarter for Democrats — and Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, said this week that all revenue increases are the same as raising taxes and are unacceptable.

The deadline for raising the debt limit or facing a default is Aug. 2. Republicans cannot walk away from their responsibility to pay the bills and keep the economy out of further crisis.

The problem with the Times' plea for responsibility is that it assumes we are dealing with rational and responsible people. We are not. These are true believers in a fundamentalist politico-economic religious dogma. Think Jonestown true believers. The Tea-Publicans are willing to kill the hostage (America) and to commit suicide by an economic GOPocalypse in adherence to their fundamentalist beliefs. It is time that we treat them as the economic terrorists that they are, and no, this is not hyperbole or an ad hominem attack. It is the cold hard truth of the reality this country must now face. Tea-Publicans represent a clear and present danger to this country.

UPDATE: Just how insane are the Tea-Publicans? Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) warns Republicans that they’ll be swept out of office by a wrathful Tea-infused electorate if they vote to raise the debt ceiling. Riiight. Out of the wreckage of what is left of this country after the GOPocalypse? Tea-Publicans are going to be running for their lives from the wrathful torches and pitchforks mob.