Purity and Committment
By Emma X

Emma X

Start up or start over?
Be forewarned.  Your government
power supply may fail again in 90
days.  Make sure you have backup.

Hey, the country is back in business.  At least for 90 days.  Just time enough to get your holiday shopping done, and then get your survival preparation ready for round two.  Or is it three?  I’m losing count.  Mitch McConnell says what we just went through won’t happen again.  Ted Cruz says don’t bet on it.

The thing about ideologues is that they won’t allow themselves to give up.  They are getting too much gratification from their own activist base.  They enjoy the spotlight, and they enjoy the thrill of brinkmanship.  As soon as the adrenaline rush from this most recent fiasco wears off, they will be back for more action.

The Silence of Ted Cruz
should not be expected any time soon, although
his Party tried to contain him.
"Will the Tea Party be chastised by recent defeat?
Not likely, or not for long.  Because Tea Party
members inhabit an alternative political reality--
sheltered in safe districts or states, applauded by
Conservative media, incited (or threatened) by
advocacy groups, carried along by a deep current
of anger and frustration among activists--they
have no incentive to view defeat as defeat.  In fact,
turning against tactical radicalism would involve
serious political risk.  So every setback is interpreted
as a need for greater purity and commitment."
--Michael Gerson, The Washington Post

So what do we know now that we didn’t know a week ago?  Well, it should be crystal clear to everyone that Congress is a house divided, and as both Abraham Lincoln and The Bible tell us, it will not stand.  John Boehner will go down in history as possibly the weakest Speaker of the House ever.  There is no ‘too far’ for the Tea Party.  The rest of the world, including our economic allies, will be looking for fiscal stability elsewhere.  And unless there is a significant voter mandated change in 2014, economic recovery for the middle class is in jeopardy. Why do I say this? Because the swing votes needed to prevent disaster were garnered under extreme duress.  There are no real defenders of the American people in The House.  Just very bad chess players.

Splat!
As God is my witness, I thought elephants could fly!

But please don’t let my cynicism spoil your appreciation for the titanic loss incurred by the Republican Party over the past few weeks. They failed in everything they were trying to build.  The real precipice they stood on was not the fiscal cliff, but the edge of voter confidence.  At the last minute some recognized the danger and clung to their grass roots to break their fall.  But others, buoyed by a blood-thirsty anti-government frenzy, jumped headlong over the edge believing they would bounce.  I know many of you out there frustrated with the theatrics are eagerly waiting to hear the resounding splat. Congratulations.  Today is your day.

But the survivors will not be deterred.  They are not afraid of going over the edge.  They believe with all of their heart that the philosophical bubble they live in will break their fall. They just need to go home and pump it up a little.  More hot air will make them buoyant again.

The De-evolution of Republican Man
What most of see as a fifteen year progression of repeated error and bad judgement, Republicans feel is a mere redefinition of political identity.  They still feel their policies are sound, which is why they will lose even more support in 2014.   The Tea Party views their role as destiny, and the mainstream Republican machine as a convenient tool to help them reach their goal.  Cliffhanging  is no big deal.  They have spent the last two weeks telling us just that.  Stock up on canned tuna and fresh water.  We may all have to hunker down again.