Conservative rag says Boehner plan was a waste of time

I love it when they start eating themselves. The ridiculous "Pass the Amendment or We'll Shoot the Economy" bill that Boehner crafted to show that he was in control of the House -- which is frickin' hilarious -- was deemed by the Washington Examiner, the conservative alternative to the Washington Post, a waste of time. As if that wasn't obvious. As it stands as I write this, they're still trying to craft a Senate rescue bill to bail out the GOP.

I heard Rep. Jim Jordan on the radio today. He still doesn't accept that a default will be an economic disaster. He's literally waiting for the Titanic to hit the iceberg to find out if the ship is really unsinkable! In my opinion, he should be one of the first ones tossed off the rail to see if the water is really cold.

Is it now fair to say the Boehner plan was a waste of time?

Summation paragraph: (BBA stands for "Balanced Budget Amendment". Or possible "Bad Bastard Addition". Have fun with that.)

With the BBA addition, the new Boehner plan is assured passage in the House and immediate rejection in the Senate. Cut, Cap and Balance served the same purpose. So all that will have been accomplished is that he wasted a work week of unveiling the plan, drafting it into legislative language, getting it scored by the CBO and then revised and scored again, putting it on the House floor, debating it, delaying the vote, trying in vain to arm-twist hold outs, and then ending up with a watered down Cut, Cap and Balance anyway.

Opportunity looking into the crater

I think, though I'm not sure, that this recent picture from Opportunity shows the edge of the near rim, and the far rim (or something in between) beyond that. So it's only a matter of days now. Amazing how far this little robot has been able to travel.

I'm not saying Fox News is stupid, but...

... sometimes it takes more than a spellchecker to edit an article.

Now, I'm not talking about the occasional mistake between "affect" and "effect". Nor am I talking about noun-verb disagreements with the word "data", which is plural. And it's hard to use the word "irregardless" correctly.

But screwing up "tenet" for "tenant"? In the lead sentence of the article, in which the accuracy of the data is paramount? (Note: this is correct, as the noun-verb agreement is for accuracy - singular, not data).

That's what Fox News did. And it hasn't been corrected yet. And in case it was, I screencapped it to make sure that it was captured for history.
























The first sentence reads: "Has a central tenant of global warming just collapsed?"

You know what they say about people that live in glass houses, don'tcha?

Another reason Republicans can't govern the country

Regardless of what happens to the debt ceiling, as the Republicans take us down an economic road to destruction, we're already on the Eve of Destruction from them with regard to the environment. It is astonishing the depths to which they will sink -- the problem is that we are all being dragged down with them.

Republicans seek big cuts in environmental rules

“The new Republican majority seems intent on restoring the robber-baron era where there were no controls on pollution from power plants, oil refineries and factories,” said Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat, excoriating the proposal on the floor.

Environmental regulations and the E.P.A. have been the bane of Tea Party Republicans almost from the start. Although particularly outraged by efforts to monitor carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas linked to the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere, freshmen Republicans have tried to rein in the E.P.A. across the board — including proposals to take away its ability to decide if coal ash can be designated as a toxic material and to prevent it from clarifying rules enforcing the Clean Water Act.

What's the name of that medicine that helps prevent vomiting? I need a boatload of that stuff.

The boundaries of the possible...

... at least with regards to female physical pulchritude, are defined by the contours of Bar Refaeli's feminine form.

See below.

More support for using the 14th amendment

I'll keep this short.

The Debt Titanic


"One is raising the debt ceiling before the Aug. 2 deadline on a temporary basis for some weeks or months and borrowing the shortfall to pay bills. This would enable a less pressured discussion over time. Second, failing that, President Obama should unilaterally raise the debt limit using problematic Constitutional language that prohibits the U.S. from defaulting on financial obligations. While this might well be challenged, at least it will buy time for more reason in Congress."

Can the Constitution prevent debt ceiling catastrophe?

"That last argument -- what is "good for the country" -- would almost certainly be part of any federal court decision on this issue and it would likely look at it this way: no matter how the language reads and no matter how we understand it to be applied in this circumstance, the size, scope, and particulars of the national budget are without a doubt a "political question." In other words, a decision best left to the branches elected by the people, not the judiciary."

14th Amendment: If Obama Opted For Constitutional Option, Legal Challenge Would Be Hard

But if the country is about to go into default, the temptation to act to avert calamity will grow. Legal experts say if the president were tempted to act unilaterally he might escape without his actions being overturned in court.

Regardless of how controversial a 14th Amendment maneuver might be, a legal challenge would be very hard to mount and so far, no one has stepped forward to say they would challenge him in court.

Nor has anyone said they would sue him if he took the alternative, equally controversial, step of using his broad authorities as guardian of the constitutional order to unilaterally raise the borrowing threshold.

Top 10 reasons President Obama should invoke the 14th amendment and end the debt ceiling crisis

Slightly modified from my one-at-a-time tweets today.


10. He would be a superhero to the global economy, and then could wear a cape to press conferences. Probably still can't jump over tall buildings, though.

9. He would be like the parent taking the ball away from kids because they can't play nice.

8. Instead of getting something by negotiation and compromise, the GOP would get *nothing*. No cuts, no vote on a balanced-budget amendment, no chocolate milk in the cafeteria.

7. It would be a bold leadership move, and he would be rewarded in the polls. (Republicans already think he's Satan, so it won't change his standing there. But even standard GOP people want this over.)

6. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity might both have heart attacks. WINNING!

5. We might get to see Eric Cantor actually throw a public hissy-fit.

4. President Clinton thinks it's a good idea, and thus so do all the black people!

3. It would be hilarious to see the GOP try to impeach the President for saving the country from default. (And if they succeeded, he could get elected Secretary General of the UN. After all, he's from Kenya, right?)

2. Stick that in your peace-pipe and smoke it, Speaker Boehner!

And the number one reason President Obama should resolve the debt crisis using the 14th Amendment:

1. The American people overwhelmingly want a deficit solution that includes a mix of taxes and spending cuts. Not funny? It's the truth.