I have a lot of thoughts about the new debt ceiling law. Some aren't completely formulated yet, so I'll hold off.  But I do have some thoughts that are completely formulated.  So I'll ask you to suffer through some of them:

(1) This bill made a liar out of John Boehner and the Republicans (again).  Boehner has repeatedly promised legislators in the U.S. House would have at least 72 hours with all legislation, and they had about a day with this bill.   (Sunlight Foundation)

(2) This bill made a liar out of President Obama. He promised legislation would be posted online at least five days before he would sign it.  (Sunlight Foundation)

(3) I think we should call what the Teabaggers did by its true name: Terrorism.  Saying to a country, "We demand that you give us everything we want, including an amendment to the United States Constitution, or we will destroy the American economy" is terrorism.  That is exactly what the Teabagging Terrorists did, so we need to call them Teabagging Terrorists.  If it was the Chinese or Pakistani government making a demand like that, it would be an act of war and bombs would be dropping.  Let's call Teabaggers what they are: they are terrorists. The President would have been well served to have treated them like the terrorists they are. Period.

(4) I have heard a dozen reasons why I should be outraged that President Obama capitulated to the Teabagging Terrorists demands.  I've also read a number of arguments suggesting Obama was playing three dimensional "Star Trek" chess against Teabaggers who can only see in one dimension, and he "ate their lunch."  I haven't had time to digest the details, so I'm staying out of it for now.  My initial reaction is that Matt Taibbi probably gets it right, again.  Obama and the Democrats probably took a dive.

(5) The debt ceiling was raised 18 times under Reagan, trippling the U.S. Government's debt.  George HW Bush raised the debt limit 4 times.  Bill Clinton raised the debt ceiling during his two terms from $4.145 trillion to $5.95 trillion. George W Bush raised the debt limit twice, doubling the U.S. debt from $5.95 trillion to $11.315 trillion. Most of the debt the Obama administration is trying to service was incurred during the two terms of George W. Bush, with Republican leadership in Congress.  Our government, right now, is just trying to pay bills incurred by Republicans.  That said, if you stand Barack Obama in a group that includes the 16 presidents, over 23 terms (that's 92 years), who raised the debt ceiling, what one thing sets Barack Obama apart from all those other Presidents that set off the Teabagging Terrorists now? The increase in spending needed by the executive branch today to cover the bills run up by congress over the last 10 years is a pittance when compared even to the increase in military spending, alone, under George W. Bush.  What is different about Barack Obama?

(6) I'm wondering if anybody knows of a single credible economist who argues that America can balance its budget without raising new revenues by closing some or all of the tax loopholes big corporations and billionaires use to avoid paying their fair share? Importantly, can a legitimate economist make that argument without telling me the streets will be filled with homeless children, sick people and the elderly? I haven't seen or heard such an argument yet and would be interested to see the argument made by someone with credibility (i.e. not Grover Norquist, who has none).  

(7) I wrote most of this blog post last night. This morning I watched a little bit of the Morning Joe program on MSNBC. I watched in amazement as Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan waxed nostalgic about how great it was during the Nixon years when Buchanan and his Republican buddies could go out and have dinner with Democrats after peacefully duking it out on the legislative floor.  

They apparently think we're all a bunch of idiots.  Most of us know Republican leaders are scumbags. Some of you might not have heard that Nixon became president through an act -- or series of acts -- of treason.  

For Scarborough and Buchanan (a senior advisor for Nixon), the treasonous acts Republicans engaged in back in the 60s and 70s must seem quaint -- even cute -- by today's standards.

Maybe the difference between those congenial, civil (criminal) Nixon years and today is that today there are a few progressives in the world who aren't willing to sit back quietly while Republicans engage in their typical treasonous acts without calling them on it.  Today, some of us can watch as Teabag Terrorists hold America's economy hostage, and we're willing to call treasonous teabagging terrorism what it is.

Because it is.

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