This comment to Krugman's column today has more than 2000 recs

"...by demonstrating that raw extortion works and carries no political cost, it will take America a long way down the road to banana-republic status."

This is the key point that most commentators, and virtually all politicians, seem to overlook. Never mind the deal's content--as horrible as it appears to be--the simple fact that Republicans have been successful in extorting such concessions from the Democrats, who lest we forget, still form a majority in government, constitutes a catastrophic failure of democratic governance.

It now appears that Eric Cantor is the most powerful man in America. He and his band of radical goons first cowed the leaders of their own party--most notably John Boehner--and then used their narrow majority in the House and their willingness to wreck the nation's economy and its good name to force the Senate and the president to bow to their radical demands. Are we to assume that from here on out each time Federal borrowing approaches the debt ceiling the House majority will use the threat of default to enforce whatever crazy demands strike its fancy? It seems reasonable to think so.

The president has suffered a disastrous failure of imagination. His only consideration has been how best to position himself for the 2012 election. Forget for a moment that it is all too likely that the adverse economic consequences of his deal will complicate his reelection bid considerably, he has failed to recognize that his abject surrender has consequences for American government and American life that will be far more profound and more longlasting than whichever individual gets elevated to the White House next year.

This is a shameful day to be a Democrat and a shameful day to be an American.

Source:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/the-president-surrenders-on-debt-ceiling.html?sort=recommended

Constitutional amendments to

1. mandate sectarian prayer in public schools and public meetings
2. ban abortion in all cases including incest and rape (re-criminalizing)
3. super majority in both Houses to raise taxes
4. re-criminalize desecration of the American flag
5. banning minimum wage for all employment

This ain't over by a longshot.

I missed that election. Cantor IS a "Merryman" for Grover. His philosophy is steal from the poor and give to the rich.

the left ignores the right's most important weapon because it gives them a headache to listen to it.

Krugman is succeeding as Pied Piper for depressing Democrats and creating the very impression he recently attacked the media for.


Of course, he uses the President exclusively to support his false equivalency.

Attack him, not what he says. The worst political tactic, it is poison, and it is the mark of the OFA.

"Attack him, not what he says. The worst political tactic, it is poison, and it is the mark of the OFA."

...reminds me of Rove!

sorry kid, you lost this one.

Look at the actual results. The only people who lose anything are the working class. We get a 2% tax increase because the payroll tax cut was NOT extended and the rich get absolutely no tax increase. The programs to help the working class are all facing large spending cuts.

AND

Social Security is on the chopping block for the Super Congress.

After bailouts, give aways, subsidies, no-bid government contracts and 0 taxes for the idle rich, monopolies and corporations, you would expect something for the unemployed and working class. You would expect it but you would NOT get it. This is a joke. This is complete capitulation much like the socialist capitulated in the face of the RepubliCON Fascist Party in Italy. Fascism in Italy did not take an overthrow like in Pinochet's Chile, it merely took the other side to give in.

They can only control you if you let them. Join the fight. Be there in October:

I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day or the days immediately following, for as long as I can, with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza to demand that America's resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning."

http://october2011.org/welcome

I agree with you on everything else, but our side is calling expiring tax cuts tax increases now? This is what I was afraid of with the payroll tax cut.. it never going back up because "oh no, tax increase!" and that basically killing Social Security due to an ACTUAL (as opposed to the usual made-up) funding shortage

"His only consideration has been how best to position himself for the 2012 election."

That's unfair, I think. Obama does what he thinks is right, everything considered. But he must be a Democratic President of the Republicans' dreams - he surrenders to their demands, and doesn't tell the people the truth about them. Why? Because that would be partisan! (Being partisan is not allowed for Democrats, only for Republicans. As Krugman says: It's ok if you're a Republican.)

what the hell happened to him? this sounds like something from Freeperville.

Krugman's column today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/the-president-surrenders-on-debt-ceiling.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"Make no mistake about it, what we’re witnessing here is a catastrophe on multiple levels."

I think he's right.

What will happen, I think, is little if any tax increases, and Medicare etc. will be weaker and weaker over the years, because of this. Because now the Repubs have the deficit debate where they want it, about cuts, not tax increases. And cuts now, instead of stimulus now + deficit concerns after the economy has become well.

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Please, tell us how much that Nobel prize means to you.

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At least attempt to explain why you disagree with Krugman and the person who posted that comment, rather than throwing around insults.

or haven't you noticed.

or only certain people are allowed to and others not...

"Democrats, who lest we forget, still form a majority in government, constitutes a catastrophic failure of democratic governance. "

What BS. He is just shit stirring. He knows that both houses of Congress have to pass a bill before it can become law, a President and Senate can't pass a law by themselves. Yet that's what he's hinting at. He knows the ignorant can be swayed.

This is one dishonest fellow.

Knee-jerk response generally never works well.

We don't need anyone to tell us what we have been witnessing for years now since the Dem Party was taken over by the DLC/New Democrats/Third Way or whatever they are calling themselves now.

But when someone who has the ability to be heard, which the Democratic base no longer does, puts it in writing, we show our AGREEMENT.

It is the condescending attitude of 'my party right or wrong' supporters that people should just follow the party and cannot think for themselves, so wrong, that is undermining the Democratic Party and that drove Independents away.

Just one example: On what basis does he conclude that the President is just making overtures for 2012?

That makes no sense if this outcome has truly caused him to lose his so-called "base".

For all his economic acumen, Krugman appears to be just another not-really-informed opinion when it comes to the workings of politics. He simply has access to a higher-visibility media soapbox.

....without his "so-called 'base'", which is pretty much obvious since jan 2009.

but then nobel prize winning economists so often are bad with facts.

the arrogance and hubris of your post is astounding. you should be ashamed but i'm sure you won't be.

Strongly disagree with your post. Obama doesn't consider the left his base, he wants the "center", which he defines differently than I do. His def of center is the right-leaning independents who are too ashamed to call themselves Republicans so they say they're independents. I've met many such people.

Krugman's analysis has consistently been on the mark.

which doesn't mean it's false, but it has to be a consideration in some respect considering the supremes that may have to be nominated and the prospect of being in the best position to beat the fucking republicans

You have no ability to 'follow' Krugman beyond agreeing with him. You do not get a vote on anything congress is doing.

True believers are easily recognized and marginalized

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And I've campaigned and voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since then.

because they weren't paying attention before, and have no clue how the republicans play politics and dominate media and get away with it

and it's much worse now with this black dem pres, and the fact that the left still hasn't figured out how bad they get beaten by rove's invisible political talk radio 2x4

I spent the last 10 years before I retired working for the Democratic Caucus of the PA House of Representatives - did battle with an increasingly conservative, born-again GOP every working day - so yes, I know how the GOP operates, and all the dirty tricks.

is how the 'left' ignores right wing radio and then evaluates and strategizes as if it isn't dominating media and politics

everyone blames the tea party for doing this yet few realize they live in an alternate reality that could not have been created without the coordinated repetition from 1000 think tank-fed radio stations that only works because it is UNCHALLENGED by the left that gets it's ass kicked by it every day. cantor and boner and norquist are ticks on limbaugh's ass. he's the enforcer.

for months he had free reign to assure the teabagger dittoheads that there were only good consequences from a default - that the pres would have to pay off the debt so there would be no stock market problems and then he would have to cut the 'parasites' and 'bottom feeders' - public employees and their unions, teachers, etc.

democrats will continue to lose and blame themselves until they actually challenge the radio. there will be no media or electoral or drug reform and the GOP will continue to get more an more ignorant and radical and lockstep as more and more dittoheads are filtered through the local talk radio influenced primaries. and we don't have time to wait for them to implode.

Sometimes groups that represent a significant minority can hold countries/legislatures hostage until they get what they want. There is nothing new here.

The question you have to ask is, did the folks on the other side, meaning Democrats and the leader of the party, President Obama, have the support of the party that they needed to stand fast if that is what they wanted to do.

The answer is obviously no.

has anyone threatened not to raise the debt limit ever before? Don't think so. The development of this limit is just a consequence of the policy on revenues and expenses. What's happening here, is that a minority that has not been able to shape the policy on revenues and expenses, gets the ability to veto this policy. But that's crazy - in a democracy, the majority decides, not the minority.

Imagine if a Dem minority had done something like this - then every American would surely have been told what was going on.

All it takes is for the minority to be more united and determined than the majority and for there to be some sort of deadline or risk of waiting combined with the minority being just large enough to prevent the majority to move on without them.

As I said, it's not new and there are many examples throughout history. Our form of Democracy was created specifically to allow this kind of thing to happen.

but i do not believe obama cares.

All the economic indicators point to a defeat for the party in power. It will be a narrow defeat, since an articulate incumbent whose party has been in power only one term will partially offset the slanted terrain. But not enough to overcome the big picture.

The details are mostly meaningless, including the GOP nominee. There will be tens of thousands of threads here, debating every nuance. I won't have the energy to participate often. The view from afar is seldom incorrect. 2004 set up as a narrow GOP victory, since war time incumbents with decent economic numbers seldom lose, as Mark Mellman pointed out very astutely on election eve. 2006 and 2008 were obvious Democratic blowouts, given Iraq and Bush's mid 30s approval numbers. 2010 was a guaranteed GOP landslide, considering the way Democrats snooze in the midterm after regaining the presidency (1978, 1994).

In 2012 the unemployment rate and GDP trends will make no sense toward a re-election. When you've got no offense and no defense there's no use pretending a football team isn't doomed.

perhaps I should have said the cinched the loss and also that they earned it.

Voters in the state also said Mr. Obama does not deserve to be reelected, by 52-42 percent.

In a potential matchup in the 2012 election matching the president against possible Republican challengers, the polls shows:

• Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 44 percent to Mr. Obama's 42 percent;

• Former Pa. U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum with 43 percent to Mr. Obama's 45 percent;

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11214/1164615-100.stm#ixzz1TsZFZsoS

There is even more dissatisfaction with both Dem & GOP congresspeople. I'd say it's gonna be a bloodbath for all incumbents. Hope someone primaries my Blue Dog Congressman, Jason Altmire!

It's off to he speaking circuit and a cushy no work partnership at a big law firm that will pay to have a president on the letterhead. He has his cushy paybacks, his retirement and his publically paid for security. He's fucking retired. He won't eat cat food and like the rest of the rich he thinks anyone who does deserves it.

Show up for 4 meetings a year - or maybe phone it in. Tom Ridge became a millionaire from his post-government, corporate board appointments.

a real majority can get things done without minority support. There is no such majority at this time. This is the nature of "split government".

Has truly resonated.

+1000. Looks like it's being PLANNED that way.

including, on himself.

for a long time, and Obama has been the key to carrying it out.

Only Nixon could go to China, and only Obama could cut SS/Med.

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You give BHO more cover than he deserves. He's just a lying corporatist through and through. Until we face that, nothing good will happen except little nothings to appease the liberals. I doubt that the progressives can be fooled any longer.

none of this would have been possible if the left pulled their ipods out of their ass once in a while and finally challenge the real leaders of the GOP, where the tea party came from, limbaugh and the other talk radio gods.

this analysis ignores it. And why does someone have to be the "most powerful man?" There is no such thing in our system.

These commentators are at a new low. All about WHO and not the system, politics, or what. Who is the most powerful man? What a focus. That's for 8th graders.

Bills originate in Congress. Doesn't matter who beats their chest the loudest. The whole system is set up for civilization, not the law of the jungle.

And continued use of this language is unoriginal. If these people claim to be writers, they are doing a crappy job.