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January 08, 2013

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low-tech cyclist

Kevin's one of my favorite bloggers, and when I say I hate to call him out, I mean it: I really hate to call him out.

And really, I think he probably just lost sight of the implications of what he was saying. I've been reading him since his CalPundit days, and he's not the type to put political wins over doing substantive good or harm to real people.

But I think it's important to reiterate, at any point where there might be confusion, that beating up on the GOP isn't our goal; doing things that make this country work better for its citizens is. Beating up on the GOP is necessary to the extent that the GOP chooses to stand in the way, but if we can move them out of the way by other means, that suffices.

kathy a.

this whole discussion makes me tired. again.

persons attempting to demonstrate "fiscal responsibility" by crashing the economy cannot be taken seriously as statesmen.

if all of this is kabuki, then there isn't a hostage. i tend to think that most of 'em are not going to go through with denying a raising of the debt ceiling.

going to the 14th amendment or the platinum album coin would be extraordinary measures -- a last-ditch salvation, should congress prove even stupider than usual. creating a conversation about them only detracts from the one clear message: we need the debt ceiling raised, no strings.

nancy

Looks like a good many people are weary of our Congressional crew and its antics. Polling < head lice, colonoscopies and Trump. Might be funnier if they weren't so dangerously stupid.

Crissa

I think Kevin's a supporter of 'ignore the debt limit as unconstitutional', which kinda takes the air out of the whole disaster thing.

Mandos

The question of where the threshold for stopping hostage negotiations is, has been the big splitting point on the leftier US blogosphere.

low-tech cyclist

Oh. My. God.

I didn't think even Republicans could be this dumb.

And this isn't some random wingnut. This is the NRCC, the National Republican Congressional Committee.

No, you imbeciles, you don't need $1 trillion worth of platinum in a platinum coin with face value of $1 trillion.

Good Lord almighty.

paula

Must be a joke. Here's one I like:

pourmecoffee ‏@pourmecoffee
Obama's worst day: "Honey, have you seen my trillion dollar coin? I can't find it." "Check the laundry, I think I heard something."

kathy a.

they are not so good at critical thinking. ever hearda folding money?

here is how things are with the debt ceiling:

1. congress decides what to spend money on.

2. the executive branch carries out what congress decides; in this case, paying those debts. the executive is REQUIRED to pay the stuff congress has racked up.

3. which is why congress has always, in the past, raised the debt ceiling so the country can pay its bills.

who would loan money to a bum who racks up charges on the credit card, then refuses to pay the bill? how they think they can blame obama is beyond me.

kathy a.

lew looks great, oddjob. have only skimmed the backgrounder referenced in your link, but it looks very interesting. numbers whiz, meticulous prep, stays out of the spotlight, has both the economic and political savvy -- and he is devoted to protecting programs like SS and medicare.

Bill H

CBS is highlighting that Lew is a "former Citibank executive." Big deal, he managed a hedge fund. He is not associated with the Federal Reserve and is not affiliated with the housing bubble. Basically a lifetime in public service. He looks fine to me.

low-tech cyclist

Lew was apparently deeply involved in the Clinton-era financial deregulation, and doesn't feel that failure to regulate meaningfully contributed to the crash of 2007-08.

Nonetheless, probably the only thing to be gained by objecting to Lew from the left is that it might convince the GOP that he can't be all that bad. It's not like we're going to get anyone better, and as y'all have pointed out, there are some positives in his resume as well.

kathy a.

yeah, ltc, that is the down side of lew. but it is not something that the GOP can exactly complain about. and the up sides -- to me, from a distance -- seem strong.

despite his deliberately low profile (which is a plus), he comes across as a bulldog on issues like the social safety net; he sounds very sensible on finance-related issues of the day.

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