Greetings. I am a voting constituent in rural west Texas.
America does love a good sound bite drama. We’ve devolved into thinking a constant cat fight constitutes governance.
I’m referring to the breathless minute by minute debating over whether our elected body of leaders in DC is going to burn down the country by not raising the debt ceiling. Who knew such a bureaucratic death-by-boredom issue could grip the country so?
But that’s what we live for…drama that most often results in a ho-hum outcome.
I’m thinking that the analysis below is the most likely scenario I’ve read of how things will end.
“The fight over the debt ceiling suggests that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is no longer in control of his caucus.
The debt ceiling is a cap on how much the Treasury can borrow to meet its obligations. We are now in trouble because under former president Trump, Congress created $7.8 trillion of debt, and now the Treasury cannot borrow to pay back that money. Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, have said they want the ceiling lifted, but they want Democrats to do it on their own.
But tonight Adam Jentleson, an expert on the Senate whose knowledge of the institution is unparalleled among scholars, pointed out that McConnell seems unable to agree to let the Democrats save the country by a simple vote because five or six Republican senators will refuse. So, unable to control them, he seems to be forcing Democrats into a position in which they have no choice but to break the filibuster. Jentleson suggests McConnell knows that his own caucus might obstruct even reconciliation, so he is trying to open a door to make sure Democrats can keep the nation from defaulting and crashing the U.S. economy.”
In the meantime my Texas senators are doing what they do best. Saying nothing, but with great sanctimoniousness.
“They basically want us to be aiders and abettors to their reckless spending and tax policies, and we just aren’t going to do it,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.).
“I would say rather than this being about politics, this is about the political consequences of your actions.”
Lastly, continuing the process of projecting…
“It has been clear for many weeks,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). “Chuck Schumer is going to surrender, and he is going to do what he could have done months ago. … All the rest of it is political games because they want to posture.”
Pot meet kettle.
