Very few Americans know how close the country came to catastrophe this week

[jsr]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-ted-cruzs-ego-trip-carries-a-high-cost/2014/02/14/76826d02-95b3-11e3-8461-8a24c7bf0653_story.html

High cost of an ego trip
By Dana Milbank, Published: February 14

Very few Americans know how close the country came to catastrophe this week.

The final tally shows that the Senate voted by a wide margin Wednesday, 67 to 31, to break Sen. Ted Cruz’s filibuster of an increase in the debt limit, thus avoiding a default on the United States’ full faith and credit.

But 15 minutes after the voting should have ended, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had apparently secured only two of the five Republican votes he needed to join all 55 members of the Democratic caucus to pass the measure. He raised three fingers in the air and worked his way among his members but was met with folded arms and shakes of the head. Looking queasy, he patted his thigh nervously and drummed his fingers. In the hubbub, Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) knocked a full glass of water and coaster from McConnell’s desk to the floor.

Democrats, watching the spectacle, took the extraordinary step of ordering the Senate clerk not to read aloud the ongoing vote tally to avoid setting off a market panic; because the House had already left on a two-week recess, a failure of this vote would have left little chance of avoiding default on Feb. 27, when the Treasury was to run out of funds.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. That guy is so sleazy! And he doesn't care a whit about who

will be hurt by his antics.

[zabet]

86. Sleazy and greasey.

Unctuous is the nicest word I can use to describe the being that appears in the OP.

[enlightenment]

2. What a nasty man

he is - every time I see his photo my gorge rises. Unbelievable that one man can make a chamber full of Republicans look reasonable by comparison.

[northoftheborder]

3. Photo says it all

Evil incarnate enjoying his destruction

[Bettie]

10. And his dad makes him look almost human

His father is just a crazy person, with a lot more evil.

[watoos]

38. They are both Dominionists

They think that God chose them to lead, and money will be given them by God, or something stupid like that. It was the same for Romney with his White Horse prophesy. Just like the Blues Bothers said, we're on a mission from God.

[djean111]

52. The Dominionists believe that the Christians will control the government and there

will be an end-time transfer of wealth from non-Christians to Christians.
That is why Cruz looks so happy - plus, his wife is a Goldman Sachs vice president and I guess he can deposit all the money he takes from non-Christians right into a handy Goldman Sachs account.

[Coyotl]

83. Not just the government, they want the whole world under their rule.

[hobbit709]

24. His expression always reminds me of the class snitch in school.

[SnowCritter]

35. I always think "Damien"

The fact that he was elected to the Senate really makes me fear for our country.

[awoke_in_2003]

48. It is a face...

desperately in need of a fist.

[SunSeeker]

92. LOL

[calimary]

40. He does look that way.

Deranged devil-man. Relishing and reveling in the plague he brings upon our houses. Evil incarnate indeed.

[arely staircase]

72. this guy may be the anti-christ

he even looks the part.

[Mass]

4. Why? We should talk about the hypocrisy of the rest of the caucus

who are voting NO on a vote they actually want to succeed. They know the bill must pass, but they play games.

Sorry, I am more irritated by McConnell and those who voted for cloture but AGAINST the bill (not ONE Republican voted for raising the debt ceiling).

Same goes for the House. Most of these guys would oppose defaulting, but they voted NO, playing games and letting the 28 GOPers composed of the leadership, a few people who were retiring, and swing districts to vote YES.

It is time for the GOP to stop the hypocrisy. They cannot vote NO on something they want.

[redqueen]

11. "It is time for the GOP to stop the hypocrisy."

That'll be the day. I will not be holding my breath.

[edhopper]

14. It's about vote counting

on a bill like this once the leader or speaker knows they have enough votes to pass they release other members to vote against it to save them from voter anger back home.
This is how it has worked for 250 years.

[Mass]

16. This does not mean it is not hypocritical and very dismissive of the voters.

[redqueen]

58. Thing is, they know hardly any voters bother to pay attention.

They get to ensure they're not blamed for anything catastrophic, while also being able to claim they didn't personally vote for it so they can pander to the idiots who don't pay attention.

It's a game to them.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Fucking Canada, sending us this loon. Maybe this is how they plan to defeat us--

not a shot fired, we crumble from within.

[Thor_MN]

15. A rotting, plague ridden corpse, catapulted over the border.

Sounds about right.

[liberalmuse]

32. I will be stealing this in conversation one day.

Perfect description!

[Auntie Bush]

63. That makes for a beautiful picture.

I can just visualize it.

[awoke_in_2003]

49. I say we forgive Canada...

for Bieber and Celine Dion, if they would please take this loon back. Of course, Canada isn't crazy

[Major Nikon]

74. Still not as bad as Bieber

[SunSeeker]

93. Possibly even worse than Canada's other ignominious export, tar sands oil.

And just as greasy.

[bluestate10]

94. Canadians are plain smarter than us. When that asshole and his dad were leaving Canada, the

Canadians said, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass, eh?" Then, Canadians went back to eating their superior donuts.

[Walk away]

6. I am a lot more concerned about the people who voted this jackass...

into power. They are creating these monsters and putting this country at risk. Face it, Teddy could slip in the tub, crack his head open and be dead tomorrow and they will just find another to vote into the Senate.

[madville]

19. This is what Wendy Davis will be up against

A voter base big enough to elect Ted Cruz! I wish her luck, going to be an uphill fight, turnout will be key.

[Walk away]

44. One of my friends who retired from Wall Street to a home...

in a suburb of Dallas is doing volunteer work for Wendy Davis. This friend considers herself an "Independent". She voted for Obama but has voted for Republicans in State and local elections.
She bought her house in Texas not far from where she came from. Her Brother has lived there all of this time. They are both very successful financially and a bit "Free Market". They are both voting for and supporting Wendy. They believe that Republicans are destroying the state, the schools and the reputation of the state.

[yellowdogintexas]

71. 2012 was a low (even by Texas standards)voter turnout year,even for presidential

And of course it was a disaster in other ways besides the ascendancy of CrazyCruz.
I would like to give a piece of my mind to everyone who stayed home or who only voted for the President and ignored the remainder of the ballot.


I do think we will have a better turnout this time out. There is an enormous amount of excitement about the Davis candidacy, and we have more Democrats on the ballot than we have had in years.

[juajen]

79. I used to live in Texas. I don't miss it at all.

[calimary]

39. EXACTLY. Who the hell is VOTING for this asshole?????

Who the hell is voting for the other assholes like him?????

THAT is where we have to concentrate more strategic efforts. Either to convert or rehabilitate some of them or else blunt their impact by cultivating more voters on OUR side to cancel out and hopefully overwhelm whatever voting strength or numbers they have. When I hear from and read posts by people - elsewhere AND here, too - who whine that it isn't perfect enough so they're gonna sit this one out, or they blather "meh, they're all the saaaaaaaame", I just want to SCREAM!!!!!!!!

It's - I'm sorry but - NUMB-SKULLS like that, unfortunately too many on our side, who make it possible for the ted cruzes of the world to make it to Washington. When you look at the low numbers of voters, and you hear the bad guys saying again and again - "the FEWER people voting, the better OUR chances!" And when you see them doing everything they can to limit and restrict voting blocks that traditionally and reliably come out for OUR side, DOESN'T THAT SAY SOMETHING TO YOU???? SHOULDN'T THAT SAY SOMETHING TO YOU OTHER THAN "Sorry, SCREW YOU, I've Gotta Stand My Ground"????????

ISN'T THAT FAIR WARNING?

ISN'T THAT SUFFICIENT TO CONVINCE YOU TO STEP UP????

ISN'T THAT MOTIVATION ENOUGH TO GO FOR GOOD IF PERFECT STILL SOMEHOW HASN'T SHOWN UP?????

ISN'T THAT ENOUGH TO SUCK IT UP AND DANCE WITH WHAT THERE IS????? Rather than waiting for some magical perfect candidate that doesn't exist and never did????????????

ISN'T THAT ENOUGH TO GET YOU OFF YOUR HIGH HORSES AND JUST GO VOTE - if for NO other reason than to keep a REAL bad guy out of power?????

DO YOU REALLY THINK BOTH SIDES ARE EXACTLY ALIKE?????????

Sorry to shout. But y'know what? TOO DAMN BAD!!!! I'm sick of hearing from the people who should be on our side and should be relentlessly grabbing every opportunity we have to weigh in, in substantial numbers, and keep the bad guys OUT OF POWER - who decide they just simply must skip it out of some cockeyed utopian principle that gets you NOWHERE in the real world!!!!!!! If YOU stayed home when it came time to go vote, out of some imagined perfection-only grudge or hissy-fit, then YOU are to blame for assholes like this getting into power.

[Walk away]

45. I could not agree with you more!

It's upsetting and tragic. 2010 was a nightmare and continues to be devastating for the elderly, the poor, the handicapped and women in crisis.

1st Way, 3rd Way, Progressive, Centrist or Blue Dog...get up, get out and vote for the Democrat in the race!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

57. To listen to them, MOST people are Conservative but stay home.

[reACTIONary]

66. +10 (nt)

[fleabiscuit]

75. I’m beginning to understand that I am officially turning into an old fart.

Pretty much anyone even 10 years younger than me, and a good deal my age, look at me cross-eyed when I tell them the party lines have shifted dramatically, and there has been no economic gain for working peeps since the early 70’s.

Anyway, worth a read IMHO….

Noam Chomsky | On Shutdown, Waning US Influence, Syrian Showdown

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19287-in-conversation-with-noam-chomsky-on-us-politics-global-affairs-and-capitalist-reform

“…There's a reason why they have a collection of near crazies as the base. Over the past 30 or 40 years, both political parties have drifted to the right. Same thing's happened in Canada, incidentally. This is all part of the whole neoliberal shift in the economy. But the parties have shifted to the right. Today's Democrats are pretty much what used to be called moderate Republicans a generation ago. And the Republicans went so far to the right that they just can't get votes. They've become a dedicated party of the very rich and the corporate sector. And you can't get votes that way. So they've been compelled to mobilize a base of voters and gone to elements of the country that have always been there but were kind of marginal to the political system, for example, religious extremists. The United States is off the international spectrum in religious extremism. I mean half of the population, roughly, thinks the world was created a couple thousand years ago. Two thirds of the country is expecting the second coming of Christ. They've also had to turn to nativists. The gun culture in the United States, which is out of control, is party fueled by people who think 'we've got to have our guns to protect ourselves.' Protect ourselves from whom? From the United Nations? From the federal government? From people from outer space?

There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people could be an electoral base to keep them in power, but on the assumption that they'd be able to control them. And that's turning out not to be easy…”

[calimary]

80. Welcome to DU, fleabiscuit!

Glad you're here! That's a pretty fair assessment there. "Religious extremism," "out of control," "irrational". Yep. Unfortunately. I keep wondering when it'll end. All I know for sure is that we can't give up. We cannot give up making sure they know on that nut-case end that WE are still here. And WE have to get noisy, too. Because the only reason this radical minority seems able to dominate is because it's loud and noisy. I don't know if it's an answer, but I know that doing nothing is NO answer.

Just remember one thing about your "representatives" and you: if they think you don't care, THEY WON'T, EITHER!!!!!

[Hippo_Tron]

88. It's Texas, there aren't enough of us to beat them even if everyone did vote

If you want to blame someone, I'd actually blame all of the Republicans who would've preferred Dewhurst but didn't show up to vote in the primary.

[okaawhatever]

7. If he was born in any country other than Canada, most Americans would be convinced he was a

sleeper agent hell bent on destruction of the country. If he were born in Kenya, would the Republican voters view his actions as destructive and suspicious or would they still be heralding him as a "patriot"?

And speaking of suspicious births. We all need to see his long-form birth certificate. How many Canadians are this rude and evil? (Ignoring for a moment their current mayor of Toronto) Isn't his behavior un-Canadian enough to question his birth? (okay the last part is sarcasm)

[redqueen]

13. [phone]

But he's a republican. Destruction of the country has just about become a tradition for all of them at this point.

[demigoddess]

46. Hitler took over a country

after a period of severe depression and destruction.

[drmeow]

30. Very close to what I was going to post

Hmmm - the Muslim Kenyan powers-that-were cleverly planted birth announcements in Hawaiian newspapers to ensure that their sleeper agent would get elected President and destroy America. Ironically, the only man who can stop him is Ted Cruz. Little do the American people know that, at close to the same time that those dastardly Muslims were planting their sleeper agent, Castro's agents cleverly sent Cruz's father to Canada so that he could give birth to the Ted whose real job is to take over America for the Communists! Perhaps Rand Paul can save us from both of them!

[A Simple Game]

56. Oh my god! It's so obvious now, President Obama is just a diversion.

Cruz is the Manitoba candidate!

[drmeow]

60. The Kenyans

and the Communists are in CAHOOTS! We're doomed!

[spanone]

8. and sadly, fewer probably care.

[Triana]

9. The Evil Joker

That's what he looks like. That's what he is. And he has NO business in public office.

These people ought to undergo independent psychiatric exams before they are allowed to run. The results should be part of their application and they should be PUBLIC record.

That would cut down on some of this Evil Clown Cabal getting into public office -- that -- and getting dark, private money out of the damn process.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Exactly. "Do I look like a guy with a plan?" n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

50. He just wants to watch the world burn. nt

[YOHABLO]

90. Hmm I agree .. there is Nero lurking inside this crazy man.

[awoke_in_2003]

91. ...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. +++

Background checks for politicians, and strike down the deceitfully named Citizens United.

Also, take away the repuke noise machine's megaphones.

[salin]

12. In that photo, Cruz rather resembles Nicholson's Joker

wrought on bringing destruction.

[TorchTheWitch]

55. made me think of the Dickens character Uriah Heep

[salin]

61. indeed a close resemblence!

[Autumn]

17. Perhaps the Democrats should stop giving nut bag pukes cover,

let it be known the pukes set off a market panic.

[pampango]

18. For guys who loudly proclaim their patriotism, they certainly put self before country on a regular

basis. Professing patriotism merely as a tool for personal advancement while harming the country, is particularly disgusting.

"The Wall Street Journal’s conservative editorial page dubbed Cruz “the Minority Maker” for making his GOP colleagues “walk the plank” on a “meaningless debt ceiling vote.”"

His actions suggest Cruz has put himself before his party and even the nation’s solvency. And in this sense his actions are typical of the 2016 GOP presidential field. Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rand Paul are mucking up the gears of government in ways that will earn them favorable attention in the primaries.

Rubio, of Florida, is pushing legislation that would undo Obamacare in such a way that would cause chaos in the insurance market and likely leave tens of millions of people without health coverage and cost the government billions.

Now, Paul has politicized his court challenge to the NSA surveillance program. It would have been an important legal case, but Paul pushed aside the constitutional lawyer who had drafted the legislation and abandoned efforts to get a Democratic senator to be a co-plaintiff; instead, he added President Obama’s name to the list of defendants, brought in the tea party group FreedomWorks as a plaintiff and hired failed Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, another tea party politician, to be his lead lawyer.

OTOH, if Cruz is successful in his role as the "Minority Maker" for the republican party, there may be a silver lining to his otherwise very, very dark cloud.

[Vinnie From Indy]

21. Even his GOP brethren hate this guy, but they have very little control over him.

There just are not many ways for GOP leadership to deal with his antics.

[BlueJac]

22. A picture of a jerk!

[Stainless]

23. With Credit To Marlon Brando......

from One-Eyed Jacks: "Scum-Suckin Pig" pretty much sums up the vile POS that is Ted Cruz.

[tblue37]

25. Just look at his smu smirk! nt

[lostincalifornia]

26. I do not agree that the country was that close. The less inane republicans were not going to let

that happen. It hurt them the last time. Because Cruz forced a filibuster vote it forced these republicans to vote to raise the ceiling when they were going to use a simple majority and provide cover to those who need it in close elections.

There is a major war going on in the republican party, and it could not happen to a nicer bunch of folks

[sulphurdunn]

28. The private lives of creatures

like Cruz always reveal acts that are illegal, immoral or both. Where's the investigative journalism? This little tailgunner needs to be shot down before a crusade of big money and idiot voters elect him President.

[Aldo Leopold]

29. Why does the sight of Ted Cruz's smirking face

make me want to punch my phone?

[calimary]

41. Because he's got a phone-punching face.

Makes me want to foam at the mouth.

[Aldo Leopold]

47. LOL

Agreed!

[PumpkinAle]

31. Scumbags

They really would be happy if they drove this country into another Great Depression because then they could happily blame the Democrats and see themselves in office for the following 20-30 years with no fear of opposition.

Truly sickening.

[calimary]

42. Welcome to DU, PumpkinAle!

Glad you're here! That's what these assholes call "creative destruction." But they've got nothing after they destroy. It reminds me of a political cartoon I saw back around the World Trade Center attacks. It was a drawing of an angry bearded turban-wearing terrorist, standing on a large smoking steaming pile of rubble - meant to depict an entire incinerated city - and sure enough, he's up there on top, angry and waving fist and other fist clutching assault rifle. And I think the caption was something to the effect of - "happy NOW?"

As in - well, okay, you got your way. You destroyed it ALL. THIS is all you've got left. THIS is what you got for your anger and destructive behavior. Happy NOW? You've got nothing but rubble and death and smoldering ruins as far as the eye can see. You must be SO proud! How's that workin' out for ya now?

Of course, that was meant to depict some general Islamic extremist figure. But take off the turban and beard and replace it with a three-cornered tea bagger hat and it would still pack the same punch. Only much more relevant and realistic, and closer to home.

[goldent]

33. I don't believe we came anywhere close to catastrophe

based on past experience. Putting the politics aside, this is just "sexing up" the story.

[jtuck004]

34. Mostly this just helped about 2/3 of the country. The other 100 million will wake up

to daily catastrophes of not enough food to get through the month, not enough money to afford the most spartan of living conditions, or one day closer to a retirement in poverty with only a SS check, at best, to provide for a little bit of comfort. And it is seriously doubtful that they would lose this in a country which creates its own money, in a country where the constitution, not a bunch of sleazy-looking cartoon Congresspeople, guarantee that we will always pay our national bills.

One could say how much worse off those people would be, but that's not necessarily true. I know this because it mostly comes from those who Malcom X would call House Negroes, the people who keep the system of servitude running in support of the wealthy and powerful. For them, and they know it, it's just a charade which keeps the assets of those with more pumped up. But even that slowly running out of steam, if one looks at the effect of the $1.4 trillion we are paying thieving bankers to keep their property values (and interest payments) propped up.

Maybe they would be better off if we let it collapse, arranged for food through our local national guard and Armed Forces, and stopped the wholesale movement of a great portion of their earnings into the pockets of people with more wealth than they know what to do with, instead of continuing this democracy which more resembles slavery for so many.

[bluesbassman]

43. Great post. One minor alteration...

They do know what to do with at least some of their vast barrels of money: Slide it into the greasy palms of charletans and flim-flam men like Cruz.

The first step in getting this country back on track is the overturning of Citizens United.

[benld74]

36. Pond Scum at the lowest level

[EC]

37. I swear that man IS a cuban sleeper

tasked with ruining the American Economy and Political structure.

[riversedge]

51. Cruz looks like a vampire

[Rozlee]

59. Vampires would only suck your blood.

Cruz didn't think anything of trying to bring our whole nation down. He's a soul-sucker. I'd be terrified of being alone in the same room with him. I'd be afraid he'd unhinge his jaw and swallow me head first.

[hue]

53. Terrible!! Cruz should be locked in a psych ward--no insult to psych patients!

[riderinthestorm]

54. This is a great read. K&R. Hope more DUers take the time to study it

Because I guarantee we're going to see this again...

[Doctor_J]

62. terrorists

is what they are

[rurallib]

64. this crap must stop

way past time for true patriotic Republicans to step up.

[QC]

65. He has a face one would never tire of slapping. n/t

[Cha]

69. Not to mention what's absent from his fucking

brain cavity and the shrunken place a heart should be.

Lying perverted asshole.

[Marie Marie]

67. His face:

Smarmy, sleazy, smug, smirking, sniveling, self satisfied, ego maniacal, self-impressed, weaselly and evil. A true representation of his inner self. No wonder people want to do damage to that disgusting mug. He must be the black sheep of Canada - most Canadians are nice people.

[Cha]

68. THANK YOU, JSR! I kicked a thread in LBN with only 4 Recs on it that

signified the President Signing..

President Obama Signs Debt Ceiling Measure Into Law

With this post..

It's a BFD .. to me..

that's the last thing we need to worry about now.

mahalo cal!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=728934

Anyone want to K&R it?

[blkmusclmachine]

70. Hey, is that Mr. Haney from the '60's American TV show "Green Acres"?!?!

[Loaded Liberal Dem]

73. If he destroys us.....

...he can always go back to his home country, eh?

[B Calm]

76. It's a bit nerve racking knowing we have idiots willing to destroy

the US economy in congress. . .

[Scootaloo]

77. I have one question...

How the fuck can you tell when Mitch McConnell "looks queasy"? Isn't that just how he looks?

[area51]

78. Ted Cruz is a psychopath.

Why does he hate America?

[Helen Borg]

82. He certainly is.

He does not hate America. He hates the fact he is not King of America.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

81. How come right wing arseholes never get knocked off????

Still can't figure that out... With the genetics of his old man he's bound to be senile/crazy!!! No offence to geriatrics out there....at least they make new friends every day

[Coyotl]

84. I propose a new nickname for this doofus, "The One Term Cuban-Canadian"

[olegramps]

85. I have nothing but contempt for this charlatan, but....

I have just as much, if not more, contempt for the people who supported his candidacy with their money and votes. The bottom line is he does an excellent job representing their extreme viewpoints on religion and government. The only thing that does matter is that these useful idiots who support their own demise will transform our nation into a third world banana republic of have and have nots. You have to consider the mentality of his supporters.

I have relatives who live in the South who listen exclusively to FOX and right wing radio. It is absolutely impossible to reason with them. Several of them attend a fundamentalist church and actually believe that they saw a man cured of blindness along with others cured of a host maladies along with belief that the end of the world is imminent. Cruz plays into their fears that government is their enemy and the cause of all their problems.

Throw in a big heaping of religious extremism, homophobia and racism and you have a faithful constituency. Just remember he's their man all he way. Hell of a situation isn't it?

[Cartoonist]

87. Saw Ted on TV for the first time

He was running against Jimmy Carter. I guess Obama and Clinton are unbeatable.
Anyways, he struck me as being completely unelectable outside the Teabag Belt. I notice a lot of comments here are about his photo visage. Live action is even worse.

[ffr]

89. Republis are the disaster!

It's time to put the 50 state strategy into affect and give them all their pinkslips in the mid-terms.

[RainDog]

95. k&r n/t