SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Dangerous Hi-Jinks of the GOP's Juveniles
I've spent enough of my life in Washington to take its theatrics with as much seriousness as a Seinfeld episode. A large portion of what passes for policy debate isn't at all -- it's play-acting for various constituencies. The actors know they're acting, as do their protagonists on the other side who are busily putting on their own plays for their own audiences.
Jul 18, 2011
I've spent enough of my life in Washington to take its theatrics with as much seriousness as a Seinfeld episode. A large portion of what passes for policy debate isn't at all -- it's play-acting for various constituencies. The actors know they're acting, as do their protagonists on the other side who are busily putting on their own plays for their own audiences.
Typically, though, back stage is different. When the costumes and grease paint come off, compromises are made, deals put together, legislation hammered out. Then at show time the players announce the results - spinning them to make it seem they've kept to their parts.
At least that's the standard playbook.
But this time there's no back stage. The kids in the GOP have trashed it. The GOP's experienced actors - House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McDonnell - have been upstaged by juveniles like Eric Cantor and Michele Bachmann, who don't know the difference between playacting and governing. They're in league with tea party fanatics who hate government so much they're willing to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States. Washington has gone from theater to reality TV - a game of hi-jinks chicken that could end in a crash.
So now the GOP's experienced actors are trying to retake the stage. They've set a vote Tuesday for a so-called "cut, cap, and balance" plan - featuring an immediate $100 billion-plus cut from next year's budget and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
The plan would be a disaster for the nation, of course - a cut of that magnitude when the economy is still struggling to get out of recession would plunge it back in, and a balanced-budget amendment would make it impossible to counteract future recessions with extra spending and tax cuts.
But, hey, it's all for show. The GOP's adults know the President would veto their cuts and they couldn't possibly muster the two-thirds of the Senate and House needed to override the veto. Nor, obviously, do they have the two-thirds necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.
The point is to give the kids more votes they can wave in the direction of their tea party constituents. It's hoped that the "cut, cap, and balance" plan -- along with Mitch McConnell's proposed Republican vote disapproving the President's move to raise the debt ceiling (which the President will then veto) -- will be enough to get the juveniles to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline.
"The cut, cap and balance plan that the House will vote on next week is a solid plan for moving forward," John Boehner told reporters Friday. Translated: I hope this will be enough playacting to get their votes on the debt ceiling.
But even if it's enough, the bigger problem remains: There's still no back stage where the real work of governing this country can occur. At best, the vote to raise the debt ceiling kicks the can down the road only until the end of 2012. By then, if we don't elect adults, the kids will be in charge.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
I've spent enough of my life in Washington to take its theatrics with as much seriousness as a Seinfeld episode. A large portion of what passes for policy debate isn't at all -- it's play-acting for various constituencies. The actors know they're acting, as do their protagonists on the other side who are busily putting on their own plays for their own audiences.
Typically, though, back stage is different. When the costumes and grease paint come off, compromises are made, deals put together, legislation hammered out. Then at show time the players announce the results - spinning them to make it seem they've kept to their parts.
At least that's the standard playbook.
But this time there's no back stage. The kids in the GOP have trashed it. The GOP's experienced actors - House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McDonnell - have been upstaged by juveniles like Eric Cantor and Michele Bachmann, who don't know the difference between playacting and governing. They're in league with tea party fanatics who hate government so much they're willing to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States. Washington has gone from theater to reality TV - a game of hi-jinks chicken that could end in a crash.
So now the GOP's experienced actors are trying to retake the stage. They've set a vote Tuesday for a so-called "cut, cap, and balance" plan - featuring an immediate $100 billion-plus cut from next year's budget and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
The plan would be a disaster for the nation, of course - a cut of that magnitude when the economy is still struggling to get out of recession would plunge it back in, and a balanced-budget amendment would make it impossible to counteract future recessions with extra spending and tax cuts.
But, hey, it's all for show. The GOP's adults know the President would veto their cuts and they couldn't possibly muster the two-thirds of the Senate and House needed to override the veto. Nor, obviously, do they have the two-thirds necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.
The point is to give the kids more votes they can wave in the direction of their tea party constituents. It's hoped that the "cut, cap, and balance" plan -- along with Mitch McConnell's proposed Republican vote disapproving the President's move to raise the debt ceiling (which the President will then veto) -- will be enough to get the juveniles to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline.
"The cut, cap and balance plan that the House will vote on next week is a solid plan for moving forward," John Boehner told reporters Friday. Translated: I hope this will be enough playacting to get their votes on the debt ceiling.
But even if it's enough, the bigger problem remains: There's still no back stage where the real work of governing this country can occur. At best, the vote to raise the debt ceiling kicks the can down the road only until the end of 2012. By then, if we don't elect adults, the kids will be in charge.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
I've spent enough of my life in Washington to take its theatrics with as much seriousness as a Seinfeld episode. A large portion of what passes for policy debate isn't at all -- it's play-acting for various constituencies. The actors know they're acting, as do their protagonists on the other side who are busily putting on their own plays for their own audiences.
Typically, though, back stage is different. When the costumes and grease paint come off, compromises are made, deals put together, legislation hammered out. Then at show time the players announce the results - spinning them to make it seem they've kept to their parts.
At least that's the standard playbook.
But this time there's no back stage. The kids in the GOP have trashed it. The GOP's experienced actors - House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McDonnell - have been upstaged by juveniles like Eric Cantor and Michele Bachmann, who don't know the difference between playacting and governing. They're in league with tea party fanatics who hate government so much they're willing to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States. Washington has gone from theater to reality TV - a game of hi-jinks chicken that could end in a crash.
So now the GOP's experienced actors are trying to retake the stage. They've set a vote Tuesday for a so-called "cut, cap, and balance" plan - featuring an immediate $100 billion-plus cut from next year's budget and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
The plan would be a disaster for the nation, of course - a cut of that magnitude when the economy is still struggling to get out of recession would plunge it back in, and a balanced-budget amendment would make it impossible to counteract future recessions with extra spending and tax cuts.
But, hey, it's all for show. The GOP's adults know the President would veto their cuts and they couldn't possibly muster the two-thirds of the Senate and House needed to override the veto. Nor, obviously, do they have the two-thirds necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.
The point is to give the kids more votes they can wave in the direction of their tea party constituents. It's hoped that the "cut, cap, and balance" plan -- along with Mitch McConnell's proposed Republican vote disapproving the President's move to raise the debt ceiling (which the President will then veto) -- will be enough to get the juveniles to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline.
"The cut, cap and balance plan that the House will vote on next week is a solid plan for moving forward," John Boehner told reporters Friday. Translated: I hope this will be enough playacting to get their votes on the debt ceiling.
But even if it's enough, the bigger problem remains: There's still no back stage where the real work of governing this country can occur. At best, the vote to raise the debt ceiling kicks the can down the road only until the end of 2012. By then, if we don't elect adults, the kids will be in charge.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.