Sheila Jackson Lee had it exactly right: Why so much drama involved in raising the debt ceiling under this president? After all, it has pretty much devolved into standard procedure: Self-styled "fiscal conservatives" (HA!) will bitch and moan, but ultimately will go along for the ride, every time.
But the debt ceiling is, appropriately enough, just the top, protruding part of the pearly-white iceberg.
What's this I hear? Boehner and Cantor showing up LATE for a White House meeting with the President of the United States? That, jadies and lentlemen, simply.isn't.done. Can you imagine the headlines had even the likes of Newt Gingrich dissed Bill Clinton in such regard? But, as you and I well know, it extends far beyond the two issues I've mentioned.
Since January 20th, 2009, the GOP has, quite purely and simply, refused to cooperate with President Barack Obama. On anything. From the economy-salvaging stimulus program which passed the House with not a single Republican vote, to health-care reform, which had to be parliamentarily pushed through, even though it was identical to the plan Republicans had proposed as an alternative to Hillarycare in 1993, even though it was the same damn program enacted in Massachusetts under GOP Governor Mitt Romney,, to the absolutely unprecedednted blockage of presidential appointments the Republicans in the Senate have made a policy of, there can be no doubt that a grudge is being held against America's first black president.
The absolute refusal on the part of the GOP to cooperate in any way, shape or form with this president has been perfectly encapsulated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on two separate occasions, wherein the Kentucky Republican, his tongue perhaps loosened by Alzheimer's-induced honesty, stated that the Number One goal of his party is to ensure that Barack Obama is limited to one term.
An opposition party with the stated priority---not of doing anything about its country's very serious problems---but rather, of bringing down an African-American Chief Executive?
That's racism, stupid!