A bit of early Thursday morning rambling...
I was nearly certain that the GOP/Stupid Party extremists would stop any deal to re-open the government and not fund the debt limit, for no apparent reason. The GOP ran through a ridiculous laundry list of demands, none of which they were allowed, and FINALLY agreed to a series of meetings that the Democrats had been asking them to participate in for at least 6 months...To be fair, the GOP/teabag party was very busy repealing Obamacare, which they never actually could do, about 42 times, at great cost to the taxpayers and again for no apparent reason.
But the republican House was concentrating on the economy and jobs, jobs, jobs...killing job training and veterans jobs bills, ending any hope of the equal pay for women act and for increasing the minimum wage...you know, Republican stuff.
But to the good things of recent days...Congratulations to Senator Elect Cory Booker of New Jersey, who will be a great asset to our Senate, in the process defeating a tea party republican who was a Koch Brothers approved and financed candidate,and yet another offensive extremist moron.
We seem to be winning the Senate race in Kentucky and Governorship in VA and here in PA...and New Jersey will have its "real" election in early November...
But I think there is one more thing we should celebrate that came out of this tragic, idiotic mess...The GOP revealed how insane they really are, and MANY more people understood that.
The GOP has the ability to shrug off any connection to reality. When they lose, they will ALWAYS say that people did not understand them, that somehow we do not grasp their true intentions. This time, they seem to feel that what others think about the GOP does not matter...that they are above public opinion, that their positions in the government they hate are secure, no matter what.
It seems they are wrong. It seems the teaparty/GOP is in trouble with voters, even former "moderate" republicans who grasp that their party has abandoned them, and has become the American Taliban.
The "regular" republicans blame the tea party for all the bad feelings, but the "moderates" have had YEARS to speak against the extremists and have not. I believe the GOP is on its last legs as a viable party, and I believe they will lose control of the House and lose more seats in the Senate in the next election, because I believe they have not learned a damn thing from this. They will again say that they were misunderstood, that they must focus their message...become even more insane and extreme...and that they will continue on their present course.
I believe the GOP will continue to kill itself and will finally meet with success after they try this again early in 2014. This will cost them dearly in the election.