In sane parts of the world people are commenting on the state of politics in the United States and like many Americans, even long-time conservative scholars, they describe Republicans as an “off the rails train wreck” or the vernacular equivalent, “batshit crazy.” Insanity, craziness, or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by abnormal mental or behavioral patterns that may manifest as a person becoming a danger to themselves or others and it aptly defines the current crop of Republicans. Americans affected by Republican hijinks they call economic policies can attest to the danger Republicans are to the American people, and Republican insiders quietly admit that they are rapidly becoming a danger to themselves. However, unlike mentally dysfunctional people who are hardly to blame for defects that prevent their brain from processing normally, Republican insanity is self-inflicted and borne of their racial animus and irrational obsession over the people’s choice of an African American man as President.
It is difficult to choose any particular Republican behavior that qualifies them as insane to the point of becoming a danger to the people or themselves, and it is not because there is a dearth of items. Over the course of four-and-a-half years, they have inflicted damage on the economy and the people, and it is all predicated on their opposition to any agenda or policy proposed or supported by President Obama; even if the ideas originated with Republicans. Recently there has been an uptick in their threats to impeach the President, and one of conservative’s favorite assertions is that President Obama has violated the Constitution and there are myriad lists floating around that demonstrate ignorance and insanity plaguing conservatives.
Some of the highlights conservatives cite as Constitutional violations are the President’s refusal to acknowledge state’s rights to nullify federal laws, Congress passing the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, congressional reauthorization of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), congressional oversight of the NSA, the Senate immigration bill, and of course the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and ruled Constitutional by the conservative Supreme Court. It is the crazed Republican obsession with repealing, defunding, and eliminating the Affordable Care Act that poses the greatest danger to the American people, the government, and Republicans themselves and most defines their insanity.
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The de facto leader of the attempt to undo the ACA is teabagger Jim DeMint, former senator and current president of the Heritage Foundation that is ironic in that it was Heritage that proposed major parts of the healthcare reform law they are obsessed with eliminating at any cost to the nation. Heritage Action, a group that takes conservative policy visions outlined by the Heritage Foundation claims it provides a “unique combination of top-notch conservative policy analysis, a widely respected government relations team, and dedicated grassroots activists that advance conservative policies” that includes abolishing a healthcare law they once advocated. The group’s senatorial front men Rubio (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are leading an effort to shut down the government unless President Obama allows Republicans to defund the ACA. However, their efforts pose as much danger to the party as the government because some Republicans are not inclined to take part in shutting down the government or creating a credit default the crazies propose to force the President’s hand.
The obsession to defund the ACA or shut down the government has crazed conservatives framing the debate in apocalyptic terms to pressure other Republican lawmakers to back the effort or face teabagger wrath. The executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund said, “This about stopping the worst law that has ever been passed, something we believe will destroy the country, and not all Republicans are willing to stop it. We need to draw a line in the sand. Anyone who votes to fund ObamaCare should be replaced.” Heritage Action Communications director Dan Holler said, “Pretty much since 2011 and the debt ceiling fight there’s been an unwillingness to be aggressive and push conservative policy. On ObamaCare, arguably the biggest issue facing our country, they’re not willing to take the same principled stance.” Holler may not realize it, but he exposed why Republicans cannot govern, grow the economy, create jobs, or help lift an increasing number of Americans out of poverty. They are still fighting the healthcare reform battle they lost in 2010 and they are willing to create more harm for the people and themselves over a law that reduces the deficit, creates jobs, and insures 30-million Americans. It is nothing short of insane and some Republicans see the folly that may fracture the party in time for the 2014 midterm elections.
Speaker John Boehner indicated he wants a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, but even his proposal borders on lunacy because he proposes that Republicans boast to their constituents about their damaging cuts caused by the sequester. Doubtless, millions of Americans find little joy in what insane Republicans think of as success, but then again delusion is a symptom of insanity. Obviously Boehner is grasping for straws to brag about the sequester, but he is also aware that according to his pollster, more than half of Republicans oppose shutting down the government to defund ObamaCare. In fact, Heritage Action’s own push poll revealed that 52% of Americans favored leaving the health law in place that Heritage ignored and went on the attack to primary challenge Republicans unwilling to join their shut down effort.
Republicans targeted by Heritage are not amused by the effort to damage Republican electoral chances in 2014 for not jumping on the government shutdown and credit default bandwagon. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) asked why Heritage Action is spending $550K to attack Republicans like herself, and former communications director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee said, “When you’re a so-called conservative organization that’s spending more money attacking Republicans than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has, it’s time to look in the mirror. That’s not a constructive strategy, that’s a strategy of fratricide.” He is right, but that is the price Republicans pay for embracing crazy in 2010 to win congressional seats and they have no-one to blame but themselves; especially when their demented opposition to the health law inspired teabagger outrage they dreamt would usher in a new era of Republican dominance and a 2012 White House victory.
For some Democrats it may be entertaining to watch the political infighting among Republicans, but it does nothing but further the damage they are laying on the people that may be part of the bigger Republican plan. It is important to remember that the sequester is raping the economic life out of the American people and it appears Boehner is willing to use the insanity of the defund or shut down sect to keep the drastic cuts in place for nine-and-a-half more years. There is still the very real threat that the “crazier” Republicans will garner support to shut down the government or worse, refuse to raise the debt limit and create a credit default.
President Obama already told Republicans he is not going into hostage negotiations over the debt ceiling, but Republicans promised to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to achieve their goals. With the debt falling faster than any time in 60 years, and eliminating the Affordable Care Act as their only goal and ransom demand, it is no stretch that Republicans fearing for their electoral lives will avoid becoming a danger to themselves and shut down the government and create a credit default; all because of their crazed opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
Image: mariopiperni.com
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
