I give up!
Cry uncle!
Tickle-lock!
Calf rope!
Back down!
Waving the
white flag!
Throw in
the towel!
Chicken
out!
Buckle
under!
Cave in!
Cut out!
Quit!
What other synonyms can you think of
for the word “surrender?”
Whatever the number of words or phrases,
all – every last one of them – are being hurled at the national Republican
Party thanks to House Speaker John Boehner, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and the Tea
Party irregulars.
After costing the U.S. economy more
than $24 billion, after shutting down a large portion of the federal
government, after sending more than 800,000 federal employees home, after
making promise after promise to defund the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare)
and after promising to fight until they could fight no more, the fringe Republican
faction held this country hostage for 16 days. Then, the Obama-aginners
crumbled.
When economic bankruptcy of the U.S.
was imminent, the GOPers caved and agreed to raise the debt ceiling, approve a
temporary budget, forego any meaningful changes to the health care act … and
basically, to swallow a bitter pill of defeat and a heaping, helping of crow.
In this sordid mess, there were no
winners. President Obama did not display a White Knight mentality when it came
to dealing with the recalcitrant Republicans.
His reticence strengthened the GOP just enough so they do get to have
the “next battle” over the same issues in just a few months. The Democrats held
ranks for the most part and showed a much more united front than their
across-the-aisle counterparts, but some, assuredly, will have strong GOP
challengers in the next election cycle.
The name-calling from House and
Senate members and the members of the Executive Branch was childish at best and
certainly prolonged the crisis of finances, leadership, anti-governance and
ignorance.
What has transpired over the past
two-plus weeks is a wretched example of poor leadership. House Speaker John
Boehner was so afraid that the Ted Cruz-crazies would attempt an overthrow of
power in the Republican-controlled House or, worse, push a radical righty into
the GOP primary in his next election, that he buckled like a tin can hit by a
sledgehammer. If this were a biblical tale instead of a sad tale of politics,
you would have seen Boehner washing the feet of Cruz.
As far as the Democrat Party is
concerned, if Caspar Milquetoast were a real person, he’d BE Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid. Can “boring” ever be a noun or pronoun?
Don’t be too giddy because a major financial
disaster was averted. Don't’ get too comfortable thinking government is going
to stay open. Don’t even contemplate our
elected officials will “play nice” in the future and do what’s right for the
shareholders in American’s future.
You don’t have to be a political
science major to know that what transpires in Washington-on-the-Deficit is and
always be a game … an ego-driven, what’s-in-it-for-me volatile game.
It’s just sad that the losers in the
game are the citizens, your and me, the same ones who selected the players.
P.S. What price did the taxpayers
cough up at the end? Well, for one thing, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
slid a “rider” in the final bill to avert economic bedlam by paying bills incurred
by our government that sent $2 million back home to Kentucky to build a dam.
Conservative values, my posterior!
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