Jerry, While I will contact Republicans from your list, expressing the urgency of adding their names to the discharge petition, I would be remiss were I not to note that I have become increasingly concerned that the entire House Republican caucus does whatever McCarthy tells them to do. Accordingly, I believe the best path is to urge Biden, who has a constitutional duty to enforce the laws including spending that has been authorized by Congress, to invoke Section #4 of the 14th Amendment to avoid a default.
Thank you, Barb. I'm sure you know all sides of the arguments on this subject. Suffice it to say, I lean towards discharge petition because of the riskiness of the 14th A approach, and the prolonged period of market uncertainty during litigation. But I do appreciate your support and your referrals.
The way I see it, we each do our part, whatever that may be, and together produce a positive result.
Jerry, Regrettably, when Democrats hold the White House, Republicans, particularly since 2010, largely have viewed the debt ceiling “as a hostage worth taking.” I don’t expect anyone doubts that were the country to default, the economic calamity that would ensue would be pinned on Biden. Accordingly, no member of the Republican caucus, in my view, will defect from the plan to call for savage cuts in Medicaid, in housing, in the environment, in childcare, in education, and so forth to destroy the ability of government in a democratic society to provide for its people. In a word, I agree with Senator Sanders who asserts Republicans want to make this country even more of a corporatist society wherein the only Americans empowered in economic decision-making are large multi-national corporates.
Still, I will do my part to support your work, though my priority rests with Biden invoking the 14th and paying the nation’s bills while litigation ensues.
Thanks Tom. Every voice helps, and your ongoing support is very much appreciated. This debt "crisis" exposes to everyone how reckless and irresponsible Kevin McCarthy is. Voting him out should be a no-brainer.
You aren't going to like this. First, as to positive action: President Biden is required by the Constitution to pay the nation's bills. If necessary, that is what is going to happen, unless Old Joe bends to the wishes of the MAGA people. Second, I have covered government as a journalist for over 30 years. I have stood on a balcony overlooking a demonstration ...people chanting and waving signs ... at the North Carolina State Legislature. I saw and heard legislators, primarily Republicans, laughing and making crude jokes about the demonstrators. Overall, under our current system, elected officials don't care about your phone calls. They don't care about your letters. They don't care about your emails. They don't care about your petitions. They care about getting reelected, and they care about the campaign contributions that allow them to buy the ads that get them elected. If it appears that the MAGA idiots are actually going to cause the loss of the full faith and credit of the United States and crash the economy (Think of what will happen to treasury bonds), I would bet that major campaign contributors (who actually make the decisions under our system today) will be hot on the phone to the members of Congress they put in office, and their calls WILL get through. This group should be contacting these major business owners and urging them, under pain of boycott or whatever, to tell their lackeys in Congress that they will back their opponents if they cause an economic disaster. As always, "It is about the economy, stupid." (Bill Clinton) and that means the personal economies of congressmen.
Thank you, Jay. I'm afraid you are dead wrong about one thing: I do like your comment.
I don't agree with your conclusions, but I very much welcome respectful dialogue. That's precisely what we are promoting at Feathers Of Hope, where we focus on persuasion rather than threats or economic coercion.
It's not surprising that you and I have differences of opinion. While you were on the balcony overlooking demonstrations, I was on the floor chanting and waving a sign. While you were covering government, I was engaged with government --sometimes protesting, sometimes campaigning and sometimes serving.
I've worked on more lost causes than I care to remember, and I've tasted a few victories. But this much I can say with confidence: Every politician is performing a complicated balancing act. There are constraints from party leadership, colleagues, supporters and detractors, constituents, mentors, friends and enemies, family and of course donors. Each one responds to these pressures in their own particular way, in the context of their own particular life story. There is no universal "they".
That's why we do our research, to identify specific legislators most likely to be receptive to our appeals. We understand the odds, the countervailing forces, the limits of our reach. We hear the voice of cynics mocking our hope, determined to break our will.
But we also understand the power of organized public advocacy, passionate, focused and persistent. We know exactly how many votes we need, and exactly who is most likely to provide them. Fortunately in this case -- avoiding economic catastrophe -- the public interest aligns with the interest of those campaign contributors you talk about.
Now our next task will be holding Speaker McCarthy accountable for this "debt crisis", which he is solely responsible for intiating.
Good afternoon Jerry...Just to let you know that I just made phone calls to the 14 moderate Republican House members. For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet made the calls, it’s really easy and takes a total of about 20 minutes. The aides who answer the phones are really nice and appreciate your call.
Jerry, I read a couple of the other comments above and agree with your feeling about the Discharge Petition vs the 14th Amendment...the latter being way too risky and time consuming. I read today’s weekly Substack post by freshman Rep. Jeff Jackson (D)of North Carolina. He really spelled out the risk of the 14th route quite clearly.
Thanks Robert -- especially appreciate the report on your phone call experience. Like you, I've always found the aides to be very polite and attentive. It's good to remind everyone how easy it is add their voice to the chorus.
And thanks for the referral to Jeff Jackson's newsletter. I hadn't seen it before -- has a nice personal quality.
Jerry, While I will contact Republicans from your list, expressing the urgency of adding their names to the discharge petition, I would be remiss were I not to note that I have become increasingly concerned that the entire House Republican caucus does whatever McCarthy tells them to do. Accordingly, I believe the best path is to urge Biden, who has a constitutional duty to enforce the laws including spending that has been authorized by Congress, to invoke Section #4 of the 14th Amendment to avoid a default.
Thank you, Barb. I'm sure you know all sides of the arguments on this subject. Suffice it to say, I lean towards discharge petition because of the riskiness of the 14th A approach, and the prolonged period of market uncertainty during litigation. But I do appreciate your support and your referrals.
The way I see it, we each do our part, whatever that may be, and together produce a positive result.
.
Jerry, Regrettably, when Democrats hold the White House, Republicans, particularly since 2010, largely have viewed the debt ceiling “as a hostage worth taking.” I don’t expect anyone doubts that were the country to default, the economic calamity that would ensue would be pinned on Biden. Accordingly, no member of the Republican caucus, in my view, will defect from the plan to call for savage cuts in Medicaid, in housing, in the environment, in childcare, in education, and so forth to destroy the ability of government in a democratic society to provide for its people. In a word, I agree with Senator Sanders who asserts Republicans want to make this country even more of a corporatist society wherein the only Americans empowered in economic decision-making are large multi-national corporates.
Still, I will do my part to support your work, though my priority rests with Biden invoking the 14th and paying the nation’s bills while litigation ensues.
I do share your blog with my small readership. I wish Facebook had not banned me. There I had many thousands of followers. Keep it up.
Thanks Tom. Every voice helps, and your ongoing support is very much appreciated. This debt "crisis" exposes to everyone how reckless and irresponsible Kevin McCarthy is. Voting him out should be a no-brainer.
.
.
You aren't going to like this. First, as to positive action: President Biden is required by the Constitution to pay the nation's bills. If necessary, that is what is going to happen, unless Old Joe bends to the wishes of the MAGA people. Second, I have covered government as a journalist for over 30 years. I have stood on a balcony overlooking a demonstration ...people chanting and waving signs ... at the North Carolina State Legislature. I saw and heard legislators, primarily Republicans, laughing and making crude jokes about the demonstrators. Overall, under our current system, elected officials don't care about your phone calls. They don't care about your letters. They don't care about your emails. They don't care about your petitions. They care about getting reelected, and they care about the campaign contributions that allow them to buy the ads that get them elected. If it appears that the MAGA idiots are actually going to cause the loss of the full faith and credit of the United States and crash the economy (Think of what will happen to treasury bonds), I would bet that major campaign contributors (who actually make the decisions under our system today) will be hot on the phone to the members of Congress they put in office, and their calls WILL get through. This group should be contacting these major business owners and urging them, under pain of boycott or whatever, to tell their lackeys in Congress that they will back their opponents if they cause an economic disaster. As always, "It is about the economy, stupid." (Bill Clinton) and that means the personal economies of congressmen.
Thank you, Jay. I'm afraid you are dead wrong about one thing: I do like your comment.
I don't agree with your conclusions, but I very much welcome respectful dialogue. That's precisely what we are promoting at Feathers Of Hope, where we focus on persuasion rather than threats or economic coercion.
It's not surprising that you and I have differences of opinion. While you were on the balcony overlooking demonstrations, I was on the floor chanting and waving a sign. While you were covering government, I was engaged with government --sometimes protesting, sometimes campaigning and sometimes serving.
I've worked on more lost causes than I care to remember, and I've tasted a few victories. But this much I can say with confidence: Every politician is performing a complicated balancing act. There are constraints from party leadership, colleagues, supporters and detractors, constituents, mentors, friends and enemies, family and of course donors. Each one responds to these pressures in their own particular way, in the context of their own particular life story. There is no universal "they".
That's why we do our research, to identify specific legislators most likely to be receptive to our appeals. We understand the odds, the countervailing forces, the limits of our reach. We hear the voice of cynics mocking our hope, determined to break our will.
But we also understand the power of organized public advocacy, passionate, focused and persistent. We know exactly how many votes we need, and exactly who is most likely to provide them. Fortunately in this case -- avoiding economic catastrophe -- the public interest aligns with the interest of those campaign contributors you talk about.
Now our next task will be holding Speaker McCarthy accountable for this "debt crisis", which he is solely responsible for intiating.
Good afternoon Jerry...Just to let you know that I just made phone calls to the 14 moderate Republican House members. For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet made the calls, it’s really easy and takes a total of about 20 minutes. The aides who answer the phones are really nice and appreciate your call.
Jerry, I read a couple of the other comments above and agree with your feeling about the Discharge Petition vs the 14th Amendment...the latter being way too risky and time consuming. I read today’s weekly Substack post by freshman Rep. Jeff Jackson (D)of North Carolina. He really spelled out the risk of the 14th route quite clearly.
Thanks for all you’re doing.
Thanks Robert -- especially appreciate the report on your phone call experience. Like you, I've always found the aides to be very polite and attentive. It's good to remind everyone how easy it is add their voice to the chorus.
And thanks for the referral to Jeff Jackson's newsletter. I hadn't seen it before -- has a nice personal quality.
.