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The parents of the Republican Party are away for the summer and the Tea-nagers are ransacking the House. But is it really a surprise that people who hate government itself would act to destroy government itself?

Shut The Government Vs. Global Meltdown

There are more and more indications that Republicans might either shut down the government or "breach" the debt ceiling when they return to DC from the summer recess. Bill Scher's Republicans Flinch Again, captures the essence of what this means,

A government shutdown would dent the American economy, inconvenience millions and generally make Republicans look like children. But preventing the government from paying its bills would wreck the full faith and credit of the government and spark a global economic meltdown.

Terrifying Scenario Developing

If you read this morning's Progressive Breakfast (and you always should), you see a terrifying scenario emerging in DC. The Tea Party is working itself up into a full destruction tantrum, and it is hard to see a way around it. Remember that they left town for the summer after refusing to pass the "THUD" bill. This was the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill that tried to line up with the Republican-mandated "Ryan Budget" spending cuts that drastically reduces the things government does to help make We the People's lives better -- also called "government spending." The cuts were too much for some Republicans to swallow, and not enough for others. So they gave up and went home without doing anything at all. (And of course they never took up a jobs bill at all.)

Now they are getting ready to return, and the early indications are that there will be more of the same. There will be no governing in the House, just more of the same: posturing and destroying,

"Flirting With A Fail"

Politico, Eve of Destruction, "Republicans are in jeopardy of convincing voters they simply cannot govern."

Republicans are all flirting with a fall that could see influential party voices threatening to default on the debt or shut down the government — and therefore ending all hopes of proving they are not insane when it comes to governance.

The NY Times digs a bit deeper into the problems, in Puzzle Awaits the Capital: How to Solve 3 Fiscal Rifts,

On the endgame for the budget showdown looming in Washington this fall, only this is clear: President Obama thinks Republicans cannot risk another debt crisis or government shutdown, and Republican leaders agree.
[. . .] Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio has reiterated that Republicans will not raise the debt limit without offsetting spending cuts. ... But Mr. Obama, burned by the downgrade of the United States debt rating after those 2011 negotiations, insists he will not negotiate on the issue this time.

The Base

Meanwhile the Republican "base" is demanding a shutdown over Obamacare. Erick Erickson at Redstate today,

Stay focused. Show up and confront your Congressman. Tell him if he votes to fund Obamacare, he cannot really say he is fighting against it.

Heritage Foundation has a campaign to shut the government over Obamacare. They are pushing the idea that a shutdown "won't hurt" the Republicans (with no mention of, or concern over, the millions of Americans who will be hurt).

So here it comes people. In a short time we find out whether the Republicans are going to close the government they hate or destroy the "full faith and credit" of the United States, which would destroy the government they have along with the economy of the world.

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