Greek Austerity Drama Continues
Meeting on Greek Debt Produces an Ultimatum. NYT: "The standoff between Greece and its European lenders appeared to reach a new low on Monday as European officials handed Athens an ultimatum: Agree by Friday to continue with a bailout program or risk the funding that the country needs to avoid a default. The demand appeared to be part of a strategy by eurozone creditors to get Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece and his finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, to back away from the anti-austerity pledges that swept them to power last month. In exchange, eurozone officials said they would consider rolling back some of the austerity terms at a later date."
Robert Kuttner asks if Germany can be brought into the 21st Century: "Since the crash, which incredibly caught all the economic "experts" by surprise, we have seen one myth after another destroyed by the evidence. Deficit reduction did not lead to a surge in investment due to increased confidence. Printing money in a badly depressed economy did not lead to runaway inflation or plunging currency values. The time has come for the European Union to stop running economic policy based on silly myths. If German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders in the European Union cannot accept reality then Greece and southern Europe would be far better off breaking free of the euro and leave Germany to wallow in its 19th century economic fairy tales."
Immigration And DHS Shutdown
Judge blocks Obama's immigration moves, for now. CBS News: "A federal judge temporarily blocked President Obama's executive action on immigration Monday, giving a coalition of 26 states time to pursue a lawsuit that aims to permanently stop the orders. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision comes after a hearing in Brownsville, Texas, in January. It puts on hold Mr. Obama's orders that could spare as many as five million people who are in the U.S. illegally from deportation."
Boehner ready to let funding lapse for Homeland Security agency. Raw Story: "John Boehner, the Republican House of Representatives speaker, said he is willing to let funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapse as part of a Republican push to roll back President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration. With a Feb. 27 deadline looming for funding the department, Senate Democrats three times this month blocked consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill, which has already been approved by the House."
DailyKos' Kerry Elved writes that 17 percent of Americans oppose GOP efforts to overturn President Obama's immigration policies: "This gives us an idea of just how fringe the GOP's obsession with blocking Obama's immigration actions is—just 17% of Americans support their approach, in a new Public Religion Research Institute poll. Meanwhile, 73 percent say congressional Republicans should prioritize passing comprehensive immigration reform. That includes: 85 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of independents, and 62 percent of Republicans (that's a solid majority folks!)"
GOP Majority Fumbles
Republican Majorities Struggle To Get Congress Working. Los Angeles Times: "Only two bills have become law — one a leftover from last year that funds a terrorism insurance program important to real estate developers, the other a noncontroversial measure to address mental health problems among veterans. That compares with six new laws at this point in 2007, when Democrats came to power in both chambers for the final two years of President George W. Bush's tenure. The new Republican majority, said one lawmaker granted anonymity to speak openly about their work, is like the dog that caught the car — still figuring out what to do next."
Poll: Blame for DHS shutdown would fall to GOP. CNN: "Republicans in Congress would shoulder the blame for a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security if they are unable to enact a new spending bill to keep the agency running, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The survey finds 53% of Americans would blame the Republicans in Congress if the department must shut down, while 30% would blame President Barack Obama. Another 13% say both deserve the blame. If a spending bill is not passed by Feb. 28, the agency's funding will run out."
Nancy LeTorneau, at Political Animal, notes that even the Wall Street Journal says the Republican Congress is failing: "This WSJ editorial is definitely NOT good news for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or Speaker John Boehner: 'Republicans in Congress are off to a less than flying start after a month in power, dividing their own conference more than Democrats. Take the response to President Obama 's immigration order, which seems headed for failure if not a more spectacular crack-up...' Ouch! That one left a mark. When Republican leadership loses the Wall Street Journal editorial page, you can rest assured that they're in big trouble."
