Recipe for broken government

• Hunt down the most vulnerable Americans and take them hostage. In this case, the poor and unemployed.
• Block all other business until the hostages are freed because this is a country where a majority is defined as 60%.
• After ransom is paid, free one hostage, take another. In this case, the government, which shuts down tomorrow if the appropriations bill isn’t passed. Now there’s a special ingredient in this particular mix: earmarks. In order to kill the appropriations bill, House Republicans inserted earmarks (which, by the way, are not evil) into the bill. They sent it to the Senate, who added a few more. Mix it up, stall it until the 11th hour, promise to come to a bipartisan agreement, and then back down on the promise because {GASP!} the bill contains earmarks. In other words, mix in the poison while holding the antidote.
• New hostages taken: START treaty, DREAM Act and DADT repeal.
• Force all business to grind to a halt once again because 60 is the only number that matters and run out the clock. Ransom this time: a continuing resolution short-term leaving the longer-term answer for the next Congress.
• Once again, pay ransom.  
• Mix messages well and bake everything for 30 hours, while news cycles are wasted on more posturing and more opportunities to make demands.
• Hold a vote on Saturday on repealing DADT and the DREAM Act after receiving commitments from Republican Senators who promise to make the magic 60. 
• Watch them vote against both on some new excuse. Maybe they will pass. I am not optimistic, given the Republicans’ penchant for lies, extortion, and double-dealing.

In January, the new House of Representatives will attempt to strip all funding for the Affordable Care Act. There will not be 60 votes in the Senate. Everything will grind to a halt. The Republicans will find a new hostage. The economy will suffer. 

This is why government is broken. The simple majority rule in the Constitution is 51. In the Senate it is 60. 

Everyone should get ready to take their poison. It’s coming, it’s bitter, and it will be two years of sheer hell. All I can say is this: elections have consequences. Think on that when you consider staying home next time.

Tagged as: notes, Politics