The Next Step in Budget Blackmail: Forced Resignation?

The Next Step in Budget Blackmail: Forced Resignation?:
Let us say, and why not, that back sometime in mid-2007, when President George W. Bush's approval rating was consistently below 35%, heading to sporadically below 30% in 2008, the Democratic-led House of Representatives decided that, since they couldn't get enough votes to impeach and convict Bush on, let's say, war crimes, they would allow the government to continue operating with a continuing resolution only if Bush and Cheney resigned from office. Indeed, at nearly the same time as the continuing resolution was passed, so was a hike in the debt ceiling, which was expected to be hit in October 2007. So, yes, they could have even said they'd allow the U.S. to default if Bush and Cheney didn't step down.

And let us say, and, indeed, why not, that Democrats said that it would be Bush and Cheney's fault if the government shutdown or defaulted. After all, what was more important? The last year of their term or the full faith and credit of the United States of America? What if Nancy Pelosi said, "The people don't want a shutdown and they don't want to be led by George Bush and Dick Cheney anymore"? (A side question: how many of us in Left Blogsylvania would have supported such a move? How many would have written posts about how brave this was?)

It's ludicrous, no? Obviously, the Constitution sets out how to get rid of a president. Obviously, a Congress that wished to do so should follow that route. Obviously, the idea of blackmailing the president and vice-president, with a gun at the head of the economy, would be outrageous.

But, honestly, how far are we from that now? The House of Representatives has voted for a continuing budget resolution that defunds the Affordable Care Act instead of using a regular legislative process and elections to overturn the Supreme Court-approved ACA. In their fantasy world, if they get what they want, if President Obama were to even delay the law (yes, law) from being fully implemented, where does it end? What happens in December, when another continuing resolution would be needed? What laws or programs need to be done away with in order to appease the mad GOP?

In 2010, he gave in and extended the Bush tax cuts when the GOP was willing to let benefits run out for the unemployed. In 2011, we had the debt ceiling fight that led to the awful sequester.

There's a reason leaders say that they do not negotiate with terrorists. It's because that when the terrorists win, they think they can get more next time, and, yeah, there will be a next time. You take down terrorists, arresting them if you can, shooting them in the head if you have to, and defuse the bomb.

The Republican Party is run by the terrorists. You think they're stopping here? If they get to kill Obamacare, they're gonna go after Obama's head next.