EJ Dionne: "Truly Irrational To Risk Nation's Credit Standing To Offer Empty Symbols To Tea Party"

The symbolic battle over the debt ceiling
It is truly irrational to risk the nation’s credit standing for the purpose of offering empty symbols to the Tea Party.

By E.J. Dionne Jr., Published: May 18

Symbolism doesn’t pay off debts or cover the costs of Social Security and Medicare. This has not stopped politicians in the nation’s capital from engaging in an extended and entirely symbolic fight over how to raise the debt ceiling.

It’s time to stop the charade.

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The president could also usefully interrupt our deficit obsession for a moment to remind Congress that 13.7 million Americans are still unemployed. If setting up a mechanism for cutting the deficit in the long term makes sense, slashing it now would be foolish.

That’s why a quick and narrow deal to raise the debt ceiling is the only sensible way out of this time-wasting confrontation. It is truly irrational to risk the nation’s credit standing for the purpose of offering empty symbols to the Tea Party.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-symbolic-battle-over-the-debt-ceiling/2011/05/18/AFmkQl6G_story.html?hpid=z3

That's what we are dealing with.

are honest brokers with great ideas badly needed at our table. If a crowd booed the mention of the GOP he wagged a finger, praised the Republicans, and at a certain point, he just became a man who was pushing GOP liars like Coburn at us. Coburn, who acted as adulterer's go between negotiating a payment for sexual services is a man Obama has often called a good friend and a Christian, a man of honor and all sorts of shit. Coburn, who got into office on one of the most hate filled and hysterical campaigns of modern history, shouting about 'lesbians in the bathrooms' at public schools and all, is held up as an example of moral excellence and the President calls Coburn and the Ensigns 'Sanctified by God. Now Rachel Maddow, she's a lesbian in the bathroom, not Sanctified, inferior to Ensign, Arnold and Coburn, unworthy of the rights that are preserved for them by the very Hand of God!
So. A bit late to take all of that back. Obama, he loves Coburn, praises him even as he claims gay people 'lack a spiritual element' to our relationships. Coburn is the C-St Pimp. Obama digs him big time, and it is sickening. Corruption is not always about money.