Bottom of List- Jove's Letter

Way to go Jove!

Bottom of list

Thank you for taking Congress to task over the “debt debate debacle” in your recent editorials, and particularly for “jeering” Rep. Tom Marino, who shares just as much responsibility for the fiasco as any of our lawmakers.

I hope that everyone noticed in Monday’s article that Mr. Marino’s spokesperson said he would first consult with “financial experts,” then “business leaders” and finally “district residents” before deciding how to vote.

This should tell you all you need to know about Mr. Marino’s priorities: He follows orders well, but we are not the ones giving the orders.

We are at the bottom of the list.

Jove Graham,

Lewisburg

What jsut happened- analysis of the debt ceiling vote

So, the whole deal was that Obama and the Senate Dems _had_ to compromise with Boehner and he was hemmed in by the "young turks" and other uber conservative members of the house? Right?

But the final debt bill passed with many of them voting against it anyway. Many dems voted for it, I guess, out of a fear of what happened in 2008 when the house rejected the TARP and the markets fell like 700 points in a day. They did not want to get painted as irresponsible.

This helpful tool shows that even if ALL the tea party endorsed reps voted for it, it still would not have passed.
The total R yes votes was 174. The Tea Party no votes is 34. 174+34=208. Not enough.

The bill could not have passed without house dems voting for it in large numbers. And they only did that to save the economy. Meanwhile, Obama, master negotiator, gave away almost everything in a fool's quest to get those very tea party votes that DID NOT MATTER.

So, a debt deal that reeks of Tea Party priorities was passed without their total support. But, really, the core of the debt deal is about the super-conservative, Norquistian mania to destroy government. Seems like that won more than any populist anger. And it did so by letting the Tea Party extremists drive the debate despite their tepid support for the final bill.

Obama should have been trying to negotiate with the non-Tea Party Republicans.