Well, it appears that the United States has narrowly avoided its first-ever debt default, which would have unleashed an economic cataclysm upon the country and thrown us into an instant recession, as well as destroyed what little remains of our international reputation.
It bears repeating that this crisis was entirely manufactured by right-wing zealots who careened from hypocrisy (for their past willingness to drive up the debt) to insanity (for their willingness to torch the economy) to stupidity (for their inability to grasp how the economy actually works).
Now, you might believe it is a little bit of a problem that the world economy was essentially held hostage by a small group of wild-eyed conspiracy mongers, high school dropouts, and statutory rapists.
But remember, we have to respect the GOP as a serious political party.
Please ignore the fact that just 30 years ago, Republican ideas could be broken down in the following manner:
25%—debatable policy point
25%—selfish nonsense that Republicans convinced themselves into believing
25%—dog whistles and grotesque appeals to the lunatic base
25%—the lunatic base
That’s not the best proportion. In my lifetime, the conservative movement has never had a solid foundation of goals that would actually help most Americans.
But the percentage has gotten even worse over the years. Today, Republican ideas could be broken down in the following manner:
1%—debatable policy point
9%—selfish nonsense that Republicans convinced themselves into believing
30%—dog whistles and grotesque appeals to the lunatic base
60%—the lunatic base
But hey, at least we didn’t default. This time.
