House GOP apparently wants to be even more unpopular - By Joan Walsh

[DonViejo]

Instead of immigration reform, they’re now making plans to ... privatize Medicare and pass the Paul Ryan budget!

BY JOAN WALSH

With the July 4 holiday behind them, House members might be expected to take up work on the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate. But they won’t. They’re looking at piecemeal reforms that will be heavier on border enforcement than the Senate bill – which doubled the number of border control agents, after the border control budget already doubled in size in the last decade — and even nuttier ideas.

Instead the House GOP is apparently making big plans for another debt ceiling hostage-taking, and this time they’ve got a strategy to demand big budget cuts from President Obama and the Democrats. According to the National Journal, House leaders are working on a “menu” of budget-slashing offers to Obama in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling for a short, medium or long period of time. Their template is Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget – the budget so unjust and biased against the poor that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops took time out from restricting women’s rights to criticize the Ryan plan.

House members reluctantly voted to raise the debt ceiling in January promising to come back with a strengthened hand on behalf of budget cuts next time around (which will probably be the end of this year). So House Speaker John Boehner is reportedly meeting with Ryan and other conservatives like Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who boasted about their talks to the National Journal. The key points:

For a long-term deal, one that gives Treasury borrowing authority for three-and-a-half years, Obama would have to agree to premium support. The plan to privatize Medicare, perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Ryan budget, is the holy grail for conservatives who say major deficit-reduction can only be achieved by making this type of cut to mandatory spending. “If the president wants to go big, there’s a big idea,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/08/house_gop_apparently_wants_to_be_even_more_unpopular/

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Please proceed, GOP

[bunnies]

2. Oh, goodie. More going nowhere legislation.

I cant believe these idiots get paid for this shit.

[giftedgirl77]

3. Whatta bunch of worthless turds.

At what point can we charge them for fraud, waste, & abuse for collecting a paycheck?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. What's that old saying about doing something over and over

and expecting a different result?

[kysrsoze]

5. So they want to increase admin costs by 1400%? Who's going to pay for it?

Of course, all the self-professed deficit and tax hawks will eat this shit up and applaud their efforts. F***ing idiots.

[meow2u3]

6. House repukes are resorting to extortionist tactics to get their way with Obama

It's not gonna work.

[blkmusclmachine]

7. .

.

[WestSeattle2]

8. Or what, allow the US government to default on its debts?

For them to think they have a "strengthened" hand is laughable.

They have nothing.

Losers.

[xtraxritical]

9. Cut the deficit immediately, bring all the troops home NOW!

[egold2604]

10. let them cause default on the US debt

These *ssholes think they can extort the US to pass their f*cked up agenda by threatening to not raise the debt ceiling. Let them and let We the People know that it is the Republican party that is causing all the damage to our countries financial reputation.

Unfortunately, it plays into their agenda to destroy America's economy so like Germany during the 30s, their Dominionist/TeaBagger/Koch owned Dictator can be appointed by Scalia et. al.

[nxylas]

11. Only the people who are paying attention will know

Those who get their information from the "mainstream" media will continue to hear that the problem is gridlock in Washington, for which both sides are equally to blame