Must Read from Rolling Stone: Inside the Republican Suicide Machine

[flpoljunkie]

Inside the Republican Suicide Machine
It's open warfare within the GOP – and all of America is caught in the crossfire


Senator Ted Cruz
Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

By TIM DICKINSON

October 9, 2013 11:45 AM ET

The day before Congress broke for its August recess, on an afternoon when most of official Washington was tying up loose ends and racing to get out of town, Sen. Ted Cruz was setting the stage for the chaos that has consumed the nation's capital in recent weeks.

Meet the Eight Tea Party Morons Destroying America

The tall Tea Party-backed Texan – the state's junior senator, with less than a year in office – worked his mischief in a windowless Capitol basement, where dozens of the most radical members of the House had gathered for a meeting of the Republican Study Committee. Once a marginal group known for elevating anti-government dogma above party loyalty, the RSC now counts among its members 174 of the 232 House Republicans.

"Father, we thank you," says Rep. Michele Bachmann, opening the meeting. "You are the most important presence in this room." In a pinstriped suit and yellow tie, Cruz sits at the center of a long conference table, flanked by RSC chair Steve Scalise and by the group's most powerful member, former chair Jim Jordan of Ohio – who has routinely marshaled House rebels into battle against leadership. Jordan flashes the visiting senator a conspiratorial smile.

Soft-spoken but passionate, Cruz derides the work of House leadership, who this same week have scheduled a 40th, futile bill to roll back Obamacare. Instead of "symbolic statements" that "won't become law," Cruz says, the time has come to force a real fight – one that Republicans can "actually win." It's imperative to act now, Cruz warns, before the full benefits of Obamacare kick in and Americans get "hooked on the sugar, hooked on the subsidies." His plan: Yoke the defunding of Obamacare to the must-pass budget bill the House will take up in September. The endgame? To force a government shutdown so painful and protracted that Barack Obama would have no choice but to surrender the crown jewel of his presidency. "As scary as a shutdown fight is," Cruz insists, "if we don't stand and defund Obamacare now, we never will."

more...

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-republican-suicide-machine-20131009

[russspeakeasy]

1. I'm 3 pages in... WOW. A great read and thanks for posting this.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. Still reading myself.

Fucking Wow.

[SunSeeker]

2. Lesus. All the GOP ever does is plot to sabotage government. nt

[Mr.Bill]

5. They say government doesn't work

so when they get elected they feel it is their duty to prove it. They always fail.

[freshwest]

11. I hope so.

[mgardener]

3. Hooked on the sugar?

These people are delusional.
We are talking about health care, not some obscene dessert.
We are talking about people having for and paying for the ability to keep themselves healthy.
All these insane republicans have govenmrnt paid for insurance.

Let them give it up before they tell the rest of America they are not worthy to pay for it.

[calimary]

9. Welcome to DU, mgardener!

Glad you're here! These people are indeed totally delusional. Their ideas and worldview only work inside their tight little bubble of fantasy, myopia, and complete anarchy. WE HAVE TO STAY STRONG!!!!!

Always remember what Mad-Eye Moody warned Harry Potter: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!" We can't doze off and take our eyes off of them - for a nanosecond. Just assume these assholes are always going to be up to no good. And they won't give up. Which means - we can't give up.

[freshwest]

12. They consider our lives a luxury they granted us that they now want to take away. And welcome.

[underpants]

4. +

Mark for later read

[formercia]

6. "if we don't stand and defund Obamacare now, we never will."

Cruz had it partially right. It should read "We never will."

Now, let's see how long it takes for them to realize they fuckin' lost.

[calimary]

10. Most of 'em will never realize that. Or if they do, they won't accept it as fact.

They can be counted on to come up with some rationale to explain why the facts aren't facts and reality isn't real and day is night and night is day and bad is good and Lucifer is God.

Besides, NOBODY likes to admit they were wrong. NOBODY likes to accept that they got beaten. NOBODY likes to concede that they lost - when they're playing a game in which winning is EVERYTHING.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

7. Bookmarked. Thanks for the link.

[mountain grammy]

8. Thank you. I've read half of it..bookmarked for later.

Rolling Stone is some of the best journalism in America.

[MythosMaster]

19. It is a sad state of affairs when

a rock magazine has the best investigative journalism.

the fourth estate was bought and dismantled by the enablers of the conservative movement.

[mountain grammy]

22. So very sad and true. Welcome to DU!

[MythosMaster]

34. Thank You.

[libdem4life]

32. ...and a comedy show has two brilliant, fearless (because it's just a joke) political minds.

[tanyev]

13. Michele, did you ever consider that God may be using you to accomplish an antithetical objective?

Try pondering that for awhile, dingbat.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

24. That may not even be God whose voice she (thinks) that she is hearing

Beezlebub takes on many forms, or so they say................

[cui bono]

26. Scalia just said he's gotten wilier.

As evidenced by not seeing him fling pigs over cliffs or something like that.

[DireStrike]

14. Hm. We are all in pretty deep shit.

[bemildred]

16. We have to get Bill Murray to play Cruz.

[Blue Owl]

17. Captain Ted and Co-Pilot Michele at the controls

What could possibly go wrong?

[Grateful for Hope]

18. This is an informative article.

I sent it off to my youngest son who is a "fox news republican" (where did I go wrong?).

I hope he and my DIL read it.

Thank you for posting this.

K&R

[MythosMaster]

20. they won't.

Conservatives always want you to prove it, but when you send them the info they ignore it.

[Grateful for Hope]

21. But he is my son

I would like to think that eventually he will listen to me.

[RainDog]

23. excellent article

thanks for the link

[Coyotl]

25. The Canadian Moran wants to drive the Clown Car this time, that's what this really is.

Meanwhile Boehner, the Tearful House Clown-in-Grief, is trying to keep all the other clowns in costume.

[samsingh]

27. its more of an attempt at murder - suicide.

[Cha]

29. Agreed.. they don't think they'll be even hurt. They're just heinously

hell-bent on cutting everyone's lifeline in the USA except their own.

[gopiscrap]

28. Good article, thanks for posting.

[Cha]

30. Mahalo flpoljunkie!

[flpoljunkie]

31. He mea iki, Cha!

[underpants]

33. About40% through it. Great read