Thursday Open Thread [12.13.12]

Filed in Open Thread by on December 13, 2012

Ezra Klein reports:

The debt ceiling […] is proving a key sticking point, both in terms of politics and policy [in the fiscal cliff/austeritybomb negotiations. The political problem is that many Hill Republicans have convinced themselves that they’ll have the upper hand if they let the country topple fully or mostly over the cliff and then restart negotiations with a debt default looming in the background. They figure that although Obama really is willing to let the country go over the cliff, he’s not willing to let the country default and spark a global financial crisis. They are willing to do that, or they believe they can more credibly say they are, and that gives them leverage.

Whatever House Republicans might think, the White House is all steel when it comes to the debt ceiling. Their position is simple, and it’s typically delivered in the tone of voice that Bruce Willis reserves for talking to terrorists: They’re happy to raise the debt ceiling on their own, as would be the case under their proposal to take authority for the debt ceiling away from Congress. But if Congress rejects that offer, then the debt ceiling is Congress’s problem, and the White House will not help.

Good. Let’s hope the steel stays in the spine.

Politifact gives the award to Mitt Romney.

“It was a lie told in the critical state of Ohio in the final days of a close campaign — that Jeep was moving its U.S. production to China. It originated with a conservative blogger, who twisted an accurate news story into a falsehood. Then it picked up steam when the Drudge Report ran with it. Even though Jeep’s parent company gave a quick and clear denial, Mitt Romney repeated it and his campaign turned it into a TV ad.”

“And they stood by the claim, even as the media and the public expressed collective outrage against something so obviously false.”

Finally it seems that when the Treasury Department sells the government’s remaining holdings in the bailed out AIG, it will make a net profit on the bailout of AIG of $22.7 billion. I hated the bailout too, but at least if it had to be done, the taxpayer made out with a profit.

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  1. Jason330 says:

    The Ezra Klein stuff is awesome. Keeping that tone should produce quick results, and in term two I see more and more Republicans trying to scramble to claim credit for the Obama economic boom.

    Re Romney’s Jeep Whopper: I kind of pity the guy. He was in a tough situation, being forced to choose between believing the wingut echo chamber or the CEO of Chrysler.

  2. puck says:

    Joe Lieberman, unloved by everyone in the end:

    When the senior senator from Connecticut stood to give his parting address Wednesday afternoon, just one of his colleagues, Delaware Democrat Tom Carper, was with him on the Senate floor.

    Ouch.

  3. jason330 says:

    LOL … They deserve one another.

  4. socialistic ben says:

    What a club eh? Leiberman, Edwards, Palin…. Paul Ryan sure does have a bright future ahead of him.

  5. Jason330 says:

    Out of touch Republican losers continue to be a boon for HBO’s bottom line. Game Changer 2 – The Millionaire’s Balls!”

    Or something to that effect.