Brian Schatz FTW, telling Republicans they don't get a cookie for not crashing the economy

[highplainsdem]

From the Daily Beast, yesterday:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrats-take-hard-line-on-debt-limit-talks-absolutely-not?ref=home

“In exchange for not crashing the United States economy, you get nothing,” Schatz said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “You don't get a cookie. You don't get to be treated like you're the second coming of LBJ. You're just a person doing the bare minimum of not intentionally screwing over your constituents for insane reasons.”

The moment Democrats invite Republicans to the negotiating table over a debt-limit deal, Schatz argued, is the moment the situation gets dangerous.

“We have to tell them there is no table,” he said. “The one thing that is more dangerous than staring these guys down is not staring these guys down. Because if this becomes a tactic that works, it will never, ever end.”

[Hekate]

1. Whew. And that's the truth.

[Phoenix61]

2. Beau of the 5th column said the same thing.

He added that their mega wealthy donors/owners will not be pleased if they tank the stock market. His opinion was to call them on their bluff. IMHO it’s the right thing to do.

[DENVERPOPS]

4. Their legal wealthy donors/owners will not be pleased

if they tank the stock market......AND don't tell them first so they can all sell "short" and make a killing on the way down, and then buy in when it hits bottom so they can gain again when the stocks climb back up.....

[BOSSHOG]

5. About five years ago

I read an article about Charles Koch. He said he was really surprised at how radical the tea party had turned out. No doubt worrying that his Frankenstein monster would damage his piggy bank. There is something seriously wrong with the gop. They probably have always existed but now many of them are elected. Beau is seldom wrong.

[markodochartaigh]

21. I think that there are three types of oiligarchs.

The Trump types who really have no clue how things work, but they have always been able to leverage their way up so they assume that they will be OK. Then there are the Blankfein/Bloomberg types who don't want to crash the economy, they want to keep collecting the golden eggs from the US goose. Then there are the DeVos/Mercer/Koch types who really want to crash the economy and then pick through the ashes to buy up assets for pennies on the dollar, they want to roast the goose that lays the golden eggs. We saw a bit of the infighting when Trump was nominated in 2015. The corporate Republicans wanted a brokered convention to choose another candidate. But Trump was so wildly popular with the eighty percent of the Republican base who are authoritarians that the Republicans realized that they couldn't win without him. The corporate Republicans put party before country, chose the authoritarian Strong Leader, and put US democracy on the line. Are the "rational" oligarchs going to go up against the authoritarians this time, or is our goose cooked?

[Phoenix61]

23. I think there are more "rational" ones than DeVos types.

They fly under the radar and have no desire or need for publicity. They like the good life they have created for themselves and know crashing the economy could have a serious impact on that life.

[edhopper]

3. Good day Sir!

[Cha]

19. Ha! I just posted the same!

[Marthe48]

6. r's have been holding the U.S. economy hostage since at least 2013

We were on vacation at The Outer Banks and were impacted when the national park there was closed, that's why I remember. Not the first time that r's were able to f**k over the economy, but it works so well, they want do it over and over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_United_States_federal_government_shutdown

Is there anything private citizens can/should do to shield themselves from the current attack on our country? Should I have some cash on hand?

[calimary]

11. One main thing we can and ALWAYS SHOULD do:

POSH the “Vote for Democrats” talking point. At all times. Unrelenting. Compare and Contrast! And then repeat BECAUSE it’s necessary!

That’s all the point we need to make. And our “friends” on the other side of the aisle will always provide us with loads of arguments for trusting Democrats. Do you want the “Chaos Caucus” or the “Steady-As-She-Goes Group”? Which one do YOU think will make more sense and do more good for average Americans?

[DallasNE]

7. The Debt Ceiling Serves No Purpose

Congress should simply repeal the law. The time to control the debt should rest with the appropriations bill and not after the fact. I originally started with a single goal. Isolationist Republicans wanted to assure that then President Wilson would not expand WW I into other areas. It should have died with the end of WW I. It used to pass by voice vote. Now its only purpose is brinkmanship without cause. Just pass a law to repeal the legislation and put it behind us once and for all.

[calimary]

12. I like that, DallasNE! "Brinkmanship without cause."

That’s totally it.

[burrowowl]

13. Exactly! It should be gotten rid of!

[GB_RN]

20. Technically, It's Unconstitutional...

The 14th Amendment states that the validity of US debt issues for pensions and war, “shall not be questioned.”

Now, Social Security didn’t exist when the 14th was adopted, but it IS a pension. The government also owes the SS trust fund a boatload of money….

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. We should never negotiate with terrorists

And they should speak of this in EXACTLY those terms.

It MUST ALWAYS be described as a TERRORIST threat.
Pundits will poo-poo the characterization, but they cannot explain why it does not fit.

[nwliberalkiwi]

9. Giving In

I greatly fear that when push comes to shove my Democrats will give in. The thought makes me sick.

[niyad]

10. What I would like them to get is unemployed.

[IronLionZion]

14. They keep saying government is the problem, then they get elected and prove it

Republicans in government are the problem. They think crashing the economy will hurt Biden but it is likely to backfire badly on the GOP House.

[republianmushroom]

15. like it

[CBHagman]

16. The phrase "not intentionally screwing over your constituents for insane reasons" needs to...

...get on the national wavelength.

It always stuns me how destructive Republicans' approaches and policies are, and how high a price their supporters (and everyone else) pay.

[maxsolomon]

17. Screaming in the void.

They've been waiting years for the opportunity to pull this stunt again. They will shut the Fedrul Gubmint down. Again.

They'll get on their Media and yell and point at the Dems, and it will work because they'll never have to justify their stance to the MSM or even on the floor of Congress in a DEBATE. Again.

Eventually, there will be some sort of compromise by the Dems, because they're the Adults in the room. Always.

[Elessar Zappa]

22. Democrats

won’t compromise if it means cutting SS, Medicare, or Medicaid. So Republicans can fuck off if they believe that’s gonna happen.

[maxsolomon]

24. Then the Fedrul Gubmint will be shut down indefinitely

Republics will demand a pound of flesh. I agree, it won't be from these programs though.

[Cha]

18. Mahalo to you & my Sen Schatz!

No negotiating with Terrorists Domestic or otherwise.