Please check in if you believe the GOP has gone insane.

[OmahaBlueDog]

80. I think the extremists in the GOP believe they've won

Their view is that the worst case scenario is that the debt ceiling will be reached, and that the Government will be forced to live on receipts and nothing more. They further reason that, in order to avoid default, that the Treasury will have to pay the interest and principal on the loans first, and then use whatever is leftover to pay the military, Social Security, and everything else. By this reasoning, the entire social safety net will be taken down. Game. Set. Match. GOP.

The reality: The nation has become ungovernable, and the electorate-at-large is completely fed up with both parties. Most voters don't want deficit spending. I realize that this is not the prevailing view here at DU, but most don't want it. And most voters also don't want to pay taxes. But we also want national parks, a farm bill, Medicare, the ACA, NASA, a farm bill, a strong defense, and the ability to play global badass. Something has to give. At this point, I suspect that something will be the rise of a third party. In the meantime, look forward to 1.5 years of Greek-style austerity. No deal will be forthcoming.