Time For A Change

If you want to know why Americans hate Congress - something we pointed out yesterday - we've got the perfect example right here.

Wednesday afternoon, Speaker John Boenher apparently decided lawmakers in the House of Representatives were all worked-out for the week. That's after passing a lunatic bill (literally) and not much else during the past three days - except running from their responsibilities surrounding the fiscal cliff, and meeting with lobbyists. So Boehner cancelled today's House schedule so lawmakers could rest up, meet with more lobbyists, and get a jump on that four day weekend.

It's not like there's anything important they should be working on.

Like Speaker Boehner, and virtually everyone other American who keeps up with the news, we're pretty sick of talking about the fiscal cliff. We're aware Congressional Republicans are still desperate - both to find a deal that will pass, and a deal that won't chap the hides of their ultra-rich campaign contributors and lobbyist donors.

Why Congressional Republicans keep acting like whiney babies, while carrying around the unrealistic expectations of the even bigger spoiled brats that are the wealthiest Americans, is beyond us.

Frankly, it's time for a change in the GOP - something we think some of the more experienced Republican members of Congress are beginning to finally smell.

As President Obama has made ever more clear since the election, including in his speech at the Business Roundtable on Wednesday, he and Congressional Democrats have the upper hand. Tax rates for the rich will have to go up, the debt ceiling will have to be part of the agreement, there will be some form of stimulus, and earned benefits will not have to be cut much more than he's already offered.

Republicans are running scared, for all of these reasons and more - including the fact that some Republicans have already begun to crank up their 2014 campaign machines.

Why do you think they're are already meeting with lobbyists, begging for dollars, instead of back in DC fixing the tax and budget problems?

The fact is, President Obama's refusal to bend to the tantrums of the far right may be paving a way forward for a deal. Several prominent Republicans have already publicly admitted - albeit quietly - that tax rates on the wealthy will have to go up, something a resounding majority of Americans already agree with. Further, stimulus ideas like continuing the payroll tax cut for one more year will also need to be included. As confirmed by Congress's own Joint Economic Committee, a temporary payroll tax cut extension would be a net economic boost - and as we pointed out Wednsday, any serious economic downturn will be pinned to Republicans, not Democrats.

Republicans are going to have to choose between their big business backers and the Tea Party freaks, including the right wing media. More than a few of them are also probably going to have to face primary challenges from the extremists on the right in 2014.

The facts are clear, though, as we've stated them multiple times over the last few weeks.

Republicans got their asses kicked in the 2012 election. Now, after that spanking, they're going to have lose at least two more times, heavily, on both the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling.

It's time for Republicans to stop bawling like babies and dump the load of crappy ideas that protect the wealthiest Americans - ideas that members of the GOP have been hauling around for years.

In short, it's time Republicans had a change.