Smashingly Bad Behavior

We feel like parents, coming home to children or pets who've destroyed our home - and each other - while we were away.

Multiple members of our staff have been traveling in different directions across the country this week, while we've been covering some heavyweight topics for you. We'd hoped the more sensible Congressional Republicans would have reined in their extremist colleagues in the GOP by now, and that at the very least a deal to keep the government open would be in the final stages of passage - so that everyone could enjoy a nice, relaxing weekend.

Looking at the news, however, it's obvious that Congressional Republicans don't give a damn what the plans of any other American is, either for this weekend or for the foreseeable future. Hostage takers rarely do.

As people all around the world witnessed this week, Republicans in both the House and the Senate have been far too busy, destroying each other and their own party, to handle their Congressional responsibilities - things like paying the bills they already ran up or ensuring the government has enough money to continue to operate.

That irresponsible behavior has even driven some on Wall Street like Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics to finally speak out against the Republicans in Congress, since either a government shutdown or a debt ceiling default will deal lasting economic damage to the nation - and to the bottom line of Wall Street corporations.

Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress are no longer listening to anyone on this issue - not Wall Street, not each other, not Congressional Democrats, and certainly not President Obama.

After delivering a ransom note on Thursday that read more like an ultraconservative letter to Santa, House Republicans and Speaker Boehner told the media they would not accept a 'clean' continuing resolution or debt ceiling increase from the Senate. That slap in the face to both Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republicans like Ted Cruz almost certainly means the U.S. federal government will shut down at one second after midnight next Monday into Tuesday night.

There are many on the right still begging and screaming for President Obama to negotiate with Congressional Republicans on both the CR and the debt ceiling.  We think those people must have forgotten that the President of the United States does not negotiate with terrorists - which is effectively what Congressional Republicans have become.

Still, the damage Republicans are doing to the government and attempting to do to the nation is nothing compared to the damage they are doing to each other and their own party.

For now, even though the debt ceiling deadline of October 17th still has us a bit worried, we realize there's nothing we can do to make the situation in Congress better. Even if there were an action we could take, after a week of work and travel, we're too tired to do anything other than slump down at home, catch up on our reading, and maybe take a nap.

When we wake up, we're sure the Republican Party will still be destroying itself, while the government burns around them.