While speaking to conservative radio host Laura Ingraham today, House Speaker John Boehner finally admitted what many of us have already come to realize -- that some members of his own party are hell-bent on causing serious harm to the nation in an effort to achieve their goals.
BOEHNER: Well, first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get passed August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment. I’m not sure that that — I don’t think that that strategy works. Because I think the closer we get to August the second, frankly, the less leverage we have vis a vis our colleagues in the Senate and the White House.
From the mouth of the Speaker himself -- they want to cause chaos to achieve their political goals. That sounds a lot like terrorism to me.
ter-ror-ism
–noun
1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.
The Tea Party and some establishment Republicans may be under the belief that because President Obama has been gracious and reasonable, that means they can intimidate him, but I think you would be a fool to agree with them.
Meanwhile, as ThinkProgress notes, some Democrats are warming up to the idea of President Obama invoking the 14th amendment to raise the debt ceiling himself should the Tea Party get their way in successfully throwing the nation off a cliff.
LARSON: If a small group is really that intent on destroying government, and is intent on saying they don’t believe there are any ramifications for their irresponsibility then we have to have a fail-safe mechanism, we believe that fail safe mechanism is the 14th amendment and the president of the United States.
CLYBURN: So I would say to the president, if that’s what lands on his desk, a short-term listing of the debt ceiling — he should put it on his desk next to an executive order he will have drawn up. And with the same pen that he vetoes that short term debt ceiling extension, he should sign an executive order invoking the 14th Amendment to this issue. I am convinced that whatever discussions about the legality of this issue can continue.
The Whitehouse continues to downplay the idea of using the 14th amendment to avert disaster, but you would have a hard time convincing me that it is not something they are considering and keeping in their back pocket just in case.
I highly doubt the administration would admit to such until the absolute last moment, but hopefully it won't come to that.