Being crazy and stupid is bad enough, but Alan Grayson says some House Republicans seem drunk as well. And smell of booze. And he’s not the only one saying this; Politico reporter Ginger Gibson tweeted on Saturday —
I'm not over exaggerating when I say I can smell the booze wafting from members as they walk off the floor.
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) September 29, 2013
See also Joan Walsh and Paul Krugman.
Charles Pierce — The Democrats Are Bringing Guns to a Gunfight —
Senate Democrats are considering leaking emails between Harry Reid and John A. Boehner’s chiefs of staff. . . . I also spoke to a leading Democratic congresscritter over the weekend who told me that, very soon, the Democrats in the Senate will start going through the sequester line-by-line, demanding public votes on funding things like medical research and environmental protections, and sticking Republicans with a choice of being for or against curing, say, Alzheimer’s Disease or cancer. As someone who thought the sequester not merely stupid but Beltway stupid, I applaud this decision as well. Forcing people into uncomfortable votes works both ways. Making John Boehner cry should be a bipartisan affair.
Meanwhile, Fox News is (a) denying there has been a real shutdown; and (b) blaming Dems for rejecting an 11th hour (almost literally) demand to meet for a conference committee. Chris Hayes explains why this is bogus.
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The thing is, Republicans going back several years have whined to anyone who will listen that the Dems are ruthless and mean to them, even as by all objective measures the Dems resembled a warm Jello mold. If the baggers keep this up, the Dems of their fantasies may actually materialize.
I agree with Digby — the House baggers who forced the shutdown are basically thrill-seekers. They’re like the kids who cruise your neighborhood to TP the trees and break eggs on your car. It makes them feel alive. But they haven’t thought out the consequences.
I also agree with Dana Milbank, that the baggers are so deep in the echo chamber they sincerely believed (a) Dems would concede something rather than allow the government to shut down; and (b) if the government shuts down, they will receive love and admiration as a result.
The bigger mystery is John Boehner. One would think he would know better. I’m beginning to wonder if he secretly hopes the baggers will get a huge public spanking so they will get off his back.
Also, too, the insurance exchanges open today! The New York page is a bit glitchy, but maybe it’s getting slammed.