How Could Anyone Be Worse Than Boehner? (With Update)

One thing I noticed over the weekend while watching Meet the Press and other political shows is the emergence of the idea that Democrats must concede on the Debt Limit/Government Shutdown fight because taking a hard line could compromise John Boehner's position as Speaker of the House. For example, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said yesterday:  "[A]fter all this mess is over, do we really want to compromise John Boehner as leader of the House?  I don't think so."  The GOP's apparent argument is that if you think Boehner has been difficult to negotiate with, his replacement would be far worse.

Worse?  How exactly? The 113th United States Congress hasn't passed any major legislation this year.  Although that is undoubtedly good news for the Tea Baggers -- given their hatred for law and government America-- it is difficult to fathom how it could be any worse for the Democrats if the current Speaker was replaced.  Indeed, even if the baggiest of the Baggers ended up with the speakership, then at least the most ineffective middleman in history -- i.e., John Boehner -- would be removed from the equation and the Democrats could then deal directly with the radical right-wing extremists who actually run the House.

What is that you say?  An extremist Speaker would allow the country to default on its debts whereas Boehner would not? Well, that is yet to be seen.  I think it is more likely than not that Boehner will allow the country to default on its debts.  I think this way because even if Democrats and Republicans in the Senate were able to reach some sort of compromise in the next day or two, there is no way in hell that the Bagger-controlled House would pass it,  How do I know this?  Here's how:

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) *** thought she too had come up with a solution: Congress would reopen the government for six months and raise the debt limit for a year. Democrats would have to accept sequestration levels and throw in a two-year delay of the medical-device tax in the Affordable Care Act, and in exchange, Republicans would concede nothing. Yesterday, Democrats rejected this as wholly unacceptable. . . .

And as a practical matter, it doesn't much matter that Dems didn't like it, since House Republicans said they'd refuse to even vote on the Collins plan -- a plan in which Republicans give up nothing except temporary hold on some hostages -- even if the Senate approved it and even if House GOP leaders could tolerate it.

That's right -- the House would have rejected the Collins Plan even though it required the Democrats to make all the concessions and thus give in to the GOP's legislative terrorism.

So even if the Senate is close to a deal -- as has been reported this morning -- all that matters now is what the House will do, and I expect Boehner and the Baggers will reject whatever the Senate sends them.  The House will then send the Senate a bill that will increase the debt limit and reopen the government, but this bill will be full of poison pills -- e.g., repeal of ObamaCare, Social Security, and Medicare, along with Obama admitting in writing both that he was born in Kenya and that he is a Marxist/Fascist -- and the Senate will reject it.

So we are headed toward default.  I hope I am wrong on this, but I don't believe I am.  I think what will happen is that Boehner will allow the country to go past the October 17 default date -- just to make the radicals happy -- but then will be forced to pass a clear CR and debt ceiling increase with the help of House Democrats.  A tanking stock market will force Boehner's hand.

UPDATE:  This was long overdue:

Fox News correspondent Ed Henry walked out of a White House press briefing after being repeatedly ignored by spokesman Jay Carney on Friday.

Henry attempted to ask Carney a question twice, but Carney called on other people instead. After the first time, Henry could be seen shaking his head and muttering something to colleague Major Garrett. After the second time, Henry angrily got up and left the room. The briefing continued without him.

I've wondered for a long time why Fox News correspondents are ever called on during Obama press conferences and briefings, given that Fox News is the propaganda arm of the Republican Party.  It would be akin to FDR allowing Joseph Goebbels to ask him questions at a 1943 presser.

And no, I am not comparing Fox News and the Republicans to Nazi Germany -- the Nazis were an external threat to the security of America, whereas Fox News and the Bagger-led GOP are internal threats.  Completely different deal.