Nevada Congressional Candidate Warns Debt Ceiling Will Lead To Chinese Invasion

When the debt ceiling was raised in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and then again in 2008, it was basically considered to be a perfectly quotidian necessity and so it didn't get a dumpster's worth of panicky coverage. 2011 has been different! As Eric Boehlert reported last month, "Through just the first five months of 2011, there have been nearly 2,000 U.S. newspaper articles or columns that mention 'debt ceiling,' while on television, for example, CNN has aired 230 segments that have mentioned the topic."

Of course, with all that coverage, you'd imagine that most people are probably walking around with a pretty well-informed idea of what the issue is all about. But former Nevada GOP Chair Mark Amodei -- who's running in the the special election for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District to replace Dean Heller (who Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval appointed to disgraced Senator John Ensign's seat earlier this year) -- is basically betting that the opposite is true, and that voters can be convinced that this time, if the debt ceiling is raised, we will be overrun by the Chinese Menace, who will turn America into the Hunan Centipede!

The prospects of this happening are about as realistic as the ad's B-movie depiction. Amodei's spot basically rehashes the Citizens' Against Government Waste "Chinese Professor" ad, which wasn't primarily concerned with the debt ceiling -- they're a big business front group that just didn't like health care reform or the stimulus.

What's going to happen with the debt ceiling is that after the GOP extracts what concessions it can, if it can, it's going to be raised. Wall Street wants it raised, and seeing as they own Congress, they'll get their way. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) has already made sure that all of the people that will ensure his re-election know that it's all just a big bluff.

So, Amodei will keep his promise to not raise the debt ceiling because his colleagues will have already done so by the time he gets to Congress, as per their marching orders.

You don't need to send the Chinese Army's Marching Battalions to Capitol Hill to "take over" Washington, as it turns out!

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Comments

[justthomas]

10:48 AM on 07/03/2011

we are almost there .. there is more billionaries are in china capable of investing business in america. there is almost half a trillion dollar chinese investments in social security, bonds, and other investment areas. i am afraid that we will be at a point that we dont have any other option, but turn to china .

[Grousefeather]

10:50 AM on 06/23/2011

Perhaps the upside to a Chinese invasion and take over is that we'd finally be rid of republicans.

[kwyang]

10:02 PM on 06/22/2011

"Hunan centipede" almost made me choke on my water. You win the Internets sir.

[robphilnz]

09:51 PM on 06/22/2011

You, sir, like most of your would-be colleagues, are discrediting that fine example of fiscal conservatism Ronald Reagan!!!

It appears that you have forgotten that, not only did he create the largest government America had ever seen before GW Bush, but he also created a truly majestic DEFICIT of vastly greater proportions than anyone before him had even thought of.

In doing so, he created what has passed into the annals of economic teaching, known as the Reagan Fiscal Philosophy: "Deficits Don't Matter".

GW Bush showed great disrespect by taking both records off him, in one swoop creating a deficit 100% greater than that of Reagan, while also successfully spending a huge surplus which Clinton left behind, AND writing into law the 2009 budget which added a deficit of a few more trillion. This is the reason that he is not honoured the same way: you don't beat Reagan at what he was best at.

At least his VP gave a little bit of the honour back to St Ronnie by repeating "Deficit's Don't Matter" and correctly attributing it.

You should be ashamed as a Republican for casting aspersions on the Reagan Fiscal Philosophy, professing to think that deficits matter.

Learn this sound-bite until you are mumbling it in your sleep: DEFICITS DON'T MATTER.

[robphilnz]

09:20 PM on 06/22/2011

The only risk America, and indeed the world, currently faces is internal invasion by extreme right-wingers wishing to theocratise America.

And why is it that all these fear-mongers are either fat, white unhealthy-looking males or women with sparkly eyes, designer clothes and no substance?

[bobWal]

08:48 PM on 06/22/2011

Ready for a sleeveless coat fitting. The Chinese are practicing now to march down Pennsylvania AV. Get the net please.

[joshdiesel]

05:15 PM on 06/22/2011

A republican fear mongering?? Never!

[PatrickforO]

08:19 AM on 06/22/2011

Just by threatening not to raise the debt ceiling, the GOP has gone well beyond the traditional posturing in which even Obama engaged, and has already done some long term damage to the current system in which the dollar serves as the proxy gold standard for the world. I've said before that the average American has very little idea about the breadth and depth of suffering they will endure if we default to foreign creditors. It will begin with another depression, coupled with $6-$8 per gallon gas and will deteriorate from there. It is tragic that the 'anti-intellectual and proud of it' stance the GOP has taken for so many years has brought this lunatic fringe into the mainstream of the party. Remember the "I ain't never worked on no foreign trans-miss-eeon" commercial? Well these guys are like, "Hey-uh, hey-uh, I ain't never worked on no eee-con-umy before!" A tragedy for us all.

[compajuan049]

01:22 AM on 06/22/2011

Uhmm I am curious., if the Chinese invaded the U.S., would they eliminate the Tax break for the rich and end corporate welfare?? What about health care? What would happen to that?

[robphilnz]

10:00 PM on 06/22/2011

That's the real nub of Republican fear! They would run the country better than Reagan or GWB did, and prove to them what fools they are.

However, it's not going to happen. If Bachmann is President she would simply launch nukes against them when they arrived in New York, and teach them not to tread on Americans.

[mudshark12]

01:04 AM on 06/22/2011

"When the debt ceiling was raised in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and then again in 2008, it was basically considered to be a perfectly quotidian necessity and so it didn't get a dumpster's worth of panicky coverage." - directly quoted form this post!

Examine this matter more closely. Q: Who was President during these years? A: G.W. Bush. Obama was elected at the END of 2008 but didn't become our President until January 20, 2009.

This means EVERY time before this THE REPUBLICANS raised the debt ceiling, no doubt to cover run-away military spending for two misguided wars, BOTH of which are being ended by Obama (who ACCOMPLISHED the MISSION by eliminating Osama and 20 other top Al-Qaeda terrorists).

So now the REPUBLICANS who have fought Obama at every turn even to the point of a government shutdown have determined that their latest scare tactic will be raising a PANIC about raising the Debt Limit in 2011!

I, for one, have had enough of this B.S. and I want to say that while raising the debt limit isn't good, it's ESSENTIAL that it gets done SOON.

In the future congress needs to cut back military spending, needs to place tighter regulations of Wall St., needs to approve Elizabeth Warren, needs to find even more ways to put people back to work and NEEDS TO BE BOTH RESPONSIBLE & ACCOUNTABLE to the taxpayers.

[RGKahn]

12:43 AM on 06/22/2011

OMG!!! Just when you thought the gop/teapartiers/republicans can't get any stupider, meaner or dumber you run into this clown. The PLA is going to march through China to go through Russia and attack us across the Bering Sea and attack Alaska then march through Canada and then march the 3,000 or so miles and attack Washington DC. WOW!!!

[Dayne]

04:29 PM on 06/21/2011

Well, I guess that is one way to erase our debt to China, have them invade the US. Methinks the gentleman needs to take some course in Military Doctrine and maybe bone up on the strategic impossibilities of China invading this country. However, maybe he could write a good book, like the re-made Red Dawn movie.

Dayne

[solvseus]

04:11 PM on 06/21/2011

If the GOP was really so upset about our national debt, then maybe they shouldn't have spent all that money:

http://www.lafn.org/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html

"Reagan proved deficits don't matter" - Dick Cheney

[Quinxy von Besiex]

03:44 PM on 06/21/2011

It's easy to see how we got ourselves into this financial mess... Trying to reshape the middle east with protracted wars, bailing out banks, saving insurance companies who were negligent in their due diligence, letting multi-nationals get away with paying little if any tax, subsidizing industry, and giving the rich tax breaks. So how is it that we can't hold anyone responsible for it?

[YoMutt]

03:26 PM on 06/21/2011

Raise the Debt Ceiling... or Don't Raise the Debt Ceiling, either way, the Chinese will make us finally convert to the Metric System... :-)