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Craig Crawford

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Careful What You Ask For, GOP

Posted: 07/22/11 05:32 AM ET

In my 25 years covering Washington I don't recall anything more politically stupid than today's Republicans holding the debt ceiling hostage and passing a bill in the House to privatize Medicare.

In just a few weeks you've managed to antagonize grass-roots seniors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The GOP would be on common ground with many more, if not most, voters had they stuck to calls for less government that detailed something different. Abolish some Cabinet departments. Cut foreign aid. Whatever. Anything other than targeting retirees or creating default panic would have given them political momentum.

Instead, Republicans risk being seen as simply unbalanced by the weight of their right wing and ceding the reasonable ground to President Obama - who can hug the center (or even the center-right) because no one is challenging him from the left for his nomination.

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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
OneManRoaring
Tech specialist, former educator & active citizen!
09:01 AM on 07/22/2011
I think you could have stopped at - "In my 25 years covering Washington I don't recall anything more politically stupid than today's Republicans!" and had a very true statement although the Democrats are closing fast. What a country!

Support Fairness and the Common Good in Government. Follow One Man Roaring on Twitter: http://twitter.com/omroaring
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Stoptheworld
Where's Harry Potter, when we need him
08:57 AM on 07/22/2011
As a former Republican, I agree with your views. When they became the party of "NO", I decided to change my affiliation. Now that the Tea Party is controlling the right, they are so far right, I can't see them anymore. Maybe they got that way because of Bush/Cheney. Every one knows that one party doesn't have all the good ideas. Lately, with Grover's pledge, they have turned into a toxic mob. I hope they wake up and smell the roses.
08:57 AM on 07/22/2011
Tell me Craig, What happens after the dems cave to all their demands? Who gets voted out when they both pull this off just like they planed to from the start? You think the Tea party won the GOP the house last time... But it was the dems caving to the GOP from before negotiations started on Healthcare that crushed the dems. I have no power to change the direction of the GOP, But i can and will vote My democratic representatives out if they give ground to crazy demands.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Kara Kramer
11:32 AM on 07/22/2011
You CAN change the direction of the GOP. You can vote in their primaries, and you pay a portion of their salaries. THEY WORK FOR YOU.

Democratic VOTERS are the reason the GOP have so much undeserved clout.
Republican voters attack democrats, democrat voters attack democrats and NO ONE attacks the republicans!
Why aren't democrats staging a tea party type, 'mad as hell' attack on the GOP's assault on medicare?

Democratic voters constantly eat their own and give the GOP a free pass. The GOP's over the last two years has been heinous, but the democratic voters staying home in 2010 to 'teach democrats a lesson' is what has led to this mess, make no mistake about that.
Democrats only have the power you give them and every time you take the gavel from Nancy Pelosi, you're giving it to a Boehner.

A house divided against itself cannot stand, and that has always been the democrats problem, now thanks to the GOP's latest bout of craziness, it's america's problem.
08:39 AM on 07/23/2011
You think the 120,000 we pay them is Income in there eyes? Thats the tip they pay the guy who parks there yacht. Their money comes from the law that makes them and their entire staff exempt from insider trading. Did you know that your congressman's stock portfolio out preforms the best trading firms by a statistically impossible amount? So in truth they work for wall street. Now as for my vote, dont worry... im gerrymandered into a GOP county, in a GOP district in a GOP state. As my vote is negated by every one of these you don't have anything to fear. and nether do they