Christine O’Donnell has been popping up a lot lately because her book is coming out next month. She slid by another campaign finance violation and she has been going after CREW with a vengeance. However, an old enemy has reappeared – it’s the Republican establishment. It all started with this Wall Street Journal editorial taking Republicans to task for not supporting a debt ceiling increase:
But what none of these critics have is an alternative strategy for achieving anything nearly as fiscally or politically beneficial as Mr. Boehner’s plan. The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue, and the public will turn en masse against . . . Barack Obama. The Republican House that failed to raise the debt ceiling would somehow escape all blame. Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced-budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the tea-party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.
This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell into GOP Senate nominees. The reality is that the debt limit will be raised one way or another, and the only issue now is with how much fiscal reform and what political fallout.
OUCH!
On the same day this editorial appeared, John McCain went on the Senate floor to complain about fellow Republicans insistence on passing a Balanced Budget Amendment.
MCCAIN: Over here, we have individuals who believe somehow that there is still chance, at least in this Congress, to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Now, I will take back seat to none in my support of the balanced budget amendment. Thirteen times I voted for it. I will vote for it tomorrow. But what is really amazing about this is that some, some members are believing that we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation, and that is foolish. That is worse than foolish. That is deceiving. Many of our constituents, by telling them that just because the Majority Leader tabled the Balanced Budget Amendment legislation, that somehow through amending and debate, we could somehow convince the majority on the other side of the aisle to go along with a balanced budget amendment of the constitution. That is not fair.
That is not fair to the American people, to hold out and say we won’t agree to raising the debt limit until we pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. It’s unfair, it’s bizarro. And maybe some people who have only been in this body for six or seven months or so really believe that. Others know better. Others know better.
Oh how mavericky! At the end of his speech, McCain read from the WSJ editorial and read the part about the crack political thinking that led to Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle. (Pretty ironic coming from the guy who unleashed Sarah Palin on the world.) Christine O’Donnell responded on her Facebook page:
O’Donnell also said on her Facebook page that McCain should stop “attacking his own party and the very grassroots folks who can help drive a real solution.”
Well, that’s a pretty weak response but I’m sure she’s busy going after CREW.