Thursday Open Thread [12.13.12]

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Ezra Klein reports:
The debt ceiling [...] is proving a key sticking point, both in terms of politics and policy [in the fiscal cliff/austeritybomb negotiations. The political problem is that many Hill Republicans have convinced themselves that they’ll have the upper hand if they let the country topple fully or mostly over the cliff and then restart negotiations with a debt default looming in the background. They figure that although Obama really is willing to let the country go over the cliff, he’s not willing to let the country default and spark a global financial crisis. They are willing to do that, or they believe they can more credibly say they are, and that gives them leverage. Whatever House Republicans might think, the White House is all steel when it comes to the debt ceiling. Their position is simple, and it’s typically delivered in the tone of voice that Bruce Willis reserves for talking to terrorists: They’re happy to raise the debt ceiling on their own, as would be the case under their proposal to take authority for the debt ceiling away from Congress. But if Congress rejects that offer, then the debt ceiling is Congress’s problem, and the White House will not help.
Good. Let's hope the steel stays in the spine.

Family Values B*tches!!

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UPDATE2: I've opened comments because I love wielding my godlike powers indiscriminately. Happy? Track Palin, the eldest son of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, is reportedly ending his marriage to Britta Hanson after a year and a half. The couple, who were former high-school sweethearts, are jointly petitioning for divorce.

DL’s Holiday Extravaganza Tomorrow!

Everybody ready for tomorrow night? Hope so! In keeping with tradition, please bring food for the Food Bank of Delaware. We will be collecting the goodies and necessities and then delivering them the Food Bank. Let’s make someone’s season bright!

Date: Friday, December 14th

Place: Timothy’s (Riverfront)

Time: 7:00p.m.

 Looking forward to seeing everyone!

ADA’s Fiscal Town Hall: “Operationalizing” basic facts & Bryan Townsend

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I've been wanting to write a longer post on the town hall put together by Ezra Temko through ADA and moderated by Paul Baumbach. I haven't had time, but wanted to share this little piece. We were fortunate to have Senator Coons represented on the panel by his Ian Koski, his Director of Communications. Koski impressed me as a very decent, smart guy - ludicrously down to earth by the standards of Senatorial staffers I've met in the past. At some point the conversation turned to dealing with an intransigent GOP, and although I was supposed to be the sober business person on the panel, my rabid partisan blogger self is a Mr. Hyde like presence inside me that, I now realize, I don't have much control over. So I said something like, "I don't see how we can move forward until we put aside the sham bi-partisanship and just all acknowledge the simple truth that one party doesn't have any interest in bargaining in good faith. And on a larger scale, we the public, the media, Congressional Democrats.... everyone has to start calling out the GOP when they are simply lying or getting facts wrong - like tax cuts work. We need to create an environment in which the truth matters." That's probably much more cogent than what I actual said.