Creating Chaos

by digby

FYI: the village, in the person of Mrs Alan Greenspan, just responded to the absurd assertion of GOP mouthpiece John Feehery that the Democrats are to blame for Jim Bunning’s obstruction because the Senate should have passed this extension of unemployment benefits bill months ago by saying:

You can certainly make the argument that the whole process has broken down and that no one is running the Senate.

Right. A Republican using an obscure parliamentary procedure to hold up unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans in a time of double digit unemployment but the villagers agree that it is really the fault of Democrats because they are in charge and should be able to “ram it through” (except when “ramming it through” would be undemocratic and destructive to the comity of the Senate and the fabric of our nation.)

Let’s be clear. Bunning couldn’t have done this without the help of his Republican pals who have an interest in creating misery, which is their ticket back to the majority. And they are aided and abetted by a political establishment that is simultaneously demanding that Democrats capitulate and dominate, both of which are then subject to criticism and characterization as massive failures. They are creating chaos then blaming the Democrats for allowing it to happen.

The narrative is gelling — the Democrats are both hapless and ruthless and must be replaced by principled, conservative “grown-ups.” We’ve been here before.

And consider what’s driving these principled, conservative “grown-ups” this time:

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