Terrorists, Plain and Simple

Republicans are terrorists. It's pretty obvious when you consider what they are doing with respect to the debt ceiling vote. Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly points out how “McConnell puts Medicare in the ransom note“:

The Republican debt-ceiling strategy hasn’t been subtle: GOP officials are threatening to cause a recession, on purpose, unless Democrats give them the spending cuts they want. It’s Hostage Taking 101…

Today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) went much further in clarifying what’s on the ransom note.

In a Capitol briefing with reporters Friday, McConnell declared affirmatively that unspecified Medicare cuts are on the table in bipartisan debt limit negotiations, led by Vice President Joe Biden, and, he expects, will be part of the solution. But in response to a question from TPM, he went further than he has in the past in laying down a marker on that issue. Medicare cuts must be part of that deal to get his support — even if negotiators manage to find trillions of dollars in savings elsewhere, even if his other priorities are met.

“To get my vote, for me, it’s going to take short term [cuts, via spending caps]… Both medium and long-term, entitlements.,” McConnell said. “Medicare will be part of the solution.”

To clarify, I asked “To clarify, if [the Biden group] comes up with big cuts, trillions of dollars worth of cuts, but without substantially addressing Medicare, it won’t get your vote?”

“Correct,” McConnell said.

You need to read this carefully as this is no small thing.  Here is the Senate’s leading Republican saying,  that without Medicare cuts, he’ll try to create an economic calamity on purpose..and this is regardless of what other cuts might be made.

While we don't have any details about what kind of cuts McConnell has in mind it is very telling that he has put it out on the table that killing Medicare is all the GOP really cares about. The Democrats need to ride this horse over and over and they need to let the public know that Senate Republicans will create a recession unless Democrats agree to Medicare cuts.

Te definition of terrorism is "The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims." The proper response on the part of Democrats and the President is  ‘We don’t negotiate with terrorists‘.