The Can Win Elections, But They Can't Govern

You can try and hide from the truth, but in the end, the ugly just comes through.

Said before, I'll say it again.

The GOP is not fit to govern the country.  The reason they are not fit is because in order to win elections, they have to advocate for pony-based policies that are impossible to implement.

Take the debt ceiling debate.  Usually, the debt ceiling is passed fairly easily and uncontroversially.  The GOP,  beholden to its Tea Party members and rhetoric, decided to use the debt ceiling to double down on the politically disastrous Ryan plan to attack entitlements.  This, despite the fact that most Americans would rather see revenues increased than benefits cut.

Obama then doubles down and decides to try and create a plan that will extend the life of entitlements out to the budgetary horizon, rein in spending and raise revenues.  The GOP walks away.  Because their rhetoric - or if you're being charitable: beliefs - precludes them from... well, making hard choices and compromising.

The result is the McConnell plan -  a capitulation disguised as a 30 second attack ad.  The McConnell plan would avert the policy disaster of default, thus making happy the Wall Street wing of the party.  It would also create attack ads about how many times the Democrats raised the debt ceiling - and since most Americans are too fascinated by whether Casey Anthony will date OJ Simpson - it might work.

It's terrible governing, but it might help them win an election.  Classic.

And then we also have this.  Click through and read the damn thing.

Mandating more efficient light bulbs is an easy way to save energy and save money in the long and short run.  Opposing that is Level 68 stupid.  In fact, it would seem to be a completely necessary action to insure uniform application across the country under the commerce clause.

But, no.  If you're a GOP politician, then by definition nothing the government does - besides killing dusky hued foreigner - is legitimate ipso facto.

In other words, the "modern" GOP simply does not believe in the act of governing.

The House of Representatives has been taken over by anarchists and no one has noticed.