Are you tired of this? I’m tired of this. It’s the debt limit again: Daily Bullshit, May 28, 2017

Updates

  1. May 28, 1:39 pm:

Debt Limit

I think what Catherine Rampell misses is that for a great many people, the “chain reaction of panic and chaos throughout the world” that she fears would result from a U.S. debt default[1] would merely be a well-deserved comeuppance for an elite that has failed to consider our situation worthy of dealing with.

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney — a House Freedom Caucus alumnus, as it happens — has also been distressingly cavalier about safeguarding the country’s creditworthiness. As a congressman, he voted against raising the debt ceiling four times and publicly questioned whether it would be so terrible if we stopped being able to pay all our bills.[2]

I can’t figure out why I should care, except that it will be further evidence of Republican—now principally authoritarian populist—dysfunction in power, already on display with their attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, about to be revealed further with their attempt to pass yet another tax cut for the rich, and now to be explored with the debt limit. I certainly have no stake in “the health of the global financial system.”[3] I say, let it crash and burn; I’ll dance (even though I dance badly and generally don’t dance) on the ashes. And if you want me to think otherwise, you need to be thinking about why I should when you absolutely refuse to gainfully employ me.

Catherine Rampell, “America is about to face a major hostage situation,” Washington Post, May 26, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-about-to-face-a-major-hostage-situation/2017/05/26/540e6898-4235-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html


Trump administration and Russia

“Now that [Donald] Trump’s current and former aides and allies officially know a [Russia] probe exists, they’re responsible for preserving all available information that might be relevant,” but “[t]here were several other moments over the last 10 months that legal experts say qualify as ample warning for document preservation too.” That includes the Trump campaign, which probably hasn’t complied. “Under U.S. criminal law, documents must be preserved once an individual is aware they may become relevant to an investigation, even if there’s no formal notice one has begun.”[4]

Darren Samuelsohn, “Trump aides facing perilous stage of Russia probe,” Politico, May 27, 2017, http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/27/trump-russia-probe-risk-238878


  1. [1]Catherine Rampell, “America is about to face a major hostage situation,” Washington Post, May 26, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-about-to-face-a-major-hostage-situation/2017/05/26/540e6898-4235-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html
  2. [2]Catherine Rampell, “America is about to face a major hostage situation,” Washington Post, May 26, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-about-to-face-a-major-hostage-situation/2017/05/26/540e6898-4235-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html
  3. [3]Catherine Rampell, “America is about to face a major hostage situation,” Washington Post, May 26, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-about-to-face-a-major-hostage-situation/2017/05/26/540e6898-4235-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html
  4. [4]Darren Samuelsohn, “Trump aides facing perilous stage of Russia probe,” Politico, May 27, 2017, http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/27/trump-russia-probe-risk-238878

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