[Also published at Huffington Post.] All along, we’ve assumed there was at least some dark, Machiavellian brilliance behind it.
At the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency, Republicans in Congress, fearing that George Bush’s failures had condemned them to the political wilderness, hit on an escape plan: cause Obama to fail, too. They pledged to oppose every single thing he proposed ― even if they agreed with it. And they’ve kept that pledge.
Nearly eight years later, we have the result:
To get there, Republicans:
- Slowed our recovery from the Great Recession (although that recovery was still stronger than anyone else’s)
- Fought reforms of the system that caused the crash
- Spurned the opportunity offered by historically low interest rates to rebuild our infrastructure and put Americans back to work
- Shattered the record for filibusters
- Shut down the government
- Blocked aid to veterans and 9/11 first responders
- Pandered to birthers and other racists
- Prevented common sense gun regulations backed by 90% of voters
- Denied the planetary risks of climate change
- Came within a hair of preventing 20 million (and counting) Americans from getting health coverage
- And, by making so many people so furious, helped pave the way for a nominee who is destroying their party while threatening the foundations of our democracy.
So, to summarize: Congressional Republicans sacrificed the national interest, in pursuit of political suicide.
Corruption, or incompetence: as Machiavelli might advise, you should probably try to pick just one.