Forget the others ones, the projected election of Kentucky Republican Tea Party candidate Rand Paul should drive major concerns into the heart of America.
Rand in his victory speech offers speculation he could on his own kill the normally routine approval of raising the nation’s debt ceiling.
Before the cheers echo in your ears from Rand’s followers, consider that such an action could crash not only America’s but the global economy.
It would mean shutting down government as House Speaker Newt Gingrich did in 1995 appear as a minor nuisance.
The panel of MSNBC political analysts led by Lawrence O’Donnell who knows what he’s talking about as a former chief staff member in the Senate went ballistic.
It was culled from Paul’s victory speech captured on this You Tube video.
O’Donnell maintains Paul is the only new Senator who has the intelligence, grit and stubborn desire to do what he says he will do if it means placing holds on legislation or forcing filibuster votes.
Already Paul has signaled to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, the senior senator from Kentucky, and to Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, his new best mentor, he is happy to take their campaign money of $1 million or more but will be his own man as senator.
The question remains is whether Rand Paul is posturing as so many elected officials do before voting on the debt ceiling issue.
Of all the six or more new Republican senators, Paul is the least likely to waiver between politics and principle.
By failing to increase the debt ceiling, the government will no longer be able to borrow and pay its bills and risk its credit rating to drop to unaffordable interest rates.
This may or may not be a doomsday scenario, but it is not an exhilarating example of democracy in action when one man elected by 100,000 or so people in a small state affecting the lives of 330 million Americans if not the major industrial nations in the world.
Paul’s insurgency — good or bad — will be a headache for Republican Senate leaders and he could provide the cover for a group of conservative ditto heads to follow his lead whether to the gallows or wingnut heaven.
Don’t take my word for it. Read it from the Tea Party itself
My position is capping the debt at this point of time in economic recovery is the same as amputating the arm because one finger has a blister. You don’t start at the end before you fix the front. Certainly it is a worthy goal towards fiscal sanity — done in incremental fashion.
Cross posted on The Remmers Report
Comments are welcome. Link to my blogsite or go to my email address at [email protected] . Remmers’ varied career spans 26 years in the newspaper business.
Jerry Remmers worked 26 years in the newspaper business. His last 23 years was with the Evening Tribune in San Diego where assignments included reporter, assistant city editor, county and politics editor.