Taking hostages: The GOP and the Debt Limit

"Make a move and the bunny gets it."

The GOP are taking hostages in the battle to raise the debt limit again.  Hiding behind vulnerable women and children (and stuffed bunnies, too!), the GOP seek to kill programs which benefit the poorest Americans.  Why? Because it's easy.  In order to secure their votes on this measure, they're insisting on all kinds of financial handcuffs in order to secure the profits of the wealthy.  The New York Times warns us that

Democratic lawmakers and the White House must reject targets and triggers that rule out tax increases, because without higher taxes, the burden of cutting would fall largely on lower- and middle-income Americans. Some Republicans also have said they want the deal to include many of the spending cuts in the House-passed budget. That would be a disaster for vulnerable Americans and for the fragile recovery. Farm subsidies for rich farmers can go but not food stamps and Head Start. (emphasis added)

And again, the GOP are operating on their own reality channel with no reference to the actual world in which regular American's must operate.

Negotiations on the debt limit are not the time or place to force a deficit deal. As ever, the Republicans’ positions have little to do with economic reality. Really tackling the deficit will require specific, thoughtful changes centered on raising taxes and controlling health care costs, neither of which Republicans support.