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leveymg

(36,418 posts)
139. It's much the same austerity strategy pursued by the Center-Right and Rightwing parties in Europe
Sun Oct 13, 2013, 10:44 AM
Oct 2013

The Sequester and selective shutdown are quite rational, and this is the means the American political system has arrived at to deliver it Austerity is the point - the means are the ends, wrapped in a face saving theater of the absurd cast with its designated villains and heroes, depending upon which side of the audience one is sitting in.

A week ago, I likened it to Kabuki Theater, "Selective Shutdown Over for Pentagon. The Light just got turned on the Kabuki Theater Stage", http://election.democraticunderground.com/10023791304



But, the American version is more akin to something cruder, and seemingly mindless. Mexican Masked Wrestling:




Austerity in action is driven by the same global bankers who have their own designated Bad Guys, the global hedge funds that attack currencies and interest rates of states that resist austerity. Tag-team Mexican wrestling. The loud shouting and elaborate maneuvers of legislative bodies and mainstream political parties are largely a choreographed show intended to distract and mobilize the seated audience of rubes.

Technically, they've been insane for a long time. Now they're under observation. nt Xipe Totec Oct 2013 #1
Now they're backed into a corner... magical thyme Oct 2013 #15
That's why we need pointy boots Xipe Totec Oct 2013 #27
And they have their finger on the trigger of their suicide vest. Kablooie Oct 2013 #98
Maybe Obamacare will get them much need help kairos12 Oct 2013 #44
Exactly! Phlem Oct 2013 #47
I'm in! Feel the same as you. Want to live to see these idiots get the beat down coming to them. maddiemom Oct 2013 #57
It can be done! Phlem Oct 2013 #94
Exactly davidpdx Oct 2013 #87
padded cells kardonb Oct 2013 #93
I think they have gone off the rails. hrmjustin Oct 2013 #2
Mr. Speaker, please proceed.... mike_c Oct 2013 #3
Agreed.... Buddaman Oct 2013 #4
Long time ago. Triana Oct 2013 #5
Yup. And BatShit Bachman is at the helm. RBInMaine Oct 2013 #10
not just insane...batshitinsane SummerSnow Oct 2013 #6
A few fries short of a Happy Meal DJ13 Oct 2013 #7
Yeah..nuts PearliePoo2 Oct 2013 #8
They're feverishly digging their way out of their hole. TheCowsCameHome Oct 2013 #9
I think are they are still digging in. Coyotl Oct 2013 #28
That's a great toon - TBF Oct 2013 #60
So many great toons on this subject, TheCowsCameHome Oct 2013 #120
Except that they forgot the first rule of holes... Salviati Oct 2013 #58
I just read a few hundred comments at Huffington Post about IMF fears and warnings displacedtexan Oct 2013 #11
Straight from the mouths of Beck and Rush. These knuckle dragging, mouth breathing SammyWinstonJack Oct 2013 #134
A long time ago... GoCubsGo Oct 2013 #12
I think it's important that the Pres and Dems summerschild Oct 2013 #13
Yes, more rope. elleng Oct 2013 #14
The rethugs deserve everything blue14u Oct 2013 #105
Gone from insane but under control to out of control insane! NYC_SKP Oct 2013 #16
The GOP intends to bring this Country down, let alone the World. blkmusclmachine Oct 2013 #17
I miss the days when they were just criminal... BluegrassStateBlues Oct 2013 #18
What the fuck is taking people decades to open their eyes to this undeniable fact? longship Oct 2013 #19
It isn't religion--it's the John Birchers who took over duffyduff Oct 2013 #174
A paid for bag of badly mixed nuts! madashelltoo Oct 2013 #20
They are suicidal and homicidal Generic Brad Oct 2013 #21
yes. not only insane, but dangerously so. k and r. n/t NRaleighLiberal Oct 2013 #22
hey, were you the dude featured on the news with an insane bunch of 'maters you cross bred? dionysus Oct 2013 #59
I've been on the news in NC (local) - have been in this and that article through the years... NRaleighLiberal Oct 2013 #65
i saw the feature about you on DU. always wanted to tell you, that's a fantastic dionysus Oct 2013 #71
thanks....my tomato book is written - publish date (Storey) Dec 2014. NRaleighLiberal Oct 2013 #72
They Homicidal Zombies wandering the capital and the countryside. Katashi_itto Oct 2013 #23
It was such a short trip, the car never had time to warm up. tclambert Oct 2013 #24
They have been paranoid delusion since the McCarthyite-John Birch era. Coyotl Oct 2013 #25
Absolutely batshit crazy. n/t Ian David Oct 2013 #26
K/R Jack Rabbit Oct 2013 #29
It's not a good thing to make fun of the mentally challenged. icymist Oct 2013 #30
NOT making fun of anyone. Using a METAPHOR and it is ACCURATE. RBInMaine Oct 2013 #125
Checking in... ReRe Oct 2013 #31
Tarheel, checking in! Tarheel_Dem Oct 2013 #32
Absolutely gopiscrap Oct 2013 #33
Even if this is a trick question, I'll bite! House of Roberts Oct 2013 #34
Here Th1onein Oct 2013 #35
Hey, let's not blame mental illness for this! bravenak Oct 2013 #36
The GOP is now clinically psychotic based on observed behavior. n/t RKP5637 Oct 2013 #37
Yes checking in to crazy politics polynomial Oct 2013 #38
Welcome to DU, polynomial! And yeah, calimary checking in with a big AFFIRMATIVE on the berzerk calimary Oct 2013 #86
about 30+ years to late on this one but Phlem Oct 2013 #39
It's a train wreck struggle4progress Oct 2013 #40
The GOP was right that there was going to be a trainwreck this month Proud Liberal Dem Oct 2013 #51
How can I not check in on this one! Curmudgeoness Oct 2013 #41
They've been batshit crazy as long as I can LibDemAlways Oct 2013 #42
no question about it lostincalifornia Oct 2013 #43
Yes they are but it is their followers (voters) that scare me. Marie Marie Oct 2013 #45
There is no other logical conclusion than collective mental illness. dorkzilla Oct 2013 #46
Why would anyone with a normal brain support republicans? mwb970 Oct 2013 #168
Obama is playing chicken with the insane. kairos12 Oct 2013 #48
Had to warn several fraternity bros to play nice on my Facebook feed. Efilroft Sul Oct 2013 #49
That's an astounding YES. sakabatou Oct 2013 #50
They have completely rejected reality in favor of an artificial construction Warpy Oct 2013 #52
The teabaggers are beyound crazy. texanwitch Oct 2013 #53
Pretend this is 1987... liberalmuse Oct 2013 #54
Boehner isn't crazy, not batshit anyway, so this means flamingdem Oct 2013 #55
Exactly, it's like a drunk giving us all a terrifying ride in his car landolfi Oct 2013 #84
Eisenhower was the last sane Republican. Auntie Bush Oct 2013 #56
I've heard a rumor Nac Mac Feegle Oct 2013 #61
East Kansas in the house! Moostache Oct 2013 #62
I am starting to think Cryptoad Oct 2013 #63
If being completely disconnected from what most of us see as reality deutsey Oct 2013 #64
"Gone"…? regnaD kciN Oct 2013 #66
I thought they were insane before. Warren DeMontague Oct 2013 #67
1994. dchill Oct 2013 #68
Crazed dangerous idiots. Turbineguy Oct 2013 #69
BATSHIT INSANE! JaneyVee Oct 2013 #70
this is a continuation of 1964 when the lunatics took over the insane asylum and declared that Douglas Carpenter Oct 2013 #73
From crazed The Wizard Oct 2013 #74
Here is what is really scary. nevergiveup Oct 2013 #75
It started with Reagan and the concept of disinformation. airplaneman Oct 2013 #76
If they blow it up, what do they have left Southside Oct 2013 #77
They think they can take the country over with their guns. texanwitch Oct 2013 #78
Why is it we know and they don't? Southside Oct 2013 #89
These teabaggers are not normal in any sense. texanwitch Oct 2013 #91
I'm insulated by progressives Southside Oct 2013 #92
I believe 9/11 was followed by mass hysteria and insanity.... JohnnyRingo Oct 2013 #79
I think the extremists in the GOP believe they've won OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #80
That's the most sophisticated take on this thread. But, I'd argue, it's more bipartisan than that leveymg Oct 2013 #110
I think O - Hell Hath No Fury Oct 2013 #118
O and many other Dems get the entitlements cuts they've wanted all along. SammyWinstonJack Oct 2013 #137
It's much the same austerity strategy pursued by the Center-Right and Rightwing parties in Europe leveymg Oct 2013 #139
i have heard,put options against t bills have soared questionseverything Oct 2013 #154
This sounds like false equivalence to me. mwb970 Oct 2013 #171
No, that's not what I'm saying OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #172
They are barking mad, the lot of them. PDJane Oct 2013 #81
Gone insane? They have been insane all along, especially the Nutbaggers landolfi Oct 2013 #82
HELL yes. And I'm a professional. nolabear Oct 2013 #83
I'm no mental health pro mike dub Oct 2013 #85
Not Insane, but Fundamentalists... M.G. Oct 2013 #88
This is a new breed of insanity. We've been noting it since 2010. joshcryer Oct 2013 #90
They have been headed this way since Nixon Julian Englis Oct 2013 #95
a long wait Chaco Dundee Oct 2013 #96
The Rs have wanted to destroy government for 30+ years, it's their plan Corruption Inc Oct 2013 #97
The GOP is Proudly Celebrating... GReedDiamond Oct 2013 #99
Totally fucking Rincewind Oct 2013 #100
The GOP has been out of its mind for many years now. cristianmarie533 Oct 2013 #101
If you think that people doing a happy dance around a government that is on fire... yuiyoshida Oct 2013 #102
They've been nutso ever since the Reagan era; Jamaal510 Oct 2013 #103
checking in oldtime dfl_er Oct 2013 #104
Certifiable. kestrel91316 Oct 2013 #106
All the above. ffr Oct 2013 #107
I agree DonCoquixote Oct 2013 #108
The teaorrists in charge with their little minons in Congress are Cha Oct 2013 #109
The GOP acts insane stage left Oct 2013 #111
I'll assume I should also rec if I believe they've always been insane Fearless Oct 2013 #112
checking in onethatcares Oct 2013 #113
The people who vote for them are the most insane B Calm Oct 2013 #114
Please check in if you think 'good' is better than 'bad'. randome Oct 2013 #115
It was inevitable due to their catering to the deepest, darkest fears of religious racists. Spitfire of ATJ Oct 2013 #116
this could be a very long thread Motown_Johnny Oct 2013 #117
Insane? Ivywoods55 Oct 2013 #119
I think you may be underestimating the Power of Stupid. GeorgeGist Oct 2013 #121
Didn't Reagan have ALZHEIMER'S while in Office? underthematrix Oct 2013 #127
If by insane, you mean antisocial, ... 99Forever Oct 2013 #122
They have treestar Oct 2013 #123
They do seem scarily nuts LeftishBrit Oct 2013 #124
WORSE now than in '94. They are totally off the beam. RBInMaine Oct 2013 #126
Here's my little fantasy for the future... N_E_1 for Tennis Oct 2013 #128
I asked my representative (R) why he contiues to belong to a terrorist organization Hokie Oct 2013 #129
The hatred they have been spoon fed from Faux randr Oct 2013 #130
A large segment of the GOP is getting exactly what they want: CanonRay Oct 2013 #131
They are more than insane Pakid Oct 2013 #132
Out where the buses don't run....insane. SammyWinstonJack Oct 2013 #133
I don't mind calling them insane rock Oct 2013 #135
Fascists were organized. The GOP is not. randome Oct 2013 #136
Still Crazy After All These Years rpannier Oct 2013 #138
Criminally. n/t dsharp88 Oct 2013 #140
Cuokoo Bananas! Nanjing to Seoul Oct 2013 #141
Absolutely right on! warrenswil Oct 2013 #142
Welcome to DU gopiscrap Oct 2013 #146
It's not full moon is it? Rosa Luxemburg Oct 2013 #143
They'll be discussing their martyrdom for years Shamash Oct 2013 #144
Repeat of the first thread ever on DU? ElboRuum Oct 2013 #145
Nuts to them. Lifelong Protester Oct 2013 #147
Are we talking 'plain crazy', or 'batsh*t, howling at the moon' crazy? ColesCountyDem Oct 2013 #148
The GOP is insane AND dangerous Joey Liberal Oct 2013 #149
Gone? JimboBillyBubbaBob Oct 2013 #150
They may be insane but I think Democrats will have to cave or doc03 Oct 2013 #151
Yep, stark raving loony Taverner Oct 2013 #152
No, they're doing exactly what worked for them in 2011... mrsadm Oct 2013 #153
Oh yeah shenmue Oct 2013 #155
You reap what you sow... kenichol Oct 2013 #156
I wish they would find some way to suicide... D23MIURG23 Oct 2013 #157
delusional and sociopathic in one scary bundle nt steve2470 Oct 2013 #158
They are ignorant and insane which makes them perfect for their puppet masters. glinda Oct 2013 #159
btw - there is no "moderate" Republican rurallib Oct 2013 #160
I have believed that republicans were dangerously insane since I was a child. Zorra Oct 2013 #161
Raises hand - haele Oct 2013 #162
Checking in. n/t Duval Oct 2013 #163
Yep. Insane with greed N/T AikidoSoul Oct 2013 #164
Nuts, nuttser, nuttier & nutsiest! MarianJack Oct 2013 #165
They make me sick to my stomach. mwb970 Oct 2013 #166
Not just that, Hayabusa Oct 2013 #167
The Tea Party has been insane since conception. nt Unrepentant Fenian Oct 2013 #169
just checkin' Sanddog42 Oct 2013 #170
Butt ignorant and dumb as a stump. ronnie624 Oct 2013 #173
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