Terrorism on the Installment Plan

I have said, over and over again, that making concessions to terrorists with hostages only encourages them to increase their demands and take more hostages.  Republicans have demonstrated the truth of these words every time Democrats have caved in to them.  But now Republicans are trying something new, terrorism on the installment plan.

House Republicans are considering a plan to grant only incremental increases to the federal debt limit in a bid to extract more concessions on spending cuts and budgetary reform from the Obama administration.

The idea has a champion in Grover Norquist, the conservative activist and president of Americans for Tax Reform, who says he is “building allies” in the House Republican Conference to push for extending the debt limit every two months.

“My argument is, you give them two months at a time, because each time you could get something reasonable,” Norquist told The Hill in an interview this week at his downtown offices.

The proposal has gained traction with some members of the conservative Republican Study Committee, who plan to bring it up in “listening sessions” scheduled by party leaders for after the Easter recess.

“It is the only leverage that we have over a Senate and a president that is seemingly unconcerned about the over-spending,” said freshman Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), who said he would not support any bill that allows borrowing past Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. “I would support a much shorter time-frame.”

A push for short-term debt-limit increases is likely to face a wall of opposition with Senate Democrats and the administration, but it would set a significant marker for Republicans as they begin negotiations. The Treasury Department has not specified how high it wants the debt ceiling raised — though Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner recently suggested a ballpark of $2 trillion — saying it is up to Congress to decide… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Common Dreams>

What Grover Norquist considers as “getting something reasonable” will not be reasonable for America.

This plan has an added benefit for Republicans.  It creates a permanent state of crisis that precludes getting any real work done to meet the nation’s needs.

Folks, this does not take rocket science.  Any agreement must cover all the expenses for fiscal 2011.  Any short term agreements for more negotiating time must include no concessions.  Otherwise, call their bluff.

If Republicans fail to raise the debt limit, the first people that will devastate are the Banksters, because they hold their mandated reserves in treasury securities.  Do you really thing that Republicans will throw Banksters under the bus?