The hard part is over. The stupid crazy ridiculous pathetic disgusting House of Representatives passed the debt ceiling hike by a 269-161 margin (Dems 95-95, GOP 174-66). The highlight was the mid-vote return of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to the House floor where she cast her vote in favor of the compromise. It was a moving gesture, although I’ve never felt quite so ambivalent about a vote before. I’m actually surprised that the vote was so lop-sided. The Dems held their votes back to force as many Republicans to buck their nutty base as possible. But once Giffords arrived, they joined her in support and the numbers shot way past the 216 or 217 they needed to assure passage of the bill.
It moves now to the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced they will hold the vote at noon tomorrow. So, technically, we will have blown past the deadline. Hopefully, the strong House vote will prevent any panic or downgrading of our credit rating. Reid will need 60 votes, but he’ll have no problem getting that number. The debt ceiling crisis has been averted.
At what cost, you ask? We’ll find out, won’t we?
