Everyone understands what a dick move it is for someone to fuck with something they don't understand (even after being told not to by someone who does understand it) -- and then blame the responsible party when things go horribly wrong.
That's the current situation today -- both in miniature as it concerns the government shutdown, and, potentially, writ large as we speed towards a possible cataclysmic default.
In both situations, the Tea Party fringe leading the charge demonstrates at every turn that it has: 1) extremely poor understanding of the facts in play, yet 2) tremendous motivation to fuck with things anyway, mostly because of a borderline pathological derangement related to Obamacare and anything championed by Democrats in general, up to and including the very concept of government itself.
I can think of no better analogy to the current situation than the following:
And yes, they're dickless.
And my contemporary re-write of the scene would go like this:
Nancy Pelosi: Senator! Senator! I tried to stop him. He says they won control of the House using gerrymandering!
Senator Reid: Excuse me, this is the United States Congress. Not the playground. Or an Ayn Rand book club meeting.
Tea Party: Shut this government down. And take us over the debt limt.
Reid: I'm warning you. Playing with the full faith and credit of the United States would be extremely hazardous.
Tea Party: I'll tell you what's hazardous -- Obamacare is killing jobs and free phones are exploding our national debt and also Benghazi. Now either you shut this government down and let the debt limit expire or we'll do it for you.
Reid: Try to understand: if the U.S. defaults on it's obligations the value of Treasury bonds and the dollar would nosedive. Stock markets around the world would plunge.
Not raising the debt limit isn't something we should even be talking about. Simply defaulting on purpose would be like dropping a bomb on the world economy.
Tea Party: Don't tread on us! We're not grotesquely stupid -- like Rachel Madcow and her communist MSNBC buddies!
Obama: At ease, my fellow Americans. I'm President Obama and I'm always the adult in the room. I think there's just been a slight misunderstanding and I want to cooperate in any way that I can.
Tea Party: Forget it, Obama. You had your chance to repeal your signature achievement in exchange for nothing, but you thought it would be more fun to give 30 million people healthcare. Well now it's our turn, wiseass.
Reid: They want to shut down the government, Mr. President. And default on the debt limit.
Obama: You shut that thing down, and Democrats are not gonna be held responsible for whatever happens. Let me be clear: we won't be.
Tea Party: Shut it down!
Obama: Don't shut it down. I'm warning you.
John Boehner: I-I really don't know much about this stuff, and I know I don't really speak for any particular constituency here, but it's just that I don't --
Tea Party: We're not interested in your opinion, loser. Just shut it down.
Obama: My friend, don't be a jerk.
Voters: WTF you guys! We don't really understand this and Chuck Todd won't explain it to us but something is seriously fucked up!
Tea Party: Good point! If you don't like the President, we can always impeach him.
Voters: Ok whoa. Just shutup and fix this mess, morons.
Obama: Thank you.
Tea Party: Shut it down!
Ted Cruz: [sniffing the wall, confused]
[government shutdown begins, agencies operating on skeleton crews, workers furloughed, safety net programs on-hold, parks closed, veterans benefits delayed]
Reid: Look out!
[default approaches, Wall Street panics, world economy collapses, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria]
Tea Party: Hold it! We want these Democrats kicked out of office! My fellow Americans, these elected Democrats enacted Obamacare, shut down the government and allowed the nation to default on its obligations by refusing to negotiate with us, and this economic disaster is a direct result of it!
Reid: Your mother!
[pushing and shoving while world burns.... and.... scene]
As an aside: in "casting" the scene and trying to decide what GOP lawmaker should represent Walter Peck the antagonist, it occurred to me just how headless this movement really is. You could pick any range of Tea Party types who have spoken out in total ignorance on the subject in recent weeks, but it's impossible to identify a leader. That as much as anything crystallizes the challenge President Obama faces -- there's no actual person he could negotiate with, even if he wanted to (and thank God he's sticking to his guns and doesn't).