I Hope I Am Wrong But I Sense the “Undertoad”

More than 20 years ago, after my wife and I read John Irving’s brilliant, “The World According to Garp,” we adopted—as husband/wife code--"Garp’s" phrase for pending doom, he called it the “Undertoad.”.

In Irving’s novel, the phrase referred to a youth’s mispronunciation of “under tow,” an ocean affect which caused the death of one of Garp character's three children.

I feel the “Undertoad” coming this week.

I have no idea how this struggle to increase the nation’s debt limit—historically and almost automatic event no matter which party was in power---and cut the nation’s deficit will be resolved.

But I don’t think the House GOP will blink before it is the catalyst for the historic, calamitous, expensive, just stupid sacrifice of our national financial honor and credit rating, which in turn will cost our nation’s taxpayers hundreds of billions of unnecessary dollars.

If their selfish intransigence produces no breakthrough by this coming weekend, everyone’s borrowing costs--across the board, from the Treasury, mortgage, car, student loans, to individual credit cards--will go up and extract a huge sum of money from taxpayers and others.

For the first time in history the United States will show its word as a debtor nation can’t be believed. Put that in your tri-cornered hat Tea Partiers, Ms, Bachman, et al.

I don’t know how one calculates that prestigious and grievous loss.

But, the Tea Party members don’t even seem to be thinking about the consequences.

I am not being overly dramatic, nor am I trying to pitch partisan blame, merely calling it as I think it could occur.

The Tea Party in the House and its informal leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will pursue this suicidal objective because they can and because they don’t believe that the result will be as Armageddon-like as both Democrat and Republic observers claim.

Besides, they drape themselves in a self congratulatory fantasy that they came to town to make some sort of “difference” and they are not going to do anything too traditional like increase the national debt limit, since they have nothing vested in the system they surely will dismantle.

Maybe a real poll of their constituents might help them better understand their responsibilities.

It seems as if the Tea Party mantra is, “So, our debt and credit system goes boom, big deal. We'll build a better one when we get total control of Washington after next year’s election.”

Scary, scary people and there sure isn’t enough House GOP profiles in courage to go against the freshman juggernaut.

“Our way or the highway,” isn’t compromise TP guys and girls.

This doesn’t mean President Obama or congressional Democrats will be automatic winners, but the right wing TP members stand out for their obstinacy and wrong headedness.

If this scenario unfolds, I believe the nation’s electorate will vote most of them out of office, but at what price?

The irony here is that for a group so outspoken in its hatred of America’s foreign enemies, the Tea Party’s actions will generate huge joy among those who despise this nation and its people. Think Al Queda, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia, various Muslim populations and a host of other overseas haters who masquerade as our fair weather friends.

Maloni, 7-25-2011