Has the GOP lost its mind? Ctd.

Steve Benen concludes, yes: "Congress could, this morning, pass a clean bill that raises the debt ceiling, ends the crisis, reassures investors and markets around the world, and clears the way for Democrats and Republicans to go right back to fighting again. The whole process would take five minutes. It's no different than having a car headed for a cliff, only to have the driver realize the brake works. All he has to do is step on it. Since 1939, Congress has raised the debt limit 89 times. That's not a typo. In fact, in two-thirds of these instances, there was a Republican president, and no one ever used the vote as leverage for a reward. During the Bush presidency, Republicans raised the debt ceiling, without strings or preconditions, seven times. The current GOP leadership in Washington has voted to raise the debt limit 19 times. In all 19 cases, it was a clean bill. ... One effortless vote makes the entire problem disappear. I can't think of any potential crisis that's so serious and yet so easy to resolve. But this isn't even a possibility because the Republican Party has lost its mind."