This is part of an old GOP strategy — dating back to the Reagan Revolution — which worked well for them during both the Clinton and Obama presidencies. The only thing wrong with the U.S. economy is the failure of the Republican Party to play Santa Claus.
—Jude Wanniski, March 6, 1976

The headline yesterday over at Politico says it all:

White House's hopes for a lame-duck debt ceiling deal are fading fast.

It's no accident or coincidence that this never once happened during the presidencies of Reagan, Bush, Bush, or Trump. Or that it did happen during the presidencies of Clinton and Obama…and, now, Biden.

You could even call it a conspiracy: there's an amazing backstory — with a unique name— here.

Here's how it works, laid it out in simple summary:

To set up its foundation, the Two Santas strategy dictates, when Republicans control the White House they must spend money like a drunken Santa and cut taxes on the rich, all to intentionally run up the US debt as far and as fast as possible.

They started this during the Reagan presidency, and tripled down on it during the presidencies of Bush and Trump.

Read more at HartmannReport.com.

-Thom

Friday's Daily Stack

Speech: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more" by William Shakespeare.

Case: "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization" (2022) (abortion, overturned Roe v. Wade).

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "House Republicans Will Put Hunter Biden Probe As 'Top Priority'" by Kent Masing.

Quote: "When China gets our good air, their bad air got to move" - Herschel Walker.

Quote: "Republican Herschel Walker says he wants to be 'werewolf, not vampire' – video" - Herschel Walker.

Article: "Herschel Walker Fact Check: Can Werewolves Kill Vampires?" by Rich Juzwiak.

Article: "Frederick Douglass" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Daniel Webster" by Wikipedia.

Article: "William Jennings Bryan" by Wikipedia.

Article: "FTX: Cryptocurrency market rocked by near-collapse of exchange" by BBC.

Article: "Jeff Golden" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Democrat Andrea Salinas wins 6th District congressional seat" by Peter Wong.

Article: "Trump accused of ‘stealing' from Herschel Walker campaign with deceptive fundraising emails" by Eric Garcia.

Article: "Trump Spent 91 Cents to Raise Each Dollar as Troubles Mounted" by Bill Allison.

Article: "Property owners accused of ‘price-fixing' rent in Seattle" by Lisa Brooks.

Article: "Republicans have won the House, regaining control of the chamber for the first time since 2018." by Politico.

Article: "Warren G. Harding," by White House.

Article: "Impeachment process against Richard Nixon" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Winston Churchill" by Wikipedia.

Article: "I Have A Dream: Full Text March On Washington Speech" by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" - Patrick Henry.

Speech: "First Inaugural Address", Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 4 March 1933. "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

Speech: "We shall fight on the beaches" by Winston Churchill.

Quote: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - Abraham Lincoln.

Article: "The Great Dictator: The film that dared to laugh at Hitler" (Charlie Chaplin) by Nicholas Barber.

Book: Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, Hal Roberts.

Audio: Episode 19: Why the GOP relies on negative propaganda loops & voter suppression to win elections (with Yochai Benkler).

Article: "High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Chemtrail conspiracy theory" by Wikipedia.

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Article: "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Obamacare) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Biden signs $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, unlocking funds for transportation, broadband, utilities" by Jacob Pramuk.

Movie: "Fright Night".

Movie: "Fright Night (2011 film)".

Article: "Chronic traumatic encephalopathy" (CTE) by NHS.

Article: "Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover Faces Backlash Over Saudi Financing" by Andrew Stanton.

Mind Blowing Brain Facts
- Anthony Alvarado, Radio host - XRAY.FM, Author - DIY Magic: A Whimsical Guide To Creativity & DIY Resistance: 36 Ways to Fight Back!

Case: "Norman Clement v. Drug Enforcement Administration" (22-6000).

Site: youarewithinthenorms.

Article: "Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "When Everything Is Heavy, a Touch of Humor Can Help" by Carolyn Todd.

Article: "Steve Martin" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Bill Murray" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Why Are U.S. Elections So Much Longer Than Other Countries'?" by Danielle Kurtzleben .

Article: "John Fetterman" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Yellow dog Democrat" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Garland transcript: Jack Smith named special counsel in Trump investigation" by Savannah Kuchar.

Article: "Christopher Lee" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Transgender Awareness Week" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Warnock and Walker's Georgia Senate race goes into overtime as runoff begins" by AP.

Article: "Raphael Warnock" by Wikipedia.

Site: Reverend Warnock for U.S. Senate.

Article: "Schumer Says Congress Should Deal With Debt Ceiling This Year" by Laura Litvan.

Article: "What Is the PRO Act?" by AFL-CIO.

Article: "NLRB stretches its wings under Biden's appointees" by Nick Niedzwiadek.

Article: "John Fetterman wins Pa. Senate race, defeating celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz and flipping a key state for Democrats" by Allan Smith and Henry J. Gomez.

Speech: "1944 State of the Union Address" (Second Bill of Rights or Economic Bill of Rights Speech) by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Article: "Democrats eye DACA fix in lame-duck session" by Summer Concepcion and Sahil Kapur.

Article: "Ranked choice voting is winning in Seattle" by Melissa Santos.

Article: "Support for Ranked-Choice Voting Is Growing" by Bill King.

Article: "Murray Wins Sixth Term in Washington, Overcoming a Tough Challenge" by Emily Cochrane.

Article: "Ranked Choice Voting / Instant Runoff" (RCV) by FairVote.

Video: "Mother Freedom" Music Video Dedicated To All People Fighting For Justice! by Mark Taylor-Canfield.

Law: "14th Amendment Section 3, July 9, 1868 "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability".

Article: "Judge removes Griffin from office for engaging in the January 6 insurrection" by CREW.

Article: "Scylla" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Charybdis" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Cofer Black" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Attorney General Merrick Garland names special counsel in Justice Dept.'s Trump probes" by Ken Dilanian and Ryan J. Reilly.

Article: "Hunter Biden laptop controversy" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Is chief Moore's crime plan right for Tacoma? Local experts, police union are concerned ".

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

Thom Hartmann Returns!

He'll be talking with David Daley, Senior Fellow & Communications Director - FairVote & former editor-in-chief-Salon / Author of the new book, Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

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