Not kidding here. We know either from personal experience or from knowledge of what members of Congress can get up to that the excitement of having power can segue into the excitement of sexual stimulation. That sidebar of Washington politics -- well, politics anywhere -- is what came to mind immediately upon reading this:
On Friday, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive, raised concerns with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner about the standoff over the debt ceiling and its potential to disrupt the system through which JP Morgan and other big banks disburse federal payments. Mr. Geithner assured him that the Treasury and Federal Reserve had taken steps to keep the payment system functioning smoothly, according to individuals briefed on the call.
In addition, more than a dozen chief executives from the nation’s biggest financial services firms wrote a joint letter to President Obama and members of Congress on Thursday warning of “very grave” consequences for the economy and the job market if an agreement wasn’t reached.
It’s not just chief executives who are now doing the talking, either.
Bankers have deluged Congressional staff members with research reports outlining the bleak consequences of a default, or even a downgrade of United States government debt by the major rating agencies. ...NYT
Seriously. Do you think tea party member of the House and Senate -- women and men -- took all these pleas from powerful bankers casually? Or did they perhaps take some time out to, um, think about the power they have given themselves? Because the closer we get to the deadline, the more physical excitement I think many members of Congress will not admit to feeling, but they're feeling it. For sure.
Among them perhaps one or two of the more adult representatives of the people will stop and do some real thinking.
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