Perhaps the Obamas should plan an anti-bully seminar for the GOP

Last week, President and Michelle Obama sponsored a White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. I'm thinking that maybe they should plan another session on this topic for the GOP since bullying seems to be their favorite political tactic.

Have any doubts about that? Senator Mitch McConnell ended any of those this week.

Senate Republicans will not support an increase to the federal debt limit unless the president vows to tackle the nation's debt, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday...

In particular, McConnell said the president needs to step up and do more to take on entitlements like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

For some perspective, Steve Benen summarizes the threat.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) recently said failing to raise the debt limit "would be a financial disaster, not only for us, but for the worldwide economy." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said failure to raise the debt limit would lead to "financial collapse and calamity throughout the world." Fox News' Charles Krauthammer said the consequences would be "catastrophic." Fox News' Dana Perino said Republicans are inviting "economic disaster." George Will said policymakers would have to be "suicidal."...

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently warned congressional Republicans not to "play around with" a coming vote to raise the government's legal borrowing limit, adding that lawmakers shouldn't view the debt ceiling as a "bargaining chip." Austan Goolsbee, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, recently explained, "If we get to the point where you've damaged the full faith and credit of the United States, that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity."

So the message is: "Do what we want or we'll cause worldwide economic catastrophe." And of course, Sen. McConnell hasn't identified what he thinks needs to be done about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Yep, that's the Republican strategy...blatant bullying.

I think the American people should send them to their rooms for a time-out.