“What is McConnell trying to do??? split the party BEFORE the debt ceiling is raised???”
In the game of chicken that the debt ceiling negotiation, McConnell blinked.
- The debt ceiling is an artificial construction in addition to budgeting, but it is there
- the conservative / Tea Party folks decided to make a stand, but saying ‘no increase’ is a non-solution, as that implies default
- ratings agencies will cut ratings even if there is no actual default
- the GOP only holds the House so ...
- real spending cuts will not pass the Senate under Harry Reid
- A BBA will not pass, it will not get the 2/3rds votes
- Future cuts is BS, only near-term cuts count
- this is a battle royal for the long-term, but we dont have the leverage to force conservative policies on the Senate or WH only stalemate.
- if no deal, then its bad for the country and for the GOP
So ... UNLESS you can get the Democrats to agree to a spending-cuts-only deal, and McConnell realized that the ‘best deal’ possible with Dems wasnt that great anyway (in other words, could it even pass the House?) there is NO path to a real agreement. McConnell is unwilling to go the no deal route.
So McConnell blinked and proposed a cockamamie plan B that punts to Obama on the decisions.
He is not wholly to blame. House “tea party” Reps who say “no debt ceiling increase at all” like Michelle Bachmann are actually part of the problem , as they leave Boehner no room to work with. Boehner cant fight for a better deal, if that ‘better deal’ doesnt get any more votes.
It would have been FAR BETTER to hold to a unified position. I am saddened the GOP didnt do this better. April - strike 1; July - strike 2; what about october and FY 2012? Strike 3??
So we get ‘no deal’ which does NOT mean smaller Government ... it means a crisis that gives Obama more power. THAT is the part the Tea Party needs to understand.
I disagree that “no increase” means default or ratings devalued. Just the opposite... if we increase the debt limit, our inability to control spending is sealed in the eyes of the raters. As long as we continue to pay the interest on the debt, our ratings should remain solid. That is of course unless Moodys is just as hacked as the democrat party is, in which case it’s only a matter of time when that hammer falls.
Keeping the debt ceiling where it is forces dems to make the cuts they don’t want to make.
If democrats want to raise the limit, let them take back all 3 branches first... but lets not let them kill this country and point their finger at the smoking gun being held by republicans.
Call their bluff.