The digging in of heels around the debt limit discussion is a political stunt by Republicans, plain and simple. They can try to operate in the public eye and paint themselves the guardians of fiscal sanity, but a true treatment of our debt issues with actual results is something that will take much more time and negotiation than simply addressing it at the 11th hour and trying to make the Democrats the fall guys.
I’ve never understood how, year after year, raising the debt ceiling comes across as a good idea, a pro forma, automatic thing, even as our debt grows ever more mind-bogglingly worse. But the Republicans demanding a balanced budget is pie-in-the-sky silliness, especially with everything else that’s hitting consumers in the face. It’s a convenient bargaining tool, but not much more.
And threatening to reduce funding for Social Security and Medicare? They really are soulless hostage takers, though I guess they do have brinkmanship skills and know how to get a rise out of pretty much everybody.
3 Cents' 