How to handle the debt ceiling issue

[Nancy Waterman]

It really is simple:

Democrats continue to vote in any way they can to preserve Medicare and oppose the Paul Ryan nonsense, and they vote to raise the debt ceiling. They also make it clear, repeatedly, that in the likely event that the economy tanks because the Republicans won't vote for raising the debt ceiling, IT WILL TOTALLY BE THE REPUBLICANS FAULT.

The point is that the Dems need to turn the argument around: it will be the Republicans fault if the economy tanks because of their grandstanding. The Dems will have voted to save things: both save Medicare and save the economy. I think that will scare the begeesus out of the GOP and they will do what needs to be done.

[TheDebbieDee]

1. Your strategy would require the Dems to stand up for themselves!

The weak-kneed phunkers that are the Dems will find a way to screw this up, too. Sometmes I'm SO embarrassed to be a Democrat!

[Windy]

2. Wait until our currency tanks against the Euro/Pound etc tomorrow

It will happen.

These people are idiots!

[littlewolf]

3. 82 Democrats voted against raising the debt ceiling ...

[nevergiveup]

4. All the polls I have seen

show a majority of the American people, including a majority of Democrats, do not want to raise the debt ceiling. We live in strange times.

[Igel]

7. No, we live in self-centered, innumerate times.

We see the same statistical goofiness in polls all the time where they aggregate groups oddly and produce gibberish for results.

We saw it with the HCRA bill polls. Most people wanted "a public option" but most people didn't want "the public option", both rendered as "the public option." The public option being debated won a plurality of poll respondents, but not a majority, while a majority was against what they knew "the" public option contained; but a majority each went for some variety of public option, even if the options were mutually contradictory and mostly different from what was proposed at any given time. (Making the discussion harder was that "the" public option, always the same, was ever changing.)

Then there's simple greed and sympathy-induced bias. Most don't want Medicare cut. Most don't want the military cut. Most don't want X, Y, Z, alpha, omega, and aleph cut. On the other hand, most don't want the debt ceiling raised, and most want the budget balanced. It's always, "Don't cut whatever I like, cut this other stuff." Or cut the massive entitlements given to illegal immigrants, the burgeoning waste in Medicare and in Pell Grants, all the waste and corruption in the US Patent Office, guinea-fowl harnesses, etc. It works the same with tax increases. Usually the "wealthy" are those in the next tax bracket up; those who would willingly pay more would only do so if others pay first. It's the individual obligation to compel the collective does something.

[creeksneakers2]

5. They should offer to cut defense

by an amount equal to the raise in the debt ceiling.

[Nancy Waterman]

6. I still think the Dem message should be

If the economy crashes because the Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling, it will be the Republican's fault.

This should be repeated endlessly.