A couple of weeks ago I was involved in an off the record conversation with the White House. Obviously, I can’t talk about what was said in any detail or I’d betray a trust. I think it’s fair to say, though, that I came away with the firm impression that the White House had absolutely no fear of a default. It was my impression that they fully expected John Boehner and Mitch McConnell to fold in the face of pressure from Wall Street and the Chamber of Commerce (as it turned out, they were completely correct). I felt a little comforted but I was still confused about the mechanism the Republicans would use to fold. It seemed like an intractable problem. They simply couldn’t pass anything that Senate Democrats would support or the president would sign. McConnell’s solution is kind of ingenious. Or disingenuous. I guess both at the same time.
I think the Democrats need to press their advantage here. The Republicans’ fortifications have been breeched. I don’t think the president needs to pillage and loot, but he ought to take advantage of a suddenly defenseless enemy. The GOP wants to get away with raising the debt ceiling while repeatedly voting not to do so. I can get behind a deal that allows them to save a little face, but not this much. I say they should get one vote, not three. They can vote against it and pretend they didn’t want to raise the debt ceiling. But they can’t play this game for another year and a half.
