Hey, maybe Boehner should offer to cancel the debt ceiling
Congress has plenty of incentives to make a deal on spending. Taxes have already been increased and Republicans are eager to even the score. The sequestration-induced spending cuts coming on March 1 should provide more than enough impetus for Congress and the president to agree to something, even if it’s only a plan to undertake serious tax reform and a comprehensive evaluation of all government spending. By removing an option that we should never rationally use, we can immediately accomplish an often-cited Republican goal — reducing global uncertainty — and likely restore our triple-A credit rating. The Bipartisan Policy Center has estimated that the dillydallying about the debt ceiling last time, which ticked up interest rates, will end up costing more than $18.9 billion over 10 years, about the same amount as the recent Medicare “doc fix, ” which blocks cuts to doctor reimbursement rates.
Tea Party conservatives would undoubtedly be outraged by this suggestion, arguing that Republicans need to retain the debt ceiling threat if they are to get the best possible deal from the Senate and the president. But taking this crazy threat away from a group that just might use it is precisely the point.
By undertaking this act of unilateral disarmament, Mr. Boehner and whichever Republicans had the courage to join him would be signaling that they’re willing to engage in the serious discussions the country needs, and to put pressure on Democrats to do likewise. Anyone who has a large bomb and is threatening to push the button doesn’t deserve to be a party to these discussions.
Blowback
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way to bury the lede “Anyone who has a large bomb and is threatening to push the button doesn’t deserve to be a party to these discussions.”
lol.. thanks for your ‘genuine’ concern..
gatorboy on January 14, 2013 at 10:35 AM
Weapons grade stupid.
ElectricPhase on January 14, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Ignore the crazy guy on the soapbox at Fifth and Main. He’s just looking for a handout.
Dusty on January 14, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Why did I click on this?????
I don’t need any more Stupid today thanks.
D-fusit on January 14, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Yet JFK is still considered a hero to these jackasses.
ButterflyDragon on January 14, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Heh. He’s so naive, I actually feel sorry for him. Even if the GOP were to do such a thing (and this is the Stupid Party, so I put nothing past them), there’s no way the Dems would go ‘aw, look, the Republicans want to have a “serious discussion”. Know what, we will too.’ Where would they get the pressure to do so from, the Dem-loving press? And since when have they been interested in serious solutions? They refuse to recognize we have a spending problem in the first place.
changer1701 on January 14, 2013 at 10:53 AM
Put pressure on the Democrats to do likewise? Is this guy for real? And how exactly would the Dems feel that pressure? From the media? Nope. From their constituents? Fat chance considering none of them want cuts in spending. From within their own caucus? Please. The Blue Dogs are all but extinct after 2010(and they were never a serious group to begin with).
The problem is that even if Boehner and the rest of the GOP were serious about the country’s needs(and I have my doubts after the fiscal cliff outcome), what difference does it make? With a divided government, it takes two to tango. And it’s quite clear by now that Obama and Reid are more than content just keep playing the same game every time. Refuse to pass a budget. Wait until we’re up against the debt ceiling and the end of the latest continuing resolution and then watch the Republicans fold.
The only way to break this cycle is to either refuse to raise the debt ceiling and/or don’t pass anymore continuing resolutions. My guess is Obama would invoke the 14th amendment in the case of the former and the government would shut down in the case of the latter. But at this point, I don’t see any other alternatives.
Doughboy on January 14, 2013 at 11:02 AM
So now you want us to surrender before the fight? Yeah, that fits:
Browncoatone on January 14, 2013 at 11:07 AM
The only deal I’d make is to cancel the debt ceiling in return for Obama and Biden’s resignations.
The Rogue Tomato on January 14, 2013 at 11:09 AM
So we won’t have to worry any more about future debt crises? Sounds great!
forest on January 14, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Wait- I have been told for months by the media and hacks like this Dickie Thaler that if the Republicans moved on taxes for the rich that the democrats in good faith would put spending on the table. Don’t believe Lucy- Charlie Brown….
Bensonofben on January 14, 2013 at 11:28 AM
“for Congress and the president to agree to something, even if it’s only a plan to undertake serious tax reform and a comprehensive evaluation of all government spending.” So, your betting Obama might just agree to discuss more taxes and implement yet another bogus “evaluation” to put off even considering spending cuts all in return for raising or even eliminating the debt ceiling. Yeah, he just might go for that. Whadayasay we also agree to make him dictator for life just to sweeten the pot and make sure the deal gets done.
tommyboy on January 14, 2013 at 12:08 PM
I’m old enough to remember the cold war, and how liberals were always advocating complete unilateral disarmament in the face of Soviet aggression, the theory that would “shame” them into disarming also.
Yeah.
Rebar on January 14, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Apparently any idiot can get anything published in the NYT, no matter how idiotic, if it advances their agenda.
novaculus on January 14, 2013 at 12:39 PM