Boy, oh, boy. Revisionist history for Democrats – their “Today is Year One” version of remembering the past – is a constantly evolving effort on so many fronts. From the media to elected officials themselves, they are one, big, coordinated blob, moving inexorably together toward whatever the stated goal is, be it a diner…
…or, say, plausible deniability for a possible, entirely avoidable debt ceiling default. Democrats, progressives and their toadies mesh, meld and fluidly work to smother an issue.
Plus, it gives them a chance to grandstand for the folks back home. Like this guy waving his arms.
Democrats are here in Washington and on the floor ready to work on the debt ceiling while Republicans call a recess and go on vacation.
They want to tank the U.S. economy and give tax breaks to billionaires. pic.twitter.com/6CAS4z96CS
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) May 25, 2023
Not exactly Shakespeare, but he’s no Swalwell, either.
The thing is, see, (as we’ve reported on all spring) House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – heeding exhortations from POTATUS not to even approach him for negotiations (saying he wasn’t going to negotiate in any event) until the Speaker had a “plan in hand,” gathered his fractious caucus and, not only developed a plan, but actually PASSED A DEBT CEILING BILL at the end of April.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade.
The bill isn’t expected to pass the Senate, and President Joe Biden would veto it if it did – but the mostly partisan 217-215 vote represents a win for Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on an issue that rattled investors and markets.
Now, the “passing a bill” part is very important because that’s as much a Congress can do, and it’s been done for a month. McCarthy miraculously – and to the utter chagrin of Democrats – held his rough and tumble crowd together, got it done, “plan in hand” and has called Biden’s bluff.
And yet? The clock is still ticking. Biden has jetted off to various foreign ports o’ call, taken off to the beach house for weekends – sputtering all the time that the Republicans were at fault and needed to act, while vacillating whether he was going to negotiate or not. Perhaps he’d call McCarthy or something.
The press is doing their best to cover for the complete inertness on the part of the White House. Take, for example, this Politico “reporter.”
House Dem leadership offered this update to caucus, per 2 sources:
No deal yet but predicting votes Tuesday night or Wednesday night
… noted that House GOP scheduled baseball practice Wed and Thursday morning
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) May 25, 2023
See what’s missing? That dang bill they already passed. The implication being the GOP House doesn’t give a flip about the debt ceiling.
Senator Sheldon “Whites Only” Whitehouse helpfully retweets MSNBC talking points…
It’s amazing how people miss the obvious: there is only one person responsible for the debt ceiling hand grenade being at issue.
Gaslighting this as “not his fault” is obviously false. He’s the guy with the hand grenade.https://t.co/YQahf4F9t6
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 25, 2023
…while the Peacock parent network is ever so busy gently trying to nudge that old puddin’ eating dementia patient into some sort of action pose.
Come on, Joe – DO IT FOR CORN POP.
House Democratic anxieties are flaring over President Joe Biden’s negotiations with Republicans to avert default.
Some Democrats fear his limited public statements on the debt ceiling amount to ceding the messaging war to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and his deputies, who have been ubiquitous in recent days in casting blame on the White House. Other Democrats say Biden is wrong to discredit the 14th Amendment option to tackle the debt limit unilaterally, as the GOP engages in what Democrats see as a hostage standoff.
Ultimately, their angst is about whom the public will blame if a deal can’t be reached, or if the terms of any agreement are draconian. Without a more aggressive effort to talk to the public, Democrats worry that voters will focus their anger on Biden — and them.
Ermagerd, Joe – “Everybody’s gonna be mad at Democrats ELEVENTY!”
Amazingly for once, it sure does look like that.
New poll of Americans on the debt ceiling finds:
-Americans are against Biden's position
-more would blame him for a defaultThe latest terrible news for a White House in apparent disarray. https://t.co/I1itWOdtuy
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) May 25, 2023
It must be ugly enough, and the heat must be on in emails and phone calls to Democratic congressional offices, that Dems are even coming out swinging against their own Praetorian Guard. How DARE the media present “both” sides.
There aren’t two sides and everyone knows it.
Perfect. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) just shut down reporters trying to both-sides the fact that Republicans are using the debt ceiling to hold America hostage. “No, sorry. That is exactly the problem. When the media reports this as not [Republicans’] fault.” pic.twitter.com/1mDjVz7nUI
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 24, 2023
Meanwhile, President Urgency looks like he’s having just a leetle trouble receiving and interpreting messages. There’ll be no shoving Regular Joe into action. Man only moves…well…I got nuthin’.
"…the president is going to Camp David this weekend, going to Delaware. Can you describe the sense of urgency that the president feels?"
Karine Jean-Pierre: "There's always been urgency!"
Biden waited 97 days to discuss the debt ceiling. pic.twitter.com/UR1MjAitwU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 25, 2023
Excuse em moi – he’s going where? But it’s urgently DIRE!
REPORTER: "On the debt ceiling, you used words like 'catastrophic' & 'devastating' but the President again is going to Camp David this weekend and then going to Delaware. If the situation is so dire, why is the President leaving town?"
KJP: "I already answered that question." pic.twitter.com/uoT0f3fBH2
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 24, 2023
French Lady: “I ALREADY ANSWERED THAT!”
Everyone knows Biden and the Dem’s hair on fire act is just that – an act. They’re still shoveling money out the door like they were printing it in the basem…oh.
33 minutes … and remember, we are supposedly about to run out of money in a few days and we are already at the debt ceiling limit of $31.4 trillion.
It is all a scam. They will spend whatever they want. pic.twitter.com/j9kMHJ7Qt3
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) May 25, 2023
Axios waxed positively poetic about the stand-off and how badly Dems have underestimated McCarthy and overplayed their well-worn hand.
Congressional Democrats are dreading a potential debt default. They are also dreading a potential debt ceiling deal.
Why it matters: What’s good for President Biden – and the economy – might not feel so good for congressional Democrats, who are largely in the dark on the deal’s specifics and concerned they’ll be forced to support a bill that eviscerates programs they have long championed.
• Those Democrats are pinning their hopes on Biden forcing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to accept a deal that will need a big block of Democratic votes to win passage.
• “[W]hile Democrats know they will have to eat a turd sandwich, the Republicans will have to put some Nutella spread on it first,” one House Democrat told Axios.
There’s a good guffaw right there. Here’s another. A question you know Hakeem Jeffries did not anticipate:
"Do you have regrets that your party did not raise the debt ceiling when it [controlled both chambers of Congress]?"
Hakeem Jeffries: "Um…" pic.twitter.com/kDIZPKq4aH
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 24, 2023
Please note: The silver haired woman to his right is the proud mother of a trans who whomped on a police officer recently. Dem leadership talks the talk and walks the walk.
And it’s an absolute thing of beauty after the past few decades of having milquetoast GOP House leadership and members that, damn near to a one, they are having none of it. They are taking to the airwaves and calling out the BS.
The Democrat-led Senate was on vacation all week.
The Biden White House refused negotiations for months and is showing no urgency.
The @HouseGOP passed a bill to lift the debt ceiling without a single vote from House Democrats.
Spare me. https://t.co/JGCzmlBqRn
— Samantha Bullock (@SamLBullock) May 25, 2023
This all might just work out for us yet.
I like the fight in them.
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