The goal is to run out the clock

[Soph0571]

It is a feature not a bug.

[doc03]

1. It worked the last time.

[Probatim]

11. It works every time... n/t

[Amishman]

14. Yup, this is the strategy of the minority party in modern politics

and will be until the people have had enough

[Omnipresent]

2. How can there be a debt ceiling...

If all we have been doing for so many years, is print money.
Does anyone realistically think, the federal government could still cover the interest payments on 28 Trillion dollar figure?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. The 28 is NOT the debt. It is mostly obligations

Future obligations like civil service pensions, Social Security disability payments, and SSI retirement payments.

So it is NOT interest on 28. It is interest on a much smaller number, the accumulated budget debt starting from Reagan's deficits.

[airplaneman]

32. Correct and technically 1/3 are assets earning interest n/t.

[Hestia]

36. Rachel had a segment as where this, I guess law (?) comes from - WWI

it was put in to assuage those who did not want to go to war due to the expense.

Remember, too, on telephone bills up until, what was it, early 1990s, there was a tax to pay off WWI debt.

[FakeNoose]

3. It works for McConnell because this is his last term in the Senate

He'll retire in 5.3 years and he doesn't give a shit about anyone else. But that didn't stop him from cramming Chump down our throats, and I'll despise him forever for doing that!

[Hortensis]

4. :) Duh? Some analyst I read said McConnell could be bluffing

or that he wants Democrats to raise the debt limit by ourselves so Repubs can use it against us in campaign ads. The ads would capitalize on voter ignorance by claiming we increased the debt by the entire amount instead of just authorizing Treasury to pay our nation's existing bills. He wouldn't agree not to filibuster a regular bill, but if we added it to the reconciliation bill we'd have to list a specific, enormous dollar amount, and that's what would go in the lying ads.

Apparently McConnell's looking for ways to turn everything, even the smallest things, into hostile talking points these days. Everything's about the 2022 election. If that went well for them, they might already control 2024.

[gab13by13]

6. Then Democrats need to rebut that GQP narrative.

When the truth is on our side it's much easier to convince people. How about for a starter, hey working class people, the GQP tried to destroy your 401k's by having our country refuse to pay our bills. I can think of a lot of talking points to convince working class people that it was a terrible idea to not pay our bills. Let the GQP use the talking point of raising the debt, that narrative isn't nearly as scary.

[Hortensis]

7. Sure. We'll get to see if McConnell's bluffing soon enough.

A good share of their voters are on social security, federal funds to states for Medicaid, and other programs. Some, especially business, would be unhappy with deep dives in stock and bond markets. Etc.

In other years we'd probably be safe assuming he was, some useful effect being caused by the mere threat; but chaos, economic cliffs, pandemic disease, nihilistic government, and especially frightened and unhappy peoples can all be very useful for creating a situation for a successful coup.

[jaxexpat]

15. I'm sure the "thinkers" within the GOP know that many of their voters are "on the dole".

They've probably thrown the coming loss by attrition into their calculus for winning control of the government. That might explain why they've thrown in with the crazies. Oddballs like the Proud Boys and QANON wouldn't be courted for their voting reliability of their numbers and they disenchant what used to be the reliably "conservative". Nope, the Republicans have simply thrown a hail-Mary into the nose bleed seats in an act of desperation. Because they are desperate. Their product does NOT have any shelf life with regular voters and their reliable, go-to demographic is dying off. They'll say and do just about anything at this point as evidenced by virtually all their behavior.

Mitch will probably abet the "thinking" GOP as they stumble into collusion with REAL insurrectionists because there is no realistic chance of electing the GOP into a majority control scenario through accepted, regular channels. (Plus - I think he actually believes Machiavelli was a legitimate philosopher)

Yeah and I know Machiavelli was writing about renaissance mobsters.

[Hortensis]

18. Yes. "They'll say and do just about anything at this point

as evidenced by virtually all their behavior."

It's progressed to the point that many public figures are saying this frequently to the world and without waffling. Apparently the Republicans came closer to carrying off their coup than I realized that day. Guessing the traitors in congress wanted bigger personal guarantees that they'd get away with it than they had.

[Resistance1]

31. Actually this is McConnell's play

To force Dems to use their only reconcilation play on raising the debt limit then they won't have that tool to pass the larger $3.5 trillion spending bill. He would gamble with the US economy and the future of this country for political gain. A real snake

[Hortensis]

39. I suspect a genuinely psychopathic snake. But it wouldn't work,

unless he/they planned economic crisis to precipitate the next part of a coup. Forcing Democrats to enormous sacrifice to save something even bigger.

[gab13by13]

5. Thank you SOPH,

time is important. Listen to what president Biden says, listen to what Speaker Pelosi says, they both say that time is of the essence.

I understand that courts take time and getting the select committee set up takes time, but I don't have time for the relax and wait crowd, sorry. The GQP isn't waiting, it is passing election/voting laws, it is getting ready to gerrymander districts. Wait broke the wagon.

[SergeStorms]

8. To actively work for the failure of our country...

instead of finding compromise solutions, is the epitome of party before country.

Republicans don't have a single idea for making our country better for everyone. Tax cuts for the wealthy seem to be their answer for everything. After that......nothing.

So instead of trying to raise the standard of living for the poor and working classes, they'd rather work against the political party that is actually trying to lift up everyone in the country.

Republicans are the "anti" party. They're not for anything. They exist only to be against everything Democrats attempt to enact to help the vast majority of Americans.

How can any human being support that party, unless they too are completely devoid of ideas or incentive to help the vast majority of Americans?

They're republiCANT'S, not republiCANS, and they don't deserve the support of any thinking American.

[wnylib]

22. It's more than party before country.

It's an open power grab to destroy democracy and establish a one party autocracy.

[Evolve Dammit]

30. Wouldn't disagree with that statement at all.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. Well said. Sadly there are tens of millions who simply can't or won't think. Too much work.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Lather, rinse, repeat...

it's been the same through the last 3 Dem administrations.

[Crunchy Frog]

12. Lucy and her football.

[AllaN01Bear]

13. as i said the last time, they need to loose wages and benies like the rest of us.

[BlueIdaho]

16. And yet, most people blame the GQP

For the kabuki theatre that is the debt ceiling drama. Go figure.

[fescuerescue]

17. Imagine that. A life long politician is going to play a bunch of politics

over something political and get a bunch of news coverage over it.

[lame54]

19. With enough Dem accomplices he will pull it off

[IcyPeas]

20. k&R

[ruet]

23. Welcome To January.

This was called here several times.

[Beartracks]

24. Dems: Republicans are going to decry you as over-reaching socialists no matter what, so...

... just do the work we sent you there to do. Blow them off. Get. It. Done.

========

[onecaliberal]

25. We have read this book so many fucking times.... WHY do we bite?

[Hestia]

37. It's the "media" so far up all the GQP's butts who cannot exist without controversy

just like they are wholly addicted to TFG. MSNBC Finally! quit showing faces on the seditious riot - all they were doing was giving the GQP stock footage for recruitment every time the riot was aired.

[C Moon]

26. Move slow like a turtle.

[kairos12]

27. Even Charlie Brown knows this.

[Joinfortmill]

28. Yup.

[Ford_Prefect]

33. IMO Mitch would be very wise to look both ways when crossing the parking lot.

[Blue Owl]

34. Thanks to Mitch, democracy has McConked out

[live love laugh]

35. This was apparent in January. nt

[Jakes Progress]

38. But, but. . . our friends across the aisle

are all honorable people. We will get them to hold hands and join together. Why they told me after the prayer breakfast that they want to be friends.

How long will it take Washington Democrats to stop bending over for another swat: "Thank you sir. May I have another?" That's not your republican friends smiling at you; it is your enemy laughing at you.