Imagine if it was the flipside, a Democratic Congress threatened a Republican president with default

[AZ Progressive]

What would the News Media, the Republican President, Republican Representatives and Senators, and the Republican Media say....

It seems to me that the News Media (especially CNN, not including the Right Wing News Media) is acting like its perfectly ok and to be expected for the President to have to negotiate with a group of people that holds the Federal Government, Americans that need healthcare, and the U.S. and World Economy Hostage? How is this much different than what the villain does in a typical action movie plot? So extortion or even terrorism, as long as it comes from the Republican Party, is acceptable now? I never cease to be cynically astonished at the News Media (as well as the Republicans.)

[gopiscrap]

1. No kidding the corporate whore press would be all over it,

it would 24/7 about what a bunch of dead beats the Dems were.

[legcramp]

2. And what if a Freshman Senator, like Ted Cruz is, stood up to repuke President

by voting against a debt ceiling increase and said something like this?

'The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government can not pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here." Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.'

[Gothmog]

3. The right wing media would be calling for blood

If this happened, the right wing media would be going nuts

[Lurks Often]

4. DU would be cheering if the situation was reversed. n/t

[ProSense]

6. Since the goverment shutdowns over the last 20 years have been caused by Republicans

the OP is a hypothetical that's unlikely.

Still, if Democrats were doing such a thing, it would be likely a move to avert a war or some other atrocity, not deny millions of Americans health care.

Also, since a Republican President launched the illegal invasion of Iraq and Democrats did not use it as an opportunity to shut down the government or engage in extortion politics, the war hypothetical is also unlikely.

Republicans are not playing by the rules, they're abusing their power
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023808698

[former9thward]

11. It has happened before.

Both Reid and Obama voted against raising the debt limit in 2006. Obama said raising the debt limit was "unpatriotic".

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m kinda embarrassed I did. It was a political maneuver by we Democrats. The Republicans were in power – there were more of them,” Reid said. “The president voted when he was in the Senate the same way. I heard him apologize for it. We all should take a look at how we handle these issues, but that doesn’t take into consideration the numerous times, the numerous times I voted to raise the debt ceiling. The one time I tried to make a political issue of it, I wish I hadn’t.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/04/harry-reid-embarrassed-about-2006-opposition-to-raising-debt-limit/

[ProSense]

12. They didn't shut the Government down. They also didn't

block a vote.

It's Worth Actually Reading Obama's 2006 Debt Ceiling Speech

By Matthew Yglesias

<...>

All in all, a pretty ridiculous display. But note what Obama doesn't do—attempt to hold the country hostage in order to advance a policy agenda. To use a technical term, what Obama's doing here is bullshitting. The debt ceiling bill has majority support in both houses and is clearly going to pass. Rather than doing the right thing and voting "yes," Obama has decided to make a "no" vote and then deliver a speech denouncing George W. Bush's fiscal policy. But he's not organizing a filibuster. The fact that the bill passed the Senate 52-48 is a huge tell. Nothing passes the Senate with 52 votes if the minority party is actually trying to stop it from passing. Obama didn't demand the partial repeal of the Bush tax cuts as the price for his debt ceiling vote because he didn't demand anything as his price for his debt ceiling vote. There was no negotiation, no demand, no effort to block passage, and actually no effort to do anything at all. It was just a forum for silly speeches.

It's worth emphasizing that this exact path is very much available to the GOP. They could allow up-or-down floor votes on a clean debt ceiling in both the House and the Senate, and it would pass both with Democratic votes. Then Republicans could all give Obama-style speeches wailing and moaning about the evils of Democrats. That's what Obama did, and that's what the GOP leadership is currently defining as "surrender" to the White House.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/09/obama_s_2006_debt_ceiling_speech.html

Senate Votes to Raise U.S. Debt Limit to Nearly $9 Trillion
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/politics/16cnd-spend.html

President Obama slams Republicans: "I won't pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023789988

Obama: We Can't Make 'Extortion' A Part Of Our Democracy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023808580

[tavernier]

8. How do you figure?

When have democrats ever cheered for people being put out of work, children being turned away from beneficial programs, food being taken out of the mouths of families?

Show me when. Otherwise I'm really insulted!

[Lurks Often]

9. DU would cheer because the Democrats would obstructing the Republicans n/t

[tavernier]

10. Alrighty, then...

[spanone]

5. we all know the media would be shitting all over democrats....24/7

[mnmoderatedem]

7. yep and it doesn't stop there

Imagine if a republican launched the successful bin Laden raid, and all democrats did was shout Benghazi Benghazi Benghazi. The hyprocrisy is astounding.

Heck I'm still trying to get people to realize that budget deficits increase under republican administrations and decrease under democratic ones. Most people believe it's the other way around.