>

I mean really.  Does anyone really give a shit about the debt ceiling?  As far as I can see, it doesn't affect me .  Besides, they don't have a clue about any of this.
That might imply governing, which is their kryptonite. >

Classic "dog catches car" doesn't know what to do with it... not very tasty. >

This annual ritual of manufactured crisis is getting so nauseating to watch.  Just abolish it already.  It serves no functional purpose >

This "debt ceiling" or whatever it is, is not constitutionally legal in any context. Congress can cut spending by passing legislation. Any legislation that was passed is legally entitled to be paid. There's no debate unless someone doesn't understand the Constitution >

Enters: literally 90% of republicans who use the constitution just like their bible; Never having read it but very quick to reference specific items out of context as long as it maintains the narrative. >

Because it isn't about spending at all. They spend money and cut taxes when they are in power, and cut spending when they aren't. Frugality and a budget only matter when a Democrat is in the white house. They have no agenda but obstruction. It is so obvious, it is basic math. Democratic presidents and congresses balance budgets and lower the deficit. Republicans spend money and raise deficits. We wouldn't even BE close to the debt ceiling if they would stop fucking with the economy to make Democrats look bad. It has been so since Reagan, and will ever be thus until the people voting for these blatant hypocrites finally realize the ruse. It will be too late by then. >


Frugality and a budget only matter when a Democrat is in the white house.

The crux of the proverbial nub right there. >

We can guess: Good for poor people = it gets cut. >

Not necessarily. If it helps rich people that is also on the table. Good bye IRS >

it doesnt matter, they want the default so they can blame biden and the dems. their supporters will continue to cheer them on for 'sticking it to the libs' >

They want the Dems to pick the cuts so next election year they can run on it saying “look what the Dems cut”. “ we didn’t cut Social security they did!” >

No means no. We won't be taken hostage by them for debts that were already approved by congress and incurred. If they want to cut social security, medicare, medicaid etc. (Hint: They DO) They can try and pull that off in congress. >

How do we know they want to cut those programs? They've continually told us that's their goal for decades now. >

NY Times each time it happens: 😮 >

Republicans have no agenda other than block Biden and investigate Hunter.  NO AGENDA!!! >

And no one will hold them accountable >

So true! >

Kevin's messiah said Mexico would pay the bills. >


The Two Santas strategy dictates that when Republicans control the White House they must spend money like a drunken Santa and cut taxes to run up the U.S. debt as far and as fast as possible.
This produces three results: it stimulates the economy thus making people think that the GOP can produce a good economy; it raises the debt dramatically; and it makes people think that Republicans are the “tax-cut Santa Clauses.”
Second, when a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans must scream about the national debt as loudly and frantically as possible, freaking out about how “our children will have to pay for it!” and “we have to cut spending to solve the crisis!” Shut down the government, crash the stock market, and damage US credibility around the world if necessary to stop Democrats from spending money.
This will force the Democrats in power to cut their own social safety net programs and even Social Security, thus shooting their welfare-of-the-American-people Santa Claus right in the face.
And, sure enough, here we are now with a Democrat in the White House. Following their Two Santas strategy, Republicans are again squealing about the national debt and refusing to raise the debt ceiling, imperiling Biden’s economic recovery as well as his Build Back Better plans.
And, once again, the media is covering it as a “Biden Crisis!” rather than what it really is: a cynical political and media strategy devised by Republicans in the 1970s, fine-tuned in the 1980s and 1990s, and rolled out every time a Democrat is in the White House.

Written in 2021, still applicable in 2023 and basically every time Democrats have held power for the last half century. But finally there's signs of resistance to the ploy. >

Everybody knows what they want — kill social security and medicare. Don't even pretend. >

Why wont you just say what you want to cut?
BECAUSE ITS DEVESTATING TO MY CASE FOR REELECTION! >

Because they don’t know. Get ready for two years of “rabble rabble” with no direction >

it's all rabble rabble to them. They are unserious people. >

Maybe they just WANT to tank the economy. It would be totally in line with their policy of making life notably worse for every American save a few hundred Billionaires. >

Republicans have insisted they want “structural” fiscal changes in exchange for voting to raise the debt ceiling. But so far, they’ve declined to outline what programs they would cut, and internal divisions over how to reduce spending have spilled into public view.
President Biden will meet with Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the White House to discuss the debt limit and budget priorities on Wednesday. Before that meeting, Biden will ask the Republican leader to commit to the principle that the U.S. will never default on its financial obligations and press McCarthy about when House Republicans plan to release their budget, administration officials said.
McCarthy accused Biden on Tuesday of being irresponsible by suggesting that he was unwilling to seek common ground over the debt ceiling and said that the White House’s refusal to bargain was “childish.”
“Why would you put the economics of America in jeopardy?” McCarthy said to reporters. “Why would you play political games? I’m not.”
​
Read the full story without a subscription here or in the link above. >


“Why would you put the economics of America in jeopardy?” McCarthy said to reporters. “Why would you play political games? I’m not.”

That's exactly what you're doing Kevin. Congress already voted to spend the money; you don't get to refuse to write the check... >

Because they don't get punished by their voters for anything they say at this point, he's almost literally saying "why would you say the sky is lavender when it is clearly magenta" (( and the other guy actually said I refuse to negotiate on the color of the sky)). >

~~Won't~~ Can't >

Well, rational and smart governing isn’t like their actual objective.
When your base votes for a guy that thinks injecting bleach and sunbathing is better at fighting and surviving a pandemic intelligence isn’t what you become known for. >

Of course they won't.  Republicans are toddlers, they cry and cry even when you ask them what they are crying about they can't articulate what it is. >

The GOP is playing “the extortion game” just like they did in 2011… they suddenly want to balance the budget by cutting Medicaid, Medicare and everything except defense while drawing a red line at revenue (tax increases) in any negotiations. 
If they don’t get their way the leverage they intend to use is a completely Washington-caused financial crisis, fully expecting Biden will take the blame since he would be presiding over the economy if the country defaults.
In the event the GOP intends to go all of the way with this, Biden should raise the debt ceiling himself using the 14th Amendment. Force the courts to stop him. >

They don’t know … they haven’t prepared a budget. >

Saying "no" to everything is a lot easier than negotiating. >

Medicare and Social Security are at risk. >

Mint the coin >

It still boggles my mind that roughly half of voting Americans actively vote against their best interest. Granted, neither R's nor D's truly have anyone else's best interest truly in mind, but at least D's act like they're working to "help the little guy". >

That's why I said "half of voting Americans: because our voter turnout is appallingly low. >

You are correct. It's simple vote. France austerity measures just failed. They were trying to raise retirement age to 64. Lol. Americans are such suckers. >

The Manchin/Sinema approach! >

Unsurprising. 
They have no plan outside of "Dems are bad,...MmmKay?" >

This raises the risk of a default even more. >

They don't want cuts, they want to shout "CUTS!" while pointing at Democrats. >

It's almost like they only want to fight, no matter what it's about. >

It doesn't matter what they say. The answer's going to be a resounding no, because nothing they come up with will be in the adjacent region of space to reasonable. They'll be far off in the remote wilds of "are you fucking insane" from start to finish.
We all know what they want. Social security, medicare, pension funds, education, housing... basically any social program you can think of, they're fine with cutting. Military spending? Forget it - not with a whole new branch of wasteful spending to increasingly throw money at! Tax reform? Absolutely not - we might find some more rich people cheating taxes, how dare the IRS do its job.
It's not like Biden or the Democrats actually have to do anything here. The Republicans are playing chicken with a brick wall. >

McCarthy looking increasingly like a disrespected, ineffectual dummy >

How can they negotiate and not tell us what they want? >

They’ll just say vague woke stuff and their trained seals will clap. >

Because the ones they REALLY WANT?
They can’t tell us about until the bill is signed and we can’t do anything about them. >

This is so frustrating!! When will the media stop calling this a budget negotiation?! How are Americans supposed to get this straight if it’s not reported correctly? Did we learn nothing from the past.. forever? The GOP loves to confuse issues! And the media allows them to do it! It’s not a budgetary process! It’s a debt repayment process! You can’t renegotiate budgetary decisions at this point. Now government has to ensure payment on budgets that are already determined! It’s just more GOP drama and the media is facilitating the fallacy! >

"What do we want!"
"To cut spending!"
"What do we want to cut!"
"*mumble mumble mumble*" >

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 78%. (I'm a bot)


The White House has said it will not negotiate over raising the debt limit, and Republicans have been struggling to find agreement among themselves over how to cut spending.
"The public doesn't like debt and deficits, but it doesn't like spending cuts or tax increases, either," said William G. Gale, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of "Fiscal Therapy: Curing America's Debt Addiction and Investing in the Future." "Against that backdrop, why would any politician fall on his sword to cut spending or raise taxes?".
Despite vague proposals to restructure the safety net programs, most Republicans insist that they merely want to cut waste from the programs to preserve them for the long term.


Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Republicans^#1 inflation^#2 cut^#3 spending^#4 programs^#5 >

Classic battle of cuts "no clue" versus "no."
Do they realize Dems aren't just going to come up with cuts themselves and GOP will have to pass something with cuts to even apply minimal pressure in the Senate? >

Uh, it's not hard to guess. Less social spending, and tax cuts for the rich, just to add insult to injury.
It's a farce. >

No of course not.  Their strategy is to just cut money to certain parts of the government and let the individual agencies make the hard choices they either don't want or are unable to make. >

THEY WONT SAY IT BECAUSE IT IS UNPOPULAR
THEY WANT TO CUT ENTITLEMENTS 
they can never do it in a normal way so they have to hold the nation hostage to try and get it. Imagine if Joe Biden said "I won't sign the debt limit unless we get universal healthcare" he has the same leverage but its just as crazy.
republicans get one hand on the wheel of driving this country and they say "we will put this car into a tree unless you stop at mcdonalds" >

Just like Nixon's "secret plan to end the war", which of course, was not a secret plan to end the war, Republicans always talk about how they want to reduce the national debt, then when they get control of the congress/white house they run up the dent even more because they have no intentions or plans to reduce the national debt just change the spending to the things they want to spend on...... That is the Republican's plan. >

What do we want!
Spending cuts!
What will we cut!
... >

They don't have any intelligent cuts, they don't actually care about the debt ceiling, they just want to cut social services so their business friends get access to long cheap labor on the backs of America citizens.