Through the Roof

The United States is on the verge of defaulting on its debt, and only a fool would be nonchalant about remaining unworried of the debt ceiling blowing up.

The Republicans aren't worried.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has insisted that the Democrats raise the debt ceiling but themselves but won't let them move ahead with a procedural vote to do it on their own.  He wants the Democrats to do it without any form of Republican participation, which is to say, he wants them to use a budget reconciliation.  Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer can't do that.  It'll take a long time - far longer, most likely, then the expected default date of October 18.

I have cautious optimism and confidence that Schumer can get this job done.  He's vowed to get the debt ceiling raised by having Senate Democrats stay over the weekend if he can't get it done by Friday.  He won't get it done today; the procedural vote he's set up for today to raise the debt ceiling will inevitably fail, thanks to the GOP filibuster.  If the debt ceiling isn't raised, the American economy and possibly the global economy will fail.  The GOP is banking on Democrats to get the blame for letting the country default simply because they control the Presidency and Congress.  If that sounds ridiculous, because everyone can see what McConnell is doing, consider that the Republicans have always pulled this trick and have always dodged the blame and deflected it to the Democrats.  They stonewalled much of Bill Clintons agenda in 1993 and 1994 and did the same to to all of Barack Obama's agenda (except for health care reform) in 2009 and 2010.  Result?  They won the House in the subsequent midterms. 

What really frustrates me - and Democrats as well, I'm sure - is that Democrats tried to work with Republicans in good faith on the Clinton and Obama agendas with much larger congressional majorities when they should have gone it alone.  This time the Democrats have learned their lesson and have been trying to get things done on their own.  But with the narrow majorities they have right now, it's too late.

Meanwhile, the Republican objective to take back power in 2022 and 2024 and turn America into a fascist dictatorship continues full steam ahead.

I only hope we don't end up selling apples on the street two weeks from now.