Are you smarter than a House speaker? The debt limit discussions are a surefire way to put yourself to the test, because Republicans are betting big on ignorance.
Republican lawmakers have been refusing to raise the debt limit, as they did routinely while running up the deficit during Donald Trump’s presidency, unless Democrats agree to massive spending cuts. It’s political hostage-taking, as Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida plainly admitted while saying that his fellow Republicans should hold out until Democrats agree to the reductions outlined in the GOP’s “Limit, Save, Grow” plan.
“I think my conservative colleagues for the most part support ‘Limit, Save, Grow,’ and they don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage,” Gaetz told Semafor.
Republicans seem to believe this hostage-taking stunt of theirs — which could hurl the U.S. economy into a recession — will help them politically.
Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, is facing backlash for appearing to say as much Wednesday morning on Fox News. McDaniel listed a potential U.S. default as one of the conditions that bode “very well for the Republican field.” Trump, the party’s standard-bearer, recently encouraged Republicans to let the nation default on its debts unless Democrats agree to slash spending.
And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon that “no one is concerned” about a potential default — no one except “probably the New York Stock Exchange.” The Georgia conspiracy theorist claimed “regular Americans” aren’t worried about the government shutting down. Unsurprisingly, she is absolutely wrong about what everyday Americans think.
Keeping in mind that today’s conservatives aren’t exactly known for their brilliance, their public ponderings that a debt default could serve them politically are remarkable in that they show a tremendous lack of respect for Americans’ intelligence.
Fellow…
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