Speaker John Boehner
says that he isn't looking to take any hostages for the debt ceiling, but, boy, we're at an impasse now and well, who knows what could happen.
Speaker John A. Boehner downplayed the importance of the debt ceiling increase in remarks to reporters Thursday, saying it might provide “some” leverage to Republicans to force spending cuts, “but I’m not going to risk the full faith and credit of the federal government.” [...]
“We’ve made clear that to get rid of the sequester, we need cuts and reforms that will put us on a path to balance the budget over 10 years. The president is clear that he’s not going to address our entitlement crisis unless we’re willing to raise taxes. I think the tax issue’s been resolved. So at this point in time, I don’t know how we go forward,” the Ohio Republican said.
In other words, "we're not budging on taxes, but Obama has to give us entitlement cuts—that he comes up with so we can pin them on Democrats—or, well, we just can't be responsible for what happens next." Members of his caucus are
a lot more blunt on that subject.
“You can’t cut the discretionary spending,” Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) said. “You can’t do this forever based on discretionary spending. You’re going to have to get to entitlements.” [...]
“I think we will do our best to allow the president to choose which course he goes,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who has been close to Boehner since their days together in the House. “If he chooses to trigger a debt crisis, fine. If he doesn’t, there will be an option for him that I think he should choose. … I think we’ll facilitate legislation. I know we will out of the House — that will try to position flexibility for the president and let him make a choice.”
That sounds an awful lot like Republicans are doing exactly what Boehner says they're not: threatening "to risk the full faith and credit of the federal government.” Except, they say, they're not actually doing it. They're going to come up with ideas to give President Obama "flexibility," and then he gets to decide whether or not to trigger the debt crisis. In other words, here we go again, but with more threats to Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare this time.
But first, another two weeks of vacation, because you have to be well rested to really do extortion right.