Yes, he said that. Not in those precise words, but he said it. You be the Judge:
"The reason this debt limit fight is different is, we don't have an election around the corner where we feel we are going to win and fix it ourselves. We are stuck with this government another three years."
Quoted by Maddow Blog
Jonathan Chait last week well explained the tactic and reasons behind it:
Paul Ryan candidly explained the calculation: "The reason this debt limit fight is different is, we don't have an election around the corner where we feel we are going to win and fix it ourselves. We are stuck with this government another three years." This is a remarkable confession. Republicans need to compel Obama to accept their agenda, not in spite of the fact that the voters rejected it at the polls but precisely for that reason.
The Debt-Ceiling Showdown Is the Fight of Obama’s Life
Steve Benen, drawing on the work of Jonathan Chait and David Weigel, describes this tactic as "a 'post-democracy' phase" in a post at the Maddow Blog:
GOP lawmakers feel justified in creating a series of deliberate crises because they lost at the ballot box. If only Americans had elected them, they wouldn't need to threaten us.
As Jon Chait put it, Paul Ryan's argument is that Republicans need to force Obama to accept their agenda, "not in spite of the fact that the voters rejected it at the polls but precisely for that reason."
This is a battle for our Constitution and nation. The House Republicans are attempting a policy coup.
No negotiations with these terrorists.
This is the battle that will decide our future. Will we have any semblance of a democracy or will a bunch of crazy Tea Party nuts control our nation?
Make no mistake. This is a war for the future of democracy. It's beyond Obamacare or any extortionate demand the Republicans make.
