'What he wants is simply chaos': NYT report exposes Mitch McConnell’s insidious debt ceiling game
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has a long history of throwing his weight around whenever the United States needs to raise its debt ceiling, and October 2021 is no exception. McConnell, Jonathan Weisman reports in the New York Times, "appears to want to sow political chaos for Democrats while insulating himself and other Republicans from an issue that has the potential to divide them."
Weisman reports, "Mr. McConnell has said the government must not be allowed to stop paying its debts; he has also said he will not let any Republicans vote to raise the limit, while moving repeatedly to block Democrats from doing so themselves. Instead, he has prescribed a path forward for Democrats: Use a complicated budget process known as reconciliation to maneuver around a Republican filibuster that he refuses to lift."
\u201cIt\u2019s a qualitatively new level of irresponsibility.\u201d As the US hurtles toward a debt crisis, it remains unclear what \u2066@LeaderMcConnell\u2069 is trying to extract beyond chaos and economic collapse. Past showdowns at least came with policy demands.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/us/politics/mcconnell-debt-ceiling.html?referringSource=articleShare\u00a0\u2026— Jonathan Weisman (@Jonathan Weisman) 1633429577
Another factor might be at play: Mr. McConnell cannot control his members and is reluctant to risk the ire of Republican base voters. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley of Missouri have made no secret of their presidential ambitions, with uncompromising stands that appeal to the base.— Jonathan Weisman (@Jonathan Weisman) 1633429871
Economists have been warning that if the U.S. were to default on its debt obligations, there would be dire economic consequences not only for the United States, but all over the world.
In a letter to President Joe Biden on October 4, McConnell wrote, "We have no list of demands."
Weisman explains, "Given that the switch is currently off, (McConnell) argues, Democrats have only one path forward: The Senate Budget Committee must produce a resolution that includes instructions to raise the debt ceiling, which must then pass the House and Senate and weather a barrage of hostile amendments. Then, the House must draft and vote on a separate bill to lift the debt ceiling, which would then go to the Senate, where it could not be filibustered but would again have to survive an onslaught of politically difficult votes. Any proposal could be considered, and if any were adopted, the measure would be forced back to the House. And they have 14 days to do it."
Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall, in response to Weisman's reporting, tweeted:
I\u2019ve been criticizing the Times a lot and this reporter a lot. But this is a direct and clear piece abt the debt ceiling stand off that is pretty clear abt what is happening and who is doing what.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/us/politics/mcconnell-debt-ceiling.html\u00a0\u2026— Josh Marshall (@Josh Marshall) 1633432391
But liberal Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent, a scathing critic of McConnell, responded:
Better than most, but still treats GOP arguments as one legitimate side of a two-sided dispute, rather than stating forthrightly and with clarity that they're complete nonsense.— Greg Sargent (@Greg Sargent) 1633433418
Politico's Sam Stein, known for his frequent MSNBC appearances, observed:
A particularly blunt NYT reported piece on McConnell and the debt ceiling, making the case that what he wants is simply chaoshttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/us/politics/mcconnell-debt-ceiling.html?referringSource=articleShare\u00a0\u2026— Sam Stein (@Sam Stein) 1633430733
Here are some more responses to Weisman's reporting:
The article lays out precisely what the deal is and why McConnell laid out a solution three months ago. This could have been put to bed. Pretending otherwise just incentivizes the Dem caucus to act in a disordered way and I don't see how that is helpful to anyone including them.pic.twitter.com/UMsD4Eag1n— Karl Smith (@Karl Smith) 1633432926
The threat of a default under a Democratic Senate pleases McConnell. He wants to be majority leader again more than anything on this Earth.— Troy Appel (@Troy Appel) 1633434351
Saying we are not sure what McConnell wants, while ignoring his own words of "my only goal is to stop Obama or Biden" depending on what year it is, is intellectually dishonest at best and downright lying at worst.\n\nWhat a joke our media has become.— Lon Elliott (@Lon Elliott) 1633432441
The GOP de facto platform: block any humanitarian effort to rescue and improve lives; enable pandemic escalation and resulting medical and economic turmoil to frame the current president and his party as failures. Poverty? Suffering? Death? Strategic nihilism as policy.— Hal Corley (@Hal Corley) 1633431583
Everything he does is to gain political advantage for himself and his party. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s all. End of story.— Matt Haggerty (@Matt Haggerty) 1633432101
Mitch wants Biden to fail. Mitch McConnell has done everything in his power to cover up the corruption of the Trump administration from the beginning, expect nothing else from him. It\u2019s power and greed over country for Mitch, he couldn\u2019t care less about the people.— Debby Kidder (@Debby Kidder) 1633431576
