Jen Sorensen for May 17, 2023

14th Amendment, or the Trillion-dollar coin- America should Never negotiate with terrorists and blackmailers. Foreign OR Domestic.

It’s very difficult to negotiate with someone who is PERFECTLY WILLING to let go of the spoon on the hand grenade. What I think the nation needs is a “Mother of the House” who wouldn’t allow that kind of behavior from all those snotty babies.

The Republicans need to be taken to court since they are violating the constitution.

If the Republicans don’t manage to finish the job they’ve started turning America into a one-party autocracy, the Demos, next time they get in, need to eliminate the ill-conceived and obsolete debt ceiling entirely.

Why do you people act as though it’s all happening in some other world and won’t affect you?

The Dems need another LB J in the White House.

As an average American citizen who receives Social Security and Medicare, I want the maga/trumper conservatives to work for me and not Musk or the other uber rich money hoarders who do NOT need a monetary break.

How do you negotiate with someone who puts a gun to his own head and says he will pull the trigger?

The Republicans HAVE agreed to raise the debt ceiling. All they ask is that the Democrats curtail their wasteful, irresponsible spending. The reason they raised the ceiling under Trump was ALSO because of the democrats giving away money faster than we could print it. Eliminate the pork in all these proposed bills and things just might get back under at least marginal control. The dems will be the ones to shoot themselves in the head out of spite.

Repugs are ignorant and are perfectly willing to destroy the US (or even the world) economy to protect their corporate masters. That’s precisely what’s at stake now. What sane person would be willing to call their bluff?

Just pay the debts, and if Congress sues it’ll be between a law and the Constitution in front of the Supreme Court.

Gee, how often do we need to worry about “the debt ceiling”?

Omigod, Omigod, Omigod . . . Default, Default, Default . . . Omigod, Omigod, Omigod

Drama, Drama, Drama . . . Pontification, Pontification, Pontification . . . Drama, Drama, Drama

Then . . . at the last minute of the eleventh hour . . . a final agreement!!!

YAY!

“See you next year, Kev.”

sigh

That’s what diplomacy is about. The language is arcane and confusing to the lay person. Phrases like “free and frank exchange of ideas” are among the more transparent euphemisms.

Democrats have trained Republicans ( insert your own Pavlov joke here) that extortion works. It is time to grow a spine and call their bluff. The problem with that is you have to actually mean what you say, and Republicans, with good reason, probably won’t believe them. My question to Democrats is, are the possible consequences of truly calling their bluff worse than giving Republicans what they want?

Sad but true. With all of the destructive things that the “conservatives” want to do, Biden and the Demos could have won the upcoming elections easily. Biden should have stood up to the “conservatives”. If the Republicans do destroy the economy, they will be blamed for it. Biden just has to set the story that he is defending the people’s rights.

Shouldn’t it be “give in to demands?”

We shouldn’t cave to the Rethugliecons. Getting rid of the debt ceiling would be a fine idea.

Sorry but the Republican lunatics really would happily create a global depression . . .

Its called negotiating, duh. I guess you gop ludites don’t know the meaning of that.

I mean if by negotiate it meant raising taxes on the rich, getting rid of the Sinema tax loophole and cutting defense spending, I’d lend an ear.

It looks like Biden and the Democratic majority in the Senate (and minority in the House) will be the grownups in the room and do what is necessary to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default. Hopefully, in 2024, the Dems can hang on to the White House and Senate (and win back the House) and get rid of the debt ceiling. They could also cut defense spending in half (and spend as much as the next nine militarized nations), raise taxes on rich and wealthy multinationals (and go after the tax havens in Switzerland, The Caymans, etc.). Just a thought. They could also nuture promising Democratic hopefuls in the state and local races and get new blood in the party for the 2026 midterms, the 2028 Presidential race and beyond.

After a point, it becomes a game of playing chicken with a madman — are the Republicans really that crazy?