I just finished explaining that Mitch McConnell epic passing of the buck to President Obama amounts to one of the most brazen and open admissions of cynicism I’ve ever seen. McConnell is saying: Debt, Schmedt, we’ll let you do pretty much anything as long as we’ve got the politics wired to help us. But I spoke too soon because there are at least a few Democrats who are as craven or perhaps simply as weak-minded as McConnell. Sam Stein tweeted that while Redstate is calling for McConnell to be “burned in effigy” one “Dem source” calls McConnell’s move that of an “evil genius”.
Now the idea here is clear enough. All the blame for increasing the national debt falls on Democrats. But really if McConnell’s gambit played out it would simply cede to Democrats the ability to govern as they think is best for the country and presumably best for them politically. If they think a serious deficit reduction plan is necessary, they can still pass it. Yes, there are some ins and outs and complications. Republicans could still raise the debt ceiling and not allow the president’s party to vote its own debt reduction plan.
At the end of the day though, McConnell’s “evil genius” move seems like all it does is make the Democrats go to the public with what they believe is best for the country and be accountable for it. I have a hard time seeing that as being a meaningful threat. Since that’s what people who are given the power to govern are supposed to do.
