When the New Hampshire Union Leader tells the House Republicans, Guys, don’t be nuts on this debt ceiling thing, you know Boehner and the House firebreathers are losing.
From today’s editorial …
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives need to take a firm stand against Washington’s reckless spending habits. They just need to find a better place to make that stand than from atop the debt ceiling.…
The Republicans view the debt ceiling increase as their one chance to squeeze spending concessions from a President who otherwise will never agree to reduce federal appropriations. The trouble with forcing that standoff is that Republicans cannot win it. Obama will stand firm, and they will have to flinch or shut down the government. Either way, Obama wins and Republicans lose more credibility, which makes it harder to force a showdown on spending on more favorable ground in the future.
It’s in line with what Brian Beutler discusses in today’s morning feature piece. Republicans are starting to realize that debt ceiling hostage taking will blow up in their faces and are running for the hills.
