As it has throughout the disputes over the budget and debt limit, the conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday took aim at the Republican Party.
Although the Journal’s editorial writers said that “both sides are looking like losers” in the dual crises consuming Washington, they directed their most pointed shots at the GOP.
“This is the quality of thinking—or lack thereof—that has afflicted many GOP conservatives from the beginning of this budget showdown,” the editorial read. “They picked a goal they couldn’t achieve in trying to defund ObamaCare from one House of Congress, and then they picked a means they couldn’t sustain politically by pursuing a long government shutdown and threatening to blow through the debt limit.”
The Journal said that if the Senate passes its compromise to avert default and reopen the government, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will likely have no choice “other than to bring it to the floor and let it pass with votes from either party.”
“At least that’s better than getting the blame for whatever happens if Treasury stops sending out Social Security checks in order to prioritize debt repayments,” the editorial read. “The politics of that are little better than defaulting on debt. Republicans can best help their cause now by getting this over with and moving on to fight more intelligently another day.”
The Journal’s editorial page has been highly critical of the conservatives who led the quixotic effort to defund the Affordable Care Act, urging them a month ago to give up their goal and then taking a shot at Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT).
