Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) says rank and file Democrats will stand with President Obama and refuse to entertain GOP demands if they hold the debt limit hostage early next year.
“I don’t think the country will stand for it and I think Democrats will make it clear that you cannot threaten the economy of the United States for your political purposes,” Van Hollen told a small group of reporters after a breakfast roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. Obama and top Democrats have made clear that they won’t re-enter negotiations with Republicans if the debt limit isn’t increased by the end of the year. But to be credible, the vast majority of Democrats will have to be prepared to stand with Obama. Van Hollen is the first party leader to predict they will.