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[BOREALIS]

Senate Democrats plan to call Republicans' debt ceiling bluff

Mon Oct 07, 2013 at 10:20 AM PDT
by Joan McCarter


attribution: REUTERS
Which John Cornyn is lying about the debt ceiling?

House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman called out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, [ http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/360540/boehner-hits-back-reid-jonathan-strong ] challenging him to negotiate capitulate to unreasonable Republican demands by asserting a "‘clean’ debt limit increase can’t pass the Senate, let alone the House." Reid's planning to prove him wrong, according to Greg Sargent.
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/07/senate-dems-to-call-gops-bluff-on-debt-limit/ ]

Senate Democrats are planning to start the process this week for a Senate vote on a clean debt limit increase, sources tell me—a move that could call the bluff of Republicans in both chambers and force them to take a stand on whether they will allow default and economic destruction if Dems don’t accept their unilateral demands.

The move has the backing of the White House, according to a source familiar with discussions.

The idea is that Senate Dems will move their own clean debt limit bill, rather than wait for the House GOP to hold its own vote on either a clean CR funding the government (which Senate Dems have already passed with broad bipartisan support) or on a debt limit hike. Dems would be challenging Senate GOP moderates to vote for or against averting default and economic havoc outside of any set of conditions House Republicans insist must be attached to any measure raising the debt limit.

A clean debt ceiling hike by the Senate would, maybe, force a bit of reality on Republicans. It would be a critical "put up or shut up" moment for Senate Republicans. Would they really filibuster a debt ceiling hike? Sen. John Cornyn is suggesting they might [ http://washingtonexaminer.com/john-boehner-will-demand-concessions-from-obama-before-raising-debt-ceiling/article/2536848 ] by saying a clean hike would never get through the Senate. That's after he said, back in January, [ http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Cornyn-Congress-will-not-allow-default-4203978.php ] "You sometimes try to inject a little doubt in your negotiating partner about where you’re going to go, but I would tell you unequivocally that we’re not going to default.” That's pretty unequivocally showing your cards.

Of course, reality isn't something in which Republicans are used to dealing. You've got Yoho-the-clown (R-FL) who says [ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/07/1244852/-We-ll-all-need-a-bottle-of-rum-if-this-House-Republican-gets-his-default-wish?detail=hide ] defaulting would actually create economic stability and http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/10/07/coburn_dismisses_debt_ceiling.html [ http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/10/07/coburn_dismisses_debt_ceiling.html ] But there are probably at least six Republican senators who do live in the real world, and who won't bring economic catastrophe down on our heads by actually filibustering the debt ceiling.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/07/1244920/-Senate-Democrats-plan-to-call-Republicans-debt-ceiling-bluff