Strategists to Republicans: Restrain yourselves on debt-ceiling negotiations

[onehandle]

GOP strategists are urging restraint in the upcoming debt-ceiling fight.

They are excited by the prospect of reclaiming the Senate in November’s midterms elections but anxious about the party’s capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as amply illustrated in recent campaign cycles.

Congress must vote to raise the $17 trillion debt ceiling sometime in February or March. In the past, Republicans have looked to extract major concessions, such as dollar-for-dollar spending cuts.

The strategy bore fruit in 2011 when President Obama, with an eye toward securing reelection, signed the Budget Control Act, which included $2 trillion in cuts.

http://thehill.com/homenews/194388-strategists-to-gop-restrain-yourselves-on-debt-ceiling

[spanone]

1. 'excited by the prospect of reclaiming the Senate' bwahahahahahaaa

now that's funny

[Laelth]

2. The President called their bluff last year.

He'll call it again. I'd welcome another shut-down, but I suspect the Republicans are too smart to fall for that again. They'd rather fight the Tea Party, and it looks like that's exactly what they're starting to do.

Here, for example: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251346174

-Laelth