Will Repubs tie debt-ceiling vote with heathcare repeal?

[kentuck]

Mitch McConnell says he will force the Senate to vote on repeal of healthcare reform. Harry Reid's spokesman says it is "unlikely". How will it happen?

Sometime between the end of March and early May, they will need to vote to raise the debt ceiling. That is where the rubber meets the road. Treasury Secretary Geithner says if they did not extend the debt ceiling, it could throw the country into a depression for decades. It's a scary situation.

But, the Repubs may be willing to make a deal? If the Democrats will permit a vote on repeal of healthcare reform, then they would agree to letting the debt-ceiling rise? What happens then?

Who is holding the winning hand? We know who is holding the losing hand - the American people. The political games are becoming very difficult to decipher.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. There's probably no real harm in holding another repeal vote

besides the fact that it's a waste of time because a bunch of Democrats are not suddenly going to vote to repeal it (particularly when there's nothing sane to replace it with) and even if it managed to clear the Senate, President Obama is still going to veto it and Congress won't be able to override it. As for Republicans "embarrassing" Democrats for their vote on the repeal, people already know how their Senators voted for it during the last Congress (twice). I would hope that perhaps people might be more embarrassed voting for the repeal rather than against it at this point. Of course, I wouldn't expect simply holding a repeal vote will be the end of it, of course. At some point in this "debate", I fully expect the Republicans to demand that President Obama and the Democrats simply acquiesce to the repeal of PPACA in exchange for their votes on the debt ceiling and/or whatever else they might need to do in order to help *govern* :eyes: That will almost certainly be too much by far for most people but that doesn't mean that the Republican Tea Party crowd to try it. :puke:

[OHdem10]

2. If they start playing around with the debt ceiling, Wall Street

will bring them down a peg.

They are exhibiting pure ignorance to be entertaining
such ideas. The Smarter Republicans had better take
the Teabaggers aside and teach them the facts of life.

They simply appear not to understand governance if they
play with fire and that is exactly what they are doing
even talking about the Debt Ceiling as leverage.

[jtown1123]

3. You are correct. Clinton called the Repubs bluff on this and they caved within a day.

Wall Street, seniors on Social Security, and pretty much everyone has something to lose if we default on our debt. Republicans can fake and whine that they need cuts in exchange but at the end of the day, they have to vote for it no matter what. CALL THEIR BLUFF.

[Viking12]

4. ..but does Obama have the stones to call their bluff?

The Magic 8-Ball says, "Very doubtful."

[jtown1123]

5. He should. Will he? Who knows. I'm worried he's going to give up some very big things

in the form of spending cuts to get this vote (that will happen anyways. Very scary.