He Caved
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell had been clear and consistent…the Democrats will have to increase the federal debt limit on their own, with no help from Republicans. They want authority to spend like never before in history, it’s going to all be on them.
He was clear and consistent, that is, until he caved yesterday. Or perhaps miscalculated. Regardless, it’s left lots of Republicans scratching their heads.
The one thing you don’t want to do is have a leader of the opposing party take the olive branch you offered and beat you over the head with it. But that’s precisely what Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren did. When asked about McConnell’s offer, Warren simply said, “McConnell caved.”
He offered Democrats two options: first, a promise of no shenanigans to delay Democrat attempts to up the debt limit through the highly political reconciliation process, and second, an increase in the limit that buys everyone a couple more months. Frankly, I think he figured Democrats in the Senate would reject them both, but wasn’t he surprised. Granted, the White House is against it, but they haven’t been a serious player in all this anyway.
When your opponent is in a tough spot, pinned into a corner, you simply don’t change course and let them up. But that’s what McConnell did…at the same time members of his caucus were going on national and local radio shows and telling folks how unified the Republicans were on the issue. Then their leader cuts their legs out from under them.
Yet another example of why we are where we are.
