It’s All A Bluff: Boehner Assures Colleagues He Won’t Allow Default

The idea that Republicans have some great leverage when it comes to the debt ceiling has always been questionable. After all, it only has impact if the Republicans are actually willing to pull the trigger and allow default. Absent that possibility, there really is no reason whatsoever for Democrats to blink. And while the GOP is certainly full of enough crazy that some members would undoubtedly pull that trigger, conventional wisdom has been that Speaker Boehner is not a member of the suicide caucus. Any doubt of that is now put to rest:

With a budget deal still elusive and a deadline approaching on raising the debt ceiling, Speaker John A. Boehner has told colleagues that he is determined to prevent a federal default and is willing to pass a measure through a combination of Republican and Democratic votes, according one House Republican.

The lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of not being named, said Mr. Boehner indicated he would be willing to violate the so-called Hastert rule if necessary to pass a debt limit increase. The informal rule refers to a policy of not bringing to the floor any measure that does not have a majority of Republican votes.

Other Republicans also said Thursday that they got the sense that Mr. Boehner, who held two meetings Wednesday with groups of House moderates, would do whatever was necessary to ensure that the country did not default on its debt.

And there you have it, folks. The ‘leverage’ Republicans claim to have is a smoke screen. Yes, they did prove fool-hardy enough to shut down the government, but to them that’s a political gamble more than an economic one. In terms of damage to the country, defaulting on the debt would be much more grievous. Fortunately, that’s not going to happen.

In a sane world, Boehner would go ahead and throw out the Hastert rule to move a clean continuing resolution through the House and end the shutdown. Unfortunately, there’s still some political posturing to play out on that one.

Also in a sane world, this news would bolster Democratic vows to not negotiate. But we’ll have to hold our breath a bit to see how that goes. Reports surfaced last night that Boehner and Rep. Paul “Throw Gramma From A Cliff” Ryan are working hard to roll the budget fight and debt ceiling up into a larger push for a “grand bargain”. These words have proven dangerously tantalizing to President Obama in the past. Here’s hoping he resists the sirens’ lure this time.

By: Sandi Behrns

Sandi Behrns is a noted policy nerd, new media & web developer, and consultant to progressive organizations and campaigns. She is a senior contributor to Liberaland, and the Executive Editor of Progressive Congress News.