Which party has more to lose politically if Congress doesn’t reach a debt-ceiling deal by August 2?
Democrats (31 votes)
Democrats: 7%
Republicans: 84%
Both (volunteered): 10%
Republicans
“They are risking catastrophe for the world economy over tax cuts for Bill Gates’s corporate jets.”
“Republicans’ unwillingness to participate in the give-and-take of governing to do what’s right is showing through, and they will face the brunt of the public’s wrath if a deal isn’t reached in time.”
“Their stubborn commitment to fighting for billionaires who aren’t doing anything to create jobs, while proposing the poor and middle-class bear the brunt of their cuts, will long be remembered by the American people.”
“They are the majority in the House, they dominate the discussion in the Senate, and they have positioned themselves as the most uncompromising—and they seem to enjoy that position.”
“Because Obama has made clear that he would ‘go big,’ and Republicans are willing to sacrifice the economy to protect the rich.”
“Republicans want to increase co-pays for home health care patients but refuse a single penny of increased taxes for millionaires? I’ll take that fight.”
“They’ll also have to explain why they voted seven times to raise it under George W. Bush and why they allowed the U.S. to default. They will own this mess.”
“Obama is a lousy negotiator, but Republicans can’t take ‘yes’ for an answer.”
Both
“Who could possibly win in the deluge to follow?”
“Both parties will suffer. The public will not be happy.”
Which party has more to lose politically if Congress doesn’t reach a debt-ceiling deal by August 2?
Republicans (34 votes)
Democrats: 61%
Republicans: 24%
Both (volunteered): 12%
Unclear (volunteered): 3%
Democrats
“They own the economy.”
“House Republicans have led time and time again by putting their ideas forward in their budget. Where is the president’s plan? Where is the congressional Democrats’ plan?”
“It’s the president’s economy, plus the public wants budget cuts.”
“The statistics are consistent that roughly two-thirds of Americans don’t think the debt ceiling should be raised at all. So, GOP opposition to raising the debt ceiling without strict conditions is aligned with the will of the American people.”
“Truman kept ‘the buck stops here’ sign in the Oval Office—not in the House of Representatives.”
“The president spent the money; this is the Obama economy. With the Obama-nomics of the stimulus bill, he owns this problem.”
“The party of the president will get the credit and the blame.”
Republicans
“Independents will begin to wonder if Republicans can govern.”
“We just don’t have the same media platform to place the blame that the president has.”
“No matter what, we have to raise the ceiling. And if we only listen to the extreme of our party, we lose independents and mainstream R’s.”
Both
“It shows Washington is dysfunctional to a level impossible to comprehend.”
“Our entire country has something to lose if we don’t reach an agreement.”
“Congress will have reduced the nest eggs of retirees, hurt working Americans who invested in their retirements, and diminished future benefits for Medicare and Social Security participants. None of those groups resides solely within one party.”
Unclear (volunteered)
“Seniors not getting their checks will blame whomever they view as being less reasonable.”
If Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by early August, what do you think will be the economic consequences?
Democrats (31 votes)
Catastrophic: 61%
Major: 36%
Minor: 3%
No impact: 0%
Catastrophic
“Cannot be overstated: Standard & Poors has already said it will downgrade bonds to ‘D.’ ”
“Some economists have said that it could be worse than the day Lehman Brothers went under; and the long-term ramifications of defaulting on our debts will likely be irreversible in the global market.”
“We defaulted for a few hours in ’79, and it almost pushed a sagging economy into chaos.”
“The jolt in our country and throughout the world will be horrible.”
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