Raising The Debt Ceiling: Housekeeping Matter

As Paul Krugman reminded us recently, when George W. Bush added more than $4 trillion to the national debt, Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling seven times "with little fanfare."  And since 1939, according to Steve Benen, "Congress has raised the debt limit 89 times."

Nevertheless, while the New York Times provides a "Debt Ceiling Cheat Sheet," with the eight proposals that are on the table with various permutations involving spending cuts and revenue increases, and one that even requires a balanced budget amendment, no one is suggesting merely passing what Benen refers to as a "clean bill" that simply raises the debt ceiling without conditions as has always been done before.

When Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels was Bush's Budget Director he referred to the debt limit vote as a "housekeeping matter."  But that was then, this is now. 

Benen concludes:  "One effortless vote makes the entire problem disappear. I can’t think of any potential crisis that’s so serious and yet so easy to resolve. But this isn’t even a possibility because the Republican Party has lost its mind."