New York Times: “Even as negotiators push forward with halting talks to resolve the federal debt-ceiling standoff, members of both parties are positioning themselves to try to dodge the blame for the economic fallout if things go south. Democrats lambaste Republicans for taking the debt ceiling hostage to appease ‘extreme MAGA’ conservatives bent on shrinking government spending. Republicans hit Democrats for waiting too long to open talks and not taking G.O.P. demands seriously.”
“But deep down — and in some cases not so deep — officials in both parties know they are all going to pay if they don’t get a deal, the government defaults and Americans lose money and jobs and confidence about their financial well-being and future.”
Said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “I would hate to be the politician trying to explain to people when the economy is in the toilet that it’s not my fault, it’s their fault. Yeah, that ain’t going to work. They will flush us all.”
