Could we see a deal today?  This is apparently what Barack Obama has told Congressional leaders .. that we need a deal by today or we must start to make contingency plans.  This must be because these talks are really starting to crimp the Democrats’ style up there in Washington.  Democrat leaders like Nancy Pelosi “are almost too busy” to continue listening to what is going on in the debt limit meetings.  Yup, you heard the woman!  We need to get this situation resolved because we can’t be bothered to keep up with the debate .. it is taking up too much precious time.  Princess Nancy was particularly perturbed at the thought of having to drive all the way to Camp David for meetings.  God forbid our rulers in Washington have to actually put themselves out to do the job they were hired to do.

But Barack Obama says that he is willing to risk his job over this battle for a long-term deficit deal.  Dear Ruler says, “This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this.”  This is a crock.  You can bet the farm that to Obama his presidency comes first and the fiscal health of this country comes second … or third … or wherever.  Any attention he is paying to this situation is centered on preserving his reelection chances.  The polls say the voters are concerned – so suddenly Obama is concerned.  But consider his recent history …..

• Barack Obama wasn’t insistent on a long-term deficit deal when he ignored the recommendations for his own deficit commission for months.  

• Barack Obama wasn’t insistent on a long-term deficit deal when he proposed a budget earlier this year that would produce 10 years of deficits totaling $9.5 trillion.  

• Barack Obama wasn’t insistent on a long-term deficit deal when he signed ObamaCare into law, which will likely add $4 to $6 trillion to the deficit over its first 20 years.

• Barack Obama wasn’t insistent on a long-term deficit deal when he increased discretionary spending by nearly 25% his first two years in office.

You can’t help but feel, though, that it will be the Republicans who will probably get the blame for any repercussion from this debt ceiling battle.  A new Quinnipiac poll released yesterday shows that most voters (48%) would blame congressional Republicans if the debt ceiling isn’t raised.  These results were fueled, I believe, by Mitch McConnell’s hair-brain idea to give the president the power to raise the debt ceiling on his own; Republicans are so worried about being blamed and how this will affect the election in 2012.  

The Republicans need to remember that they are in charge in the House because of the energized voters on three basic issues in 2010.  It was really very simple:

•  Smaller government.
• Lower government spending.
• Lower taxes.

Mitch McConnell needs to remember that the voters did not turn out to the polls and put Republicans into office so that they could make phony spending cuts, increase taxes or come up with hare-brained ideas on giving Obama the power to increase our debt ceiling on his own.