Must Read: Why the Debt-Ceiling Deadlock is the GOP’s Fault
At a press conference on Monday, President Obama chastized “each side” for taking a “maximalist position” on the debt ceiling and budget debate; the news media has gone along with the notion that both parties are at fault in the showdown. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson sees it differently. “On one side,” he writes, “the president confronts grousing and grumbling. On the other, a brick wall.” There’s a fundamental difference between Democrats, who have “made it clear they are open to a compromise deal,” and Republicans, who have “made it clear they are not.” While GOP legislators rail against any new proposal that comes their way, Democrats are looking towards sensible modifications to programs that are unsustainable in their current forms (i.e. Medicare and Social Security). “Some Democrat sure being scratchy and cantankerous,” Robinson allows. “But Republicans are refusing to negotiate at all. That’s not the same thing.” [Washington Post]