There is a message about the debt ceiling situation which we must convey with more vigor and effectiveness. We need to cast the Republican's unwillingness to accept a clean debt-ceiling increase as faithlessness and a breaking of their word.
At the end of last year, the Bush Tax Cuts were set to automatically expire. Instead they were extended in a bargain that also included the extension of unemployment benefits. This agreement simultaneously increased spending and decreased tax revenues and made an increase in the debt limit INEVITABLE and UNAVOIDABLE.
Earlier this spring, the Republicans agreed to a budget for 2011 after wringing spending concessions from the White House. Again, this sealed the fiscal fate of the country for the year and made an increase in the debt limit INEVITABLE and UNAVOIDABLE.
All the parties to the negotiation knew this at the time of negotiation.
So, what did those agreements mean? Obviously, to the Republicans, they meant nothing.
To agree to a budget is to agree to allow the government to operate. The refusal to raise the debt ceiling reneges on this agreement. It is a violation of that agreement. The budget agreement said, in effect, you may spend 'X', raise 'X-a' in taxes, and you may borrow 'a'. But, now they say we may not borrow 'a'.
Appallingly, their own budget plan for 2012 (which they failed to pass) depends upon raising the debt-ceiling. To run the government like they propose, they must raise the debt-ceiling.
Thus, their behavior now is despicable and without honor and they should be called out for it. They are going against their word; they are welshing on the agreement (sorry people from Wales); they are breaking faith; they are demonstrating their untrustworthiness; they are acting dishonorably; they are breaking their promise; they are not bargaining in good faith. Pick one and shout it!
This is blatantly unacceptable behavior and Americans can be made to understand it as such. But, we must make the accusation. If we treat their actions as 'politics as usual', we accept and condone their faithlessness. Worse yet, we create a losing situation for ourselves where we expect to honor our side but no one expects them to honor their side.
We value politeness; we want a civil society. But we must insist on honorable behavior. When Republicans act dishonorably and break their word, we must value honorable behavior more highly than politeness. We can't accept a paradigm where we must act honorably but they needn't. We can't accept a paradigm where we speak the truth but they may lie. It is time we discard politeness and accuse them of being faithless, despicable liars, listing this vote as just the latest in a longstanding pattern of shameless duplicity. Republicans have shown their imperviousness to charges of hypocrisy, but they crave respectability. They deserve none; their behavior is not sufficiently honorable to warrant it and the accusation will sting. They will be outraged, no doubt, but their outrage must be summarily dismissed given their behavior. If we accept their behavior, we do not show ourselves the respect we are due.