THIS IS SO STUPID. The obvious answer is back during that vote there was NEVER any serious chance of the debt ceiling not being raised. There was always enough votes to get it done. Thus a number of members of Congress, Obama included, played politics and voted against it, BECAUSE THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH IT WITHOUT DESTROYING THE NATION'S ECONOMY. That is not the situation now.

I've been dumbfounded at your position on the debt ceiling. I've disagreed with you on many issues for years, but I never thought you were just plain stupid on any issue... until now.

The president has offered a way to cut $4T in 10 years, but the GOP refuses to compromise ANYTHING. Even fucking Grover Norquist has suggested closing tax loopholes as a solution! Apparently to Cantor and the Tea Party freaks keeping tax loopholes open is more important than the debt after all? Loopholes in the tax code are essentially nothing more than political earmarks. If the GOP really was serious about the debt they would compromise, but they are not. NOTHING will get done if they insist on getting 100% their way. That's not the way democracy works and they don't represent 100% of voters. They are not a fucking dictatorship!