The Democrats' debt ceiling collapse is inescapable

Thus far, Democrats have insisted that they won't negotiate when it comes to raising the debt limit. That isn't a realistic position. That position is about to collapse, in my estimation. Apparently, others are reaching that conclusion.

Democrats in the media are beginning to grudgingly admit that Democrats have to negotiate, that history dictates negotiation. While that's true, that doesn't mean that the media is liking siding with Republicans. That isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

According to the Hill's reporting, "Strategists and policy experts in both parties believe Democrats will have to come to the bargaining table soon to negotiate a debt ceiling deal that would avoid an economic catastrophe." Notice the charged language of avoiding "an economic catastrophe."

Thank God for clear-thinking politicians like Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy. He's a national treasure as well as being a journalist's go-to quote machine. This week, Sen. Kennedy was interviewed by Harris Faulkner. During the interview, Sen. Kennedy told Ms. Faulkner that we won't reach a drop-dead date "until August, maybe September" which "is enough time for the White House to grow out of puberty."

There will soon be negotiations because this weekend's classified documents discoveries have weakened Biden's position. Everyone knows that Biden is weaker today than he was a month ago. That's why Biden has invited Speaker McCarthy to the White House to discuss the debt limit. Speaker McCarthy has already accepted that invitation.

First, here's the Kennedy-Faulkner interview:

Next, here's Speaker McCarthy's response to Biden's invitation:

While I'm certain that Biden will act tough initially, he'll eventually be forced to accept most of what Speaker McCarthy is pitching. Cutting future spending is a winning issue for Republicans. Further, if I was advising McCarthy, I'd advise him to walk into that meeting with a set of stipulations that Republicans will take off the table. The statement should say Republicans aren't interested in cutting Social Security or Medicare. Further, it should say that Republicans aren't interested in raising taxes on the middle class. That guts the Democrats' accusations against the GOP. Once that's off the table, serious negotiations can start in earnest. The first thing that needs to happen is to cut non-defense discretionary spending. Returning them to pre-COVID levels would be a solid starting point in negotiations.