Biden Must Not Negotiate With Kevin McCarthy

A few Democrats in Congress want President Biden to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy, but any negotiations would be rewarding bad behavior.

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A Smattering Of Democrats Are Getting Nervous About Public Opinion

Politico reported:

The party is still firmly behind Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who declared the speaker’s pitch dead on arrival in the upper chamber, in the position that Congress should raise the debt ceiling without any conditions. But a growing contingent of Democrats are acknowledging that Biden’s blanket refusal to engage with McCarthy may need to change — especially if House Republicans manage to pass their bill as planned next week.

Should McCarthy accomplish that step, several House Democrats said this week that Biden would need to meet with the speaker. Not doing so, they worry, could make it appear to voters that the White House isn’t working with requisite urgency on an issue with potentially drastic economic consequences.

It is a very Washington, D.C. thing to think that anyone in the rest of the country is paying attention to the debt limit. Democrats don’t have to worry about public opinion turning on them, because the public isn’t going to pay attention to this story until a default looks likely.

Negotiating with Kevin McCarthy if he is able to get his debt limit bill through the House would be a disaster for the country.

We’ll discuss why below.