Eric Cantor (R-Va) apparently had much more of a hand in the debt ceiling debacle than we thought. Just 10 days after the freshman class of the Congress was inaugurated, Cantor and the frosh booked it up to Baltimore Harbor for a retreat. (retreat from what? to days of work?) and he told them how things were going to be. All dewy eyed and excited about their new job, the frosh now had a way to fulfill their campaign promises.
According to the Washington Post, it went down something like this?
A vote to increase the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt limit was coming soon, he told the caucus members who had gathered at the Marriott in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for a closed-door retreat less than 10 days after taking power. Think of it as a “hidden” opportunity, he implored them, a chance to achieve their goal of reining in the federal government and its spending habits.
“I’m asking you to look at a potential increase in the debt limit as a leverage moment when the White House and President Obama will have to deal with us,” said Cantor, one of several new House leaders who detailed the game plan for the coming months. “Either we stick together and demonstrate that we’re a team that will fight for and stand by our principles, or we will lose that leverage.
With everyone, especially the 87 GOP newcomers all revving their engine, the plan was in place–the plan to take the country to the brink of potential disaster, again. This time, that disaster resembled a default on our debt.
