Pat Buchanan Explains It All For ... Guess Who?

Of those who follow the news out of Washington, few are in a position to personally run into, much less be acquainted with, those whose views on the political comings and goings are the stuff of the Sunday morning talk shows and the daily newspapers. Standing outside of Mass today, accompanying the celebrant as a Master of Ceremonies is wont to do, I had the opportunity to ask for a clarification from one such pundit whom I see on a periodic basis.

The House has not said it will not raise the debt ceiling. It must and will. It has not said it will not accept budget cuts. It has indicated a willingness to accept the budget cuts agreed to in the Biden negotiations.

Where the GOP has stood its ground is on tax increases ...

... which is to say, NO tax increases, the backbone of their promises to voters last fall.

I got the distinct impression from a man whose written works I have admired over the years, that the House should put the burden of yes or no to raising the debt ceiling, on both the Democrat-controlled Senate and the President, while at the same time insisting upon the budget cuts for which the Republican majority in the House have fought, all the while without a tax increase. (He cited one prominent Democrat in the Senate as being already on board.) This would put the proverbial monkey on the backs of the Democrats, who then could not very well blame the Republicans if they do otherwise and the country defaults.

Then again, I might be even more confused than before.

One thing is for sure. Before I ask this gentleman why Alexander Hamilton, and not Thomas Jefferson, was his favorite Founding Father, I'm gonna make REAL sure I've read the Federalist Papers from cover to cover.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I do not presume to speak for a man who is perfectly capable of speaking for himself.)
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