Once you start lying, it gets tough to keep track

Fundamental illogic of debt ceiling denialism — if a breach has no consequences, why should Obama make concessions? Why not abolish it?
— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 12, 2013

So now what we're left with is Republicans have shut down the government over a demand for a tax cut for the medical device industry.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) October 12, 2013

I actually have to talk with a group this week about the standoff.  I will have a lot of trouble being both "honest" and "fair."

The ugliest thing about this episode for me is the collusion of Mankiw and Feldstein.  I'm not shocked they've fallen in line - people who work where they work and make what they make are supposed to sell the party position when told to do so.

My point is that these guys don't work for the fringe, they work for HQ, and that tells you a lot about what's really going on.  Apparently HQ told them to say the default was no big deal, so that's what they're doing.

Well, bullshit, gentlemen, and, thanks to your participation, bullshit to the story that this is all because of some fringe actors in the House.