Hostage Inspiration
by digby
Dday has a little blast from past, reminding us that Boehner and the TPs were inspired not so much by Patrick Henry or James Madison, but by a couple of Centrist Democrats named Conrad and Bayh:
That happened at the end of 2009, when Evan Bayh, Kent Conrad, Dianne Feinstein, Mark Warner and Joe Lieberman threatened to not increase the debt limit if they didn’t get in place a fiscal commission that would recommend spending and entitlement cuts. That’s right, Democrats started the hijacking of the debt limit. Barely anybody remembers this, but it set the stage for the deal being voted on today...
Kent Conrad went so far as to say, “You rarely do have the leverage to make a fundamental change.”
He's got the whole story if you don't remember it. They didn't manage it (they are Democrats) but it resulted in President Obama creating the Catfood Commission and ultimately in the events of the last few weeks.
Who says there's no bipartisan comity in Washington?
.