Poll: Plurality Support Debt Ceiling Breach
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – A staggering new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed a plurality of the country was fine with the country crashing through the national debt ceiling.
By a 44-22 percent margin, Americans opposed raising the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling must be raised from time to time to allow the government the flexibility needed to continue making payments on the country's debts it's already incurred.
Economists warn that breaching the debt ceiling could plunge not only the United States, but also the global economy into chaos. The U.S., seen as the benchmark for economics, would shatter that perception and could run the risk of immediate recession and worse.
The debt ceiling has become a key element of legislative terrorism by the House of Representatives. The House threatens to not raise the debt ceiling, which would bring economic chaos, and tries to force major concessions from the Senate and White House to do something that just a few years ago was simply routine business in Washington.
The poll question on the debt ceiling found that 33 percent of those questioned said they didn't know enough about the issue to give an opinion.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the U.S. will reach the debt limit sometime between October 18 and November 5.
President Barack Obama has said repeatedly he will not negotiate on raising the debt limit. He is trying to avoid a repeat of 2011 when tea party representatives threatened to not raise the debt limit for so long that it ultimately resulted in the credit rating of the United States being downgraded.
In the looming fight, tea party representatives are once again pushing for the debt limit to be held hostage unless President Obama and the Senate agree to completely defund the Affordable Care Act, thus denying tens of millions of Americans access to health care.
Public opinion may be against raising the debt ceiling today, but in 2011, once the issue and its repercussions became completely clear, the poll numbers completely reversed and a plurality supported raising the debt limit.
With precious few legislative days left until the government faces a shutdown and then a debt limit default, Congress is running out of time to cobble together a plan.
