Obama's Plan B is being encouraged by the political left both on Capitol Hill and in academia, contrary to what the Congressional Research Service already made clear about the invalidity of such unilateral action. Yet already, he seems to have spooked Boehner on this upcoming fight...On Thursday's Mark Levin Show: President Obama is...gearing up to go after the 14th Amendment, to go after the power of the purse that the House controls. He wants to use the Continuing Resolution as a pretext and then go after the Republicans further with the debt ceiling. If the Republicans don't capitulate and give in, he will bypass the 14th Amendment and unilaterally do what he wants. We are now seeing the whole plan - Mark discusses how this is about the transformation of the Constitution, which is why Obama won't negotiate with the House or the Senate. Obama is going after all of us in a destructive manner that can't work.
Certainly Obama doesn't want it pointed out that Democrats have fought debt ceiling hikes many times, fervently including himself...but I guess Boehner has somehow forgotten about this historical nugget.NYTimes: Speaker John A. Boehner has privately told Republican lawmakers anxious about fallout from the government shutdown that he would not allow a potentially more crippling federal default as the atmosphere on Capitol Hill turned increasingly tense on Thursday.
Mr. Boehner’s comments, recounted by multiple lawmakers, that he would use a combination of Republican and Democratic votes to increase the federal debt limit if necessary appeared aimed at reassuring his colleagues — and nervous financial markets — that he did not intend to let the economic crisis spiral further out of control.
Related links: Obama nudges Wall Street: Maybe it’s time to panic over this debt-ceiling deadline
Obama Just Played His Big 'Trump Card' On The Debt Ceiling
White House rules out using legal veto to force Congress's hand as economists warn of potentially catastrophic standoff
Report: Boehner told group of House Republicans he’ll violate the Hastert Rule to raise the debt ceiling if necessary
