Paul Ryan's Heavy Lifting

I think it's kind of neat that Paul Ryan is both the face of the budget deal and predicting a debt ceiling fight, because a lot of people would not try that sort of stunt at home, or even in the House. The fun and simple math is--the spending in the budget deal could actually only be covered if the debt ceiling is raised, so to make his accomplishment work, he should kind of repudiate the idea of a debt ceiling fight and admit that government costs money. On the other hand, as a person with a reputation as a debt-conscious Young Gun with a VP run under his belt, he's probably well aware that he has, as they say "juice" (as evidenced by the House vote in favor of this budget) but also is kind of a target. Thus, a suggestion that he's still down with a debt ceiling fight (even though I should hope people who follow economics are pretty somber over what a default crisis would look like) endears the activist base (who bless their hearts might not understand economics, but they can read a scorecard) and the donors (I'm not saying the Koch brothers and'em, but I'm not not saying that, either, too) to him.

I can't say I envy his position, though, because as I commented on one of Bette Noir's posts at Rumproast:

Straddling the “yay, made budget happen” boat and the “no, spending bad” ship is trying to be in two boats going in opposite directions.

I don't know that everyone who saw this pivot understood at once how untenable it is to be on both sides of this particular issue--especially if you happen to actually be Paul Ryan, although David Kurtz at TPM put it simply: Laughingstock Alert.  Also at issue is whether it is good for the House GOP membership having this fight at the doorstep of the 2014 election. President Obama seems more inclined lately to use the bully pulpit--and I think an explanation of the perils of default might make this gesture on their part (a look-busy play from a do-little Congress) a real liability.

The sad thing is this quote:

“We as a caucus -- along with our Senate counterparts -- are going to meet and discuss what it is we’re going to want out of the debt limit,” Ryan said. “We don’t want nothing out of this debt limit. We’re going to decide what it is we’re going to accomplish out of this debt limit fight.”

They don't know what they want--they will be doing it just because?

I might be misreading, but I think that politics has overridden policy to the point where the House GOP have lost what in the Bush 41 years was called "the vision thing". Guys like Paul Ryan should be displaying vision--but I'm afraid it kind of looks like the same old politics from here. And that sort of thing has been pretty dysfunctional so far.