Just after the 2010 elections produced a new balance in Washington, as the House went from a strong Democratic majority to an equally sturdy GOP one, as the Senate added new members who carried the mantle of the Tea Party (Sen. Rand Paul) and the Club for Growth (Sen. Pat Toomey), there was talk of the debt ceiling. Would these hard charging conservatives vote for an increase in government’s ability to borrow? That question would kick-start a national debate over the deficit, and many months later, we are staring both at that very debt ceiling and the possibility of an over-arching reduction in spending.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=109212