Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen said Thursday on FNC’s “Special Report” that House Republicans would be insane to pick a fight over the debt ceiling.
Discussing strong GDP numbers, host Bret Baier said, “This kind of gives them a little boost. But there are warning signs still out there for some experts.”
Thiessen said, “I think they’re celebrating a little early and overselling the case. It’s progress, but it doesn’t mean the economy is strong. If you look at the polls, most Americans think the economy is doing poorly, and they blame Joe Biden, which is why it would be insane for the Republicans to pick a fight over the debt limit. Some economists are predicting a recession later this year. Why would Republicans want to take ownership of that away from Joe Biden? Why would they want to do anything to damage the U.S. economy when it’s weak and when the recovery is so tenuous? And give Biden a pretext to say that it is the Republicans’ fault.”
He added, “The other thing is, Republicans tend to lose elections after debt ceiling fights. In 1995, they picked a fight with Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton won reelection. In 2011, they picked a fight with Obama. Obama won reelection. A debt ceiling fight would damage the economy and damage their chances of winning back the White House.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN