I’d like to send this to my coursework dk The Democratic position should have been made crystal clear and repeated over and over: “We will accept your budget figure, minus another round of sequester cuts. We’ll lift the debt ceiling for a year to cover the debts that you already voted for. Then we can get on to sensible talks on the budget that should include a jobs agenda and increased revenues. If you want to continue the extortion — a short-term debt ceiling limit, negotiations with a gun to our head, leaving markets nervous, hurting the economy and families — then you are on your own. Pass those measures with your own votes.”