This isn't the battle. The battle happens when they try to reach an agreement on the 2012 budget.
I like Rand Paul's ideas; they're logical. But you want something where logical meets reasonable, which is where his proposal hits a speed bump, because the AARP is going to jump all over messing with medicare. It's setting up a situation where the Dems, should they be able to get their act together, can come back with something deemed more reasonable. The Republicans need to use Paul's ideas as a starting point, but then morph them into what the majority will deem as being also reasonable, and do so while they completely control the game and the ball.
As far as the debt limit, they can't skirt raising that. You'll leave every USA bond holder on the planet, including a lot of the elderly in this country, upside down and angry. USA bonds go to a AA Rating and it'll decrease by at least 1%, which in turn will cause a lot of people to lose a lot of money. If you're a gambler and believe they'll hold the line on the debt ceiling, it might be time to take a market position against USA bonds and clean up. But at this point politically, the negative ramifications aren't worth it. Pick a better battle.
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