Obama wants a blank check to keep handing out OPM.
Democrats don't have a party, they rent voters. Name one dem constituency that doesn't rely on somebody else's money.
The MSM knows this and is invested in democrats creating a Ewe-topia they can claim they ushered in with their OpEd pages.
In short: cynics (pols) are married to the zealots (MSM)
In order to get more free money with no strings attached Obama must: 1) frighten people in frightening the GOP to give them the money with no strings attached, i.e. spending cuts of a BBA while 2) extending the free credit beyond the election cycle when low information indies are paying attention.
So, to this end they rattle the cage bars by claiming our credit rating will tank, Wall Street will implode & no Soc Sec checks will be mailed if there isn't any free money. That rouses the rabble to angrily phone GOP offices.
Obama over played his hand and has vowed to veto anything that doesn't make him el presidente for life but his setting up Boehner for bad press also pissed off Reid who felt excluded from any deals and sees enough of his dem seats threatened he'll be the next Nancy Pelosi only with wrinklier skin.
The MSM needs the debt-fear to drum-up public opinion against the GOP. They are partly successful. When asked who they trust more people take Obama over the GOP 43 to 36 but on policy the public mirrors the GOP 2:1.
No grand conspiracies, just cynical gamesmanship by rank incompetents.
