I hope it does default. I don't even care who they blame it on as long as it opens people's eyes. They think this stuff is a game because no matter what happens, they will still receive their checks. They will not get their houses taken away. And heck, we (myself included) are all dumb enough to vote them back in office, so they won't even lose their job.
This isn't what our founding father's had in mind.
Actually "default" is a manufactured crisis term. In actuality if the debt ceiling isn't raised, the Obama administration will be FORCED to prioritize spending. If they "default" on T- bills (which won't happen), that will send the interest rates spiraling up to the extent necessary to intice someone to buy them, making debt service an even larger problem.
The likelier scenario is that 40% of the government agency budgets will disappear, with corresponding layoffs. T -bills will get paid, SS checks will go out, Medicare payments will continue......but a lot of government drones will be out of work for a while. Which, IMO is a good thing.
OTOH, the credit rating is going to be downgraded anyway, so interest rates are going to rise (finally!.....they've been kept artificially at nearly zero for over three years)........which will take another big chunk out of the incoming revenue, placing downward pressure again on spending.
Just from my personal point of view, I don't see a downside.........forced fiscal constraint........and investors will again have instruments to invest in which gives them a return. The market would take a short-term hit, but it would recover, once investors see that runaway government spending has been capped. New and onerous regulation would not be implementable because there wouldn't be anyone in the bureaucracy to implement them.......such a deal!
doc