The True Motives Behind the Debt Ceiling Debate.
The debt ceiling fight in the US was not about debt reduction, but rather about Republican power and their efforts to cut spending on social needs and safety nets. The Republicans tried to use the threat of default on the public debt to force Democrats to accept their demands for spending cuts. The debt ceiling is just one part of a vicious cycle in which political power is abused to consolidate an increasingly undemocratic system. The Republicans benefit from undemocratic practices such as voter suppression, gerrymandering, and a judiciary stacked in their favor. The debt ceiling needs to be abolished.