REUTERS/ Jason Reed
Almost no one says that the U.S. shouldn't raise the debt ceiling, from House Speaker
Boehner and other Republicans want to use the mid-October deadline to extract some concessions from the administration - a delay in implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or more long-term spending cuts. Obama and Democrats want a "clean hike," and he says that he won't negotiate over the debt limit like he did in 2011.
Hitting the debt ceiling isn't a realistic option - save for a small caucus of Republicans who think that "prioritizing" payments is an option. But really, Boehner is just looking for the White House to blink - and trying to get a deal that satisfies enough of his conservative base. He has promised a "whale of a fight" - but first, Republicans need to figure out their strategy for passing a bill to avert a
Economists agree that failure to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophe, and cost of even a temporary delay are estimated at a whopping $20 billion. The debt-ceiling fight in 2011 cost the U.S. a downgrade in its credit rating.
But Friday's poll suggests that public ignorance over the issue could be a boon for Republicans in any negotiations. Only 22% think that Congress should raise the debt ceiling, and opponents outnumber supporters by a 2-to-1 margin.
If the 2011 negotiations are any indication, public awareness could grow as the debt ceiling gains more attention and as the consequences become clearer. In a June 2011 NBC/WSJ poll, Americans opposed raising the debt ceiling by a 39-28 margin. A month later, Americans supported it by a 38-31 margin.