Politics

George Will on Dem debt ceiling alarm tactics: ‘Apocalypse’ card has been overplayed

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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Conservative columnist George Will downplayed the alarm over the seemingly gridlocked debt ceiling negotiations Sunday, saying the political impasse was a natural part of America’s two-party system

“This is politics,” Will said on ABC’s “This Week.” “We have two parties for a reason. They have different views of the proper scope and purpose of government. The Democrats are here with their own litmus test which is we’re here to defend the current entitlement structure as it exists forever. Republicans who won the last election are here to say we did not win the last election for anything other than to shrink the government. They want to shrink both the deficit, debt and the government at the same time.” (Boehner says ambitious $4 trillion debt deal isn’t happening)

The White House and Democrats in Congress have warned of “apocalyptic consequences” if a deal to raise the debt ceiling is not struck by Aug. 2. Will said the American people might be becoming desensitized to such dire warnings.

“And part of the problem is — I think the American people are suffering apocalypse fatigue,” Will continued.  “They’ve been told over the last 40 years they are going to die from nuclear winter, global cooling, global warming and they hear now that this is Armageddon. I don’t think they believe it.”

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