Holding Your Nose and Taking the Bitter Pill: The debt ceiling deal stinks and we as progressives are holding our collective noses to accept it BUT what else could the president have done: refuse to compromise and the nation would go into default? Default would do ENORMOUS damage to EVERYONE not just the left but everyone on every side of the political spectrum.

This SHOULD pass and even when it is done it is not a done deal. Things can be argued, will be argued in the coming months and in the 2012 election but right NOW this nation cannot default on its debts no matter what the political philosophy. I am a liberal Democrat in extremis BUT even I realize that a default could mean that our elderly, our disabled, our military and others would not receive Social Security checks and other governmental payments. It could mean for many that they WILL not eat, they will not take their medication and the security of their families would be pushed over a cliff. Some would simply shut themselves in whatever is left of their homes and prepare to die. It is that simple. The president KNOWS it and that is why his compromise and bitter pill default eliminating medicine will pass and should.

The time was during the 2010 mid term elections to NOT vote for Tea Party Republicans or ANY facsimile thereof. They step on their own toes and take up the cause of the top 2% wealthy wanting to eliminate programs their own families need to survive. It is IDIOCY and why then I became so depressed about it. I KNEW why I was depressed. Yes, spending cuts need to be made and they have zeroed into a problem BUT it should not be done on the backs of those who can afford it least. As negative as this deal might be it is not over yet even WHEN the bill is passed as I think it should because default is NOT an option. That is what you WILL have if it is not passed.

I think the president knew he must hold his nose and do this so that this worst of all situations -- default -- does not happen. Elections matter. If the clock could be turned back I believe the 60 or so Tea Party Republicans would NOT have been elected. But they were. So deal with that horror and pass the default eliminating bill. Then argue like heck to form it in a more equitable fashion and MOST of all return the Congress to Democratic hands in 2012 while at all costs preserving the Obama presidency.