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You are here: Home / Budget & Taxes / Return of the Default Deniers

Return of the Default Deniers

January 14, 2023 at 3:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “Amid the debt ceiling standoffs of 2011 and 2013, and warnings of global economic catastrophe, a novel proposal gained traction on the right: Rather than defaulting on bond obligations and sparking a broader calamity in the markets, the federal government could, once the ceiling is reached, simply pick and choose which bills to pay.”

“Such ‘debt prioritization’ schemes never went anywhere. Democrats branded their proponents ‘default deniers’ and firmly opposed their efforts. The standoffs were resolved, and the notion of favoring bondholders first was forgotten by all but a devoted band of conservative budget hawks.”

“Now what’s old is new again.”

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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