Meet 13 debt ceiling truthers

The 13 Republicans who say hitting the debt ceiling is no big whoop

Published October 9, 2013 6:40PM (EDT)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.                       (Reuters/Jason Reed)
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (Reuters/Jason Reed)

The debt ceiling deadline is barely more than a week away, but Republicans aren't sweating it.

Despite repeated warnings from experts and Democrats that a breach of the debt ceiling could have potentially catastrophic economic consequences, the right is increasingly coming to believe that debt ceiling alarmism is little more than "scare-mongering" on the part of the White House and its allies, and that the U.S. could blow through the Oct. 17 deadline with only minor inconvenience. They're wrong on both counts — but if the debt ceiling isn't raised, and the U.S. does default, Republicans being proven incorrect will be little consolation to a likely devastated global economy.

With that cheery picture in mind, here are 13 of the more head-slapping examples of debt ceiling trutherism from GOP officials. As Paul Krugman recently put it, "God help us all."

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By Elias Isquith

Elias Isquith is a former Salon staff writer.

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