thats right, they did. Of course unless you believe that a plan with exactly zero cost cutting would have made moodys and the s&p feel all comfy?
and its all part of the plan my boy-
Why Democrats don't want to tie the debt ceiling to the tax cuts
By Ezra Klein
Posted at 4:06 PM ET, 12/ 9/2010
What's important to understand about the debt-ceiling vote -- where Democrats and Republicans will either strike a deal to increase the Treasury's borrowing cap or the country will collapse into default -- is that it's not like Democrats have simply forgotten about it. It's not that they haven't realized that they could tie it to the tax cuts, which Republicans want and which will add $900 billion to the debt. It's that they simply don't want to. “Let the Republicans have some buy-in on the debt. They’re going to have a majority in the House,” said Harry Reid. “I don’t think it should be when we have a heavily Democratic Senate, heavily Democratic House and a Democratic president.”
The theory goes something like this: Republicans will demand sharp spending cuts in return for lifting the debt ceiling. Let them. "Boehner et al have had the luxury of proposing all sorts of ideas that bear no relation to reality," says Jim Manley, Reid's spokesman. "Next year, theyÂ’ll have to lay it all out. No more magic asterisks, no more 'weÂ’ll get back to you.Â’ "
In this telling, the debt ceiling vote represents a trap for Republicans more than an opportunity for Democrats. If Republicans want to cut spending, now's their chance. But that means passing a package of spending cuts, which they may find less enjoyable than simply saying that Democrats should stop spending so much. And if the American people aren't supportive of the RepublicansÂ’ spending cuts, the GOP will be caught defending an unpopular package as part of a political gambit that could lead to the bankruptcy of the United State of America.
more at
Ezra Klein - Why Democrats don't want to tie the debt ceiling to the tax cuts
Oh and from your link-
In a largely symbolic vote, the clean hike failed 318-97.
Read more:
Debt Ceiling: Clean Debt Ceiling Vote Fails 318-97
I guess the Republicans are not the only ones who send "worthless" bills that don't have a chance of passing up for a vote eh?