debt ceiling

it really boggles my mind that something like 60% of polled americans are opposed to raiseing the debt ceiling, and also that a plurality of voters view obama as to blame for this debt ceiling crisis.

so i am curious not so much as to your opinion on what is going to happen, but as to your opinion on how the american people, or people across the world will percive it? do you think that americans are really stupid enough to fall for the republicans destroying the economy to make obama look bad?

Maybe I'm just totally ignorant about this stuff, but I literally don't understand why congress isn't raising the debt limit. I keep hearing that the debate is over spending, but the debt limit is the debt limit, it isn't the budget. If the Republicans want to cut government spending, then why don't they just pass legislation that cuts spending? Raise the debt limit so that the government doesn't default, and then once that is accomplished, cut spending.

Raising the debt limit allows the government to borrow more money, yes, but that doesn't mean that you actually have to legislate more spending. If they don't want to do that, then why don't they just, you know, NOT do that?