Gambling with the economy for political ends.

The fact that Republicans in particular have put "political gain ahead of the economic interests of the economy" ought to trigger outrage. Why isn't the public outraged (they kind of are, but the anger is, I think, misdirected)? One answer is that the media/pundits haven't been able to move from the center and point fingers at the true cause, Republican obstructionsism, hostage taking, and the like to get their way.

...Obama is very much a centrist, who is in particular proposing deficit reduction through exactly the kind of mix of tax hikes and spending cuts “centrist” pundits demand — and that the GOP, by contrast, is an extremist organization whose extremism is almost solely responsible for the bitterness of the partisan divide.

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2013/02/gambling-with-the-economy-for-political-ends.html