Smoke and mirrors on purpose?

I'm no economist. Nor do I play one on TV (like way too many pundits). So I haven't waded too deeply into the debt ceiling weeds. But for those of you who frocklick in them, here's a very smart take on the current state of play by thistle-master Jon Chait: "[T]he Boehner plan is totally unsupportable. But once you've gotten the right to cross the philosophic threshold Boehner has, the next step is a lot easier. Boehner will lose plenty of conservatives if and when he cuts a final deal, but he'll gain Democrats. The key step was breaking down the right's default denialism and sense of entitlement to total victory. That's achieved." I think Chait may be on to something here. It would explain quite a lot.