At a solo press conference this morning, the fifteenth of his presidency, Barack Obama was asked why a sizable part of the public does not seem convinced that the debt ceiling ought to be raised. “The public is not paying close attention to the ins and outs of how a Treasury option goes,” Obama said. “They shouldn’t. They’re worrying about their family, they’re worrying about their jobs, they’re worrying about their neighborhood. They’ve got a lot of other things on their plate. We’re paid to worry about it.”

Obama continued: “Now, I will say that some of the professional politicians know better. And for them to say that we shouldn’t be raising the debt ceiling is irresponsible. They know better.”