Why are the liberals doing what they're doing?

You mean why do liberals fight for middle class working Americans and why do GOP Tea Party Republicans hold the American people hostage (Debt Ceiling)?  It is because the people that follow the GOP Tea Party Republicans feel that if you are not able to stand on your own two feet, build a business, get rich and pay for everything yourself then too bad for you.  They believe in a fairy tale world that everyone should be perfect and if you are not then go live under a bridge.  Liberal Democrats believe that the government should actually help ALL of the American people and not punish them for their imperfections.  Liberals Know that the top 2% of America (the rich) are the only people that GOP Tea Party Republicans are fighting for.  When you them talk about tax reduction they only mean tax reduction for the rich folk.  The reason we don't get cheap health care (The Affordable Care Act) is because if We (All Americans) paid into the health care system it would be Cheap.  The GOP Tea Party Republicans wouldn't get HUGE checks from big Pharmaceutical companies anymore and big campaign checks from Corporate Health Care for big profit companies.  Liberals want Jobs, Health Care, and Education Free for All Americans.  GOP Tea Party Republicans Want Health Care for profit, Jobs in China, For profit education, no regulations, and they want Americans to keep working up until they are 70 so that they can keep wages as low as possible and keep profits high.  In other words the GOP could care less about you and hates our own Government.  They say it right out loud.  "Government is the problem".  So if you want no jobs, no benefits, lowest pay, no health care, education that is not affordable and unattainable, roads, bridges, and buildings that are falling down, food that makes you ill, bad air and water, and a government that will say though luck when your state has a huge catastrophic event, then the GOP Tea Party Republicans are your choice.