Look at Iceland, they’ve already gotten over their default. Within a few years a default would be a fart in a windstorm.
Iceland didn’t default. They simply refused to pay for the losses of three privately-owned banks.
Sovereign default is a very different animal from not bailing out loser banks.
Having said that - it’s as the article says. America need not default on August 2nd. It can just cut institutions and sell assets. Hell, it could devalue the currency.