Debt Ceiling To Be GOP "Leverage Moment"

[Sorratsin]

I'm not a fan of his position on drugs and Israel.

are his positions different from every other american politician's?

Not sure, I don't know the views of every American politician.

He is a vehement proponent of Israel, though. I don't want to see the U.S. involved in another war.

[Syvorji]

Boy, the politics in America makes us feel good why we have a strong modern economy, against the USA, yet with strong "human rights," and we have no camps. Just true freedom! Really, if we are going to go down this path, I must say, by golly, why not make Siad Barre an American President. Why? Because since 1969, the DPRK has supported the XHKS, and the XHKS supports us, so therefore, we need Siad Barre. Siad Barre, where are you?

[Wilgrove]

After how many times of changing their mind and stall tactics?

And losing most of the things their base wanted...

Most of the things they wanted was insane and would've hurt the American people more than help them.

[Wamitoria]

And losing most of the things their base wanted...

Most of the things they wanted was insane and would've hurt the American people more than help them.

And from what I'm hearing from the Teabaggers, it doesn't matter if it hurt the American people.

[Wilgrove]

Most of the things they wanted was insane and would've hurt the American people more than help them.

And from what I'm hearing from the Teabaggers, it doesn't matter if it hurt the American people.

Well the Teabaggers are insane.

[Buurdland]

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans will demand major concessions before agreeing to raise the nation's debt ceiling, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.) said on Sunday, setting the stage for another showdown over spending.

Cantor said on "Fox News Sunday" that the House GOP was emboldened by the funding deal announced on Friday, in which the Obama White House and Senate Democrats agreed to roughly $38 billion in spending cuts. Lengthy negotiations over that deal nearly left the federal government unfunded and forced to shut down, but the stakes may be even higher for the debt ceiling, which must be raised to prevent the United States from defaulting on its loans.

In exchange for raising the debt limit -- long a routine move allowing the Treasury Department to borrow more money -- House Republicans will demand further concessions to shrink the government, Cantor said.

"There comes at times leverage moments, a time when the president will capitulate to what the American people want right now," he said. "They don't want to raise taxes, they don't want borrowing to continue out of control."

The White House, meanwhile, its preparing its own long-term plan to reduce the deficit, which will be unveiled later this week, adviser David Plouffe said on "Fox News Sunday." President Barack Obama will address the matter in a speech on Wednesday, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer announced on Twitter Sunday morning.

While the White House and House Republicans agree that the deficit should be reduced, their respective strategies vary widely. The House GOP plan, which was unveiled by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) last week, would cut taxes and make major entitlement changes. Many of the cuts in the Ryan proposal would weigh most heavily on low-income Americans and senior citizens, including the replacement of Medicare with a voucher-like program forcing seniors to use government money to pay for private health insurance.

Obama did not address entitlements in his 2012 budget, which was unveiled earlier this year, but the president will request some changes to Medicare in the plan to be released this week, Plouffe said.
Story continues below
Advertisement

"My hope is it will be clear ... that we can achieve deficit reduction," Plouffe said. "We don't disagree that we can't continue on this fiscal path."

Plouffe urged Republicans not to hold up the debt ceiling vote, which Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said must be passed before May 16. Obama himself voted against raising the debt limit when he was in the Senate -- a vote he now regrets, Plouffe said.

The White House is almost certain to face a similar battle over the debt ceiling as it did over government funding, however, as Republicans gear up to demand more cuts.

Plouffe said the negotiations over a spending deal, which was reached at the eleventh hour on Friday, showed that Obama will protect programs that are a priority, such as education and medical research. He denied that the deal showed the president, who has upped his rhetorical focus on deficit reduction in the wake of the compromise, was being pushed into cuts by Republicans.

"You can't look at any cuts as we're embracing the Republican orthodoxy," Plouffe said. "The president believes we need to reduce the deficit and cut spending, it's how you do it."

Cantor, however, said the White House and Senate Democrats "were dragged kicking and screaming to the table to cut spending."

The majority leader said that process may repeat itself in the coming debate over raising the debt ceiling, when Republicans plan to demand spending caps, entitlement reform or budget process reform in exchange for further federal borrowing.

"This spending deal that was cut this week was only the beginning," he said. "This was only the first bite of the apple. We've been saying that all along."

Tl;dr: The Republicans in the house plan to use the debt ceiling and the threat of a double-dip recession to push their agenda.

I don't like where American politics are heading.

Have we really come to this? I mean, it's already bad enough that the GOP threatened to shut down the government if they didn't get what they wanted, but now, they are threatening to wreck the economy? What are your views on the situation?

I disagree with the dirty tactics, however they are correct to want to make more cuts to spending. The debt ceiling is already way to high to begin with, if it is raised there should be measures taken to ensure the new ceiling is never reached!

[Wamitoria]

And from what I'm hearing from the Teabaggers, it doesn't matter if it hurt the American people.

Well the Teabaggers are insane.

Indeed, and they make up a sizeable portion of the GOP.

So, if they decide that they aren't going to stop acting like jackasses on the debt ceiling, Obama will probably have a "fuck all y'all" moment.

[Sierra Lobo]

Senator Obama VOTED against raising the debt ceiling before. I guess he was not playing politics back then.

[Christmahanikwanzikah]

http://geekpolitics.com/obama-on-raisin ... t-ceiling/

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.

Yay!

[Ashmoria]

would it be wrong of me to click on the bachmann ad and sign the petition to not raise the debt ceiling as "fuck you" with an email address of me@bachmannisanidiot.com?

[Wamitoria]

Senator Obama VOTED against raising the debt ceiling before. I guess he was not playing politics back then.

Guess which country wasn't in a recession back then?

[Ashmoria]

Senator Obama VOTED against raising the debt ceiling before. I guess he was not playing politics back then.

oh i dont care if every single teaparty republican votes against it as long as the sane republicans bring it up for a vote and vote for it.

[Sierra Lobo]

Senator Obama VOTED against raising the debt ceiling before. I guess he was not playing politics back then.

Guess which country wasn't in a recession back then?

Did we not have a jobless recovery that started two years ago? ..... You could fool me.... cause we are on the recovery.... a jobless one i think

Wait I need to clarify that cool aid from our president.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

would it be wrong of me to click on the bachmann ad and sign the petition to not raise the debt ceiling as "fuck you" with an email address of me@bachmannisanidiot.com?

Do it.

[Maurepas]

Which is why we should elect Weiner.

A man who stands erect, firm and resolved against the dangers inherent with high national debt, his love for the American people gushing out of every pore.

I feel dirty now,

[Lilistrea]

I don't know how Americans let your so-called "representatives" get away with all this childishness and recklessness.

British politicians can be a pest, but this is on a whole other level.

[Talath Romina]

Too bad Kucinich didn't get (and had almost no hope of getting) the nomination in 2008. He wouldn't keep appeasing the GOP.

[Greed and Death]

I predict a democrat compromise before the GOP even bats an eyelash.
And by compromise I mean cave in.

[Greed and Death]

Senator Obama VOTED against raising the debt ceiling before. I guess he was not playing politics back then.

oh i dont care if every single teaparty republican votes against it as long as the sane republicans bring it up for a vote and vote for it.

It shall be tabled unless as an amendment to the debt ceiling raising bill, national right to work legislation and 2,000 dollar tax is applied to each abortion.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

I love the progression the GOP's taking here. First they threaten to take all of our rights, then they threaten to shut down the government, NOW they threaten to tank the economy. Presumably the next step involves threatening to blow up San Francisco.

[Wamitoria]

I predict a democrat compromise before the GOP even bats an eyelash.
And by compromise I mean cave in.

Because that happened last time, right?

[Greed and Death]

I love the progression the GOP's taking here. First they threaten to take all of our rights, then they threaten to shut down the government, NOW they threaten to tank the economy. Presumably the next step involves threatening to blow up San Francisco.

well that wont be a threat, they just will. San Francisco's destruction would make California a Red state.

[Wamitoria]

Too bad Kucinich didn't get (and had almost no hope of getting) the nomination in 2008. He wouldn't keep appeasing the GOP.

Yeah, he would be too busy losing the election.

[Trotskylvania]

Like always, xkcd has a relevant comic

[Late Republican Rome]

I have a solution to the national debt, but it is drastic. Partition the country. Then the national debt becomes a non-existent debt of a non-existent Union. And then the lefties can have their damned social safety net and spend their own taxes on it instead of the average, hard-working, middle-class and upper-middle-class taxpayers' money. Oh, wait, they are only interesting in spending other people's money, and then complaining that Bush let some of them keep more of it instead of donating to the collective.

Sorry, but not interested in your idea of "sharing the wealth", comrade.