Guess who said this about raising the debt 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. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."
It was Mr. Obama . . . . . . . . . . back in 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . just before he voted "no" on raising the debt ceiling.
Indeed, he voted "no" in 2006 and didn't bother to show up for similar votes in 2007 and 2008 (he was busy running for president). In fact, in 2006 all Senate Democrats voted "no" to increasing the debt ceiling. Eventually, the ceiling was raised but not before the Democrats protested with their collective "no !!"
As usual, what was reasonable to them in the recent past is not the case, today. Beginning this past weekend, the Democrat talking points regarding "no" votes on raising the debt ceilings include "catastrophe," "GOP playing suicide with our credit rating," "morally reprehensible," "political grandstanding," and "gimmick politics." This is what we can expect to hear until the debt ceiling issue is resolved.
Is the GOP planning on not voting for an increase? Of course not. Is the GOP planning on voting on the increase without dealing with the government's lust for spending. No. And, the two positions are not mutualky exclusive.
Last night on FoxNews' Hannity, 18 "freshman" congressional people (House of Representative folk are referred to as "comgressmen" while Senators are referred to as "Senators") were guests on the show . It was most encouraging. These Newbies come from the business community, the kitchen, the private sector at all levels. They are Democrats and [especially] Republicans (9 new Democrats and 87 new Republicans). They are serious about spending controls and fully understand the message sent them with the midterm elections, even if the leadership and Obama have missed the point of those elections.
Changes that should have been effected by the Democrats of the 111th congress are about to be made. Changes that should have been effected by the Republican congresses of the past are about to be made.
We are excited about the future. The conservative bloggosphere has much work to do and the readership must not stop with their letters to the editors, letters to their representative, phone calls, and the evangelizing of their friends and family for the conservative GOP.
Understand that "GOP" is not the magic word, here. Rather, "conservative" is closer to the point. It is just that the GOP already has a conservative base. Democrat conservatives are nowhere to be found.
The debt ceiling is proof of a broken system. It is kind of like getting a second and third and fourth and fifth credit card to pay off your other credit cards. It can be said that this strategy works, but only while the monthly payments can be made. The debt ceiling is at the "fifth card" level, using our example. Folks who care about "credit ratings" at Moodys and the S & P tell us that our debt service (those pesky monthly payments) will rise to 12% of GDP within the next two years, and, at that point, our nation's credit will be effected. A downgrade of our credit from AAA to "A" or worse, will change the amount of interest we will have to offer to get people to buy our bonds; a snowball effect will have been put into place at that point, increasing the structural debt for coming Administrations and bringing an end to the soft recovery we are now experiencing. Income and expense must be brought into balance. Now is better than later.
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