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Here is video of MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough saying he believes Republicans are playing it smart in how they are dealing with raising the debt-ceiling temporarily to force the hand of the Senate Democrats to finally pass a budget after more than 3 years of not doing so.
The way Scarborough has too often sounded like a Democrat in recent months, I’m not sure his praise of House Republicans is a good sign.
President Obama has now signed into law the Debt Limit Agreement passed by both the House and Senate, which increases the nation’s Debt Ceiling:
ABC NEWS: Hours before the U.S. faced a first-ever default, President Obama signed into law a compromise deal that averts a crisis by raising the debt limit, but signaled that he will not abandon his stalled efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy.
“It’s an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means, yet it also allows us to keep making key investments in things like education and research that lead to new jobs and assures that we’re not cutting too abruptly while the economy’s still fragile,” Obama said in a statement from the White House Rose Garden before signing the bill.
Moments before his remarks, senators voted 74 to 26 to pass the Budget Control Act, the last hurdle for the controversial measure that was first approved by the House Monday night, making a $2.4 trillion down-payment on the federal deficit over the next 10 years.
Obama’s signature ends a bruising Washington-made crisis that has gripped the country and lifts what the administration has called a “cloud of uncertainty hanging over the economy.” . . . Read More
The uncertainty that is killing the economy and keeping jobs from being created is having a President who is focused on increasing regulation and taxes on the job creators in this country! That uncertainty is still there – and will be until Barack Obama is out of the White House.
Here is audio of GOP Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on with Laura Ingraham today where he tried to explain his backup plan that would give authority to President Obama to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.
McConnell said his plan is designed to “clarify the differences” between the parties – between the Republicans and Obama. He wants Obama to “own the economy” and to “own” the increase of the debt ceiling.
Ingraham challenged McConnell that his plan is “essentially passing the buck,” which McConnell disagreed with. But she said it makes her nervous to see the New York Times and Harry Reid talking about it being a good idea.
A new poll by Pew Research shows more Americans are worried about raising the nation’s Debt Ceiling than are not:
WASHINGTON POST: . . . The number of Americans who are “very concerned” about an economy-hurting default has ticked higher since late May, but a slim majority is also now highly worried that lifting the debt limit will simply spur more spending and ever higher debt.
The twin, divergent, concerns complicate the political calculus for the White House and congressional leaders as they attempt to strike an agreement. Nearly eight in 10 Americans are worried about raising the debt limit, and about three-quarters are concerned about not doing so.
Asked to choose, 42 percent see greater risk in a potential default stemming from not raising the debt limit, a seven-point increase from a Post-Pew poll six weeks ago. Slightly more, 47 percent, express deeper concern about lifting the limit, but the gap has narrowed. . . .Read More
News is out tonight that Speaker of the House John Boehner has essentially said “No Deal” to President Obama tonight on negotiations that would increase taxes as part of plan to raise the nation’s debt-ceiling and lower the deficit. Obama has been pushing for raising taxes, and Boehner has apparently told him he won’t be part of such a deal:
DAILY CALLER: House Speaker John Boehner essentially walked out of debt limit negotiations with President Obama Saturday night. He cited an impasse with the White House on the size of the debt reduction package.
After abandoning talks, Boehner issued a statement saying: “Despite good-faith efforts to find common ground, the White House will not pursue a bigger debt reduction agreement without tax hikes. I believe the best approach may be to focus on producing a smaller measure, based on the cuts identified in the Biden-led negotiations, that still meets our call for spending reforms and cuts greater than the amount of any debt limit increase.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is scheduled to meet at the White House Sunday to further discuss a deal to avoid defaulting on the nation’s debt. . . . Read More
Here is video of Rush Limbaugh on his radio show yesterday talking about the possibility of GOP Leaders “caving” in to President Obama on the debt-ceiling negotiations. Limbaugh was specifically reacting to Bill Kristol’s comments two days ago saying he feared the GOP was likely going to “cave in a pretty big way.”
Limbaugh said flat out that if Republicans in the House cave in to Obama, “hello Third Party.”
“I just want to tell you with extreme confidence that if any of this happens – if there is a “cave” by House Republicans on this Debt Limit – if Obama gets what he wants, all of what he wants. . . then you can say ‘Goodbye’ to the Republican National Committee. It will implode. People will stop sending it money.You can say ‘Hello’ to an Obama second term, because there will be a Third Party – the Tea Party will organize as a Third Party if there is a “cave” on this.”
I hope GOP Leaders in the House are listening, not just to Rush, but to millions of conservatives who simply will not tolerate them caving in to Obama on this matter. They MUST stand strong. That’s why they were given the majority in the House by voters in 2010.
Here is video tonight of Bill Kristol on Fox News saying he believes Republicans “are getting ready to cave in a pretty big way” on the Debt-Ceiling negotiations with President Obama and the Democrats. Kristol fears they are going to give in on tax increases, and agree to a deal that will have huge Defense cuts and phony spending cuts otherwise.
Kristol ended by warning, “I think there will be a huge rebellion among Conservatives in the country if Republicans sign onto this deal.”
Kristol is right. If Republicans in Congress sign onto this deal, they are idiots and will be held accountable by voters. They were elected in 2010 to STAND UP to Obama at such a time as this – not to become complicit with him.
Here is video of a strong new ad out from Michele Bachmann that will run in Iowa. It is called, “Waterloo,” and it it, Bachmann reminds Iowa voters she is one of them – “I was born and raised in Waterloo.”
Bachmann also takes her stand against raising the debt ceiling, vowing emphatically: “I will not vote to increase the debt ceiling.”
By now, it is clear Bachmann is running a strong campaign, and is here to stay.
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Here is video of Pat Buchanan on Morning Joe today where he said it would be “suicidal” for Republicans to give ground to Obama and the Democrats and agree to tax increases as part of a deal to raise the Debt Ceiling. Buchanan took on the entire panel who kept pleading with him that Republicans had to give ground and agree to some kind of “revenue enhancements” – code for raising taxes – in exchange for spending cuts. But Buchanan said it is not going to happen. He said he believes, in the end, “Obama will fold. . . . He will fold,” because he is “staring down the gun barrel of default.”
Buchanan said Republicans won’t agree to tax increases not only because of politics, but because of “principle”:
“Philosophically, they don’t believe you raise taxes when you got 9% unemployment. It’s not only politics, it is principle and philosophy. They think it’s the wrong way to go.”
Here is complete video of a contentious face-off on Hannity last night, between GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann and Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner.
