Is speaker Boehner right for not wanting to raise the debt ceiling and these wor

1. 65

   tsadjatkoposted 11 years ago

   Is speaker Boehner right for not wanting to raise the debt ceiling and these words that were said?
   
   "... 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. … 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 and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.
   
   

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2. 71

   The Frog Princeposted 11 years ago

   Since the quote was then Senator Obama he is showing us what a complete hypocrite he is.  I hope those idiots who voted for him are finally getting the picture.  Obama thinks "government money" is real money!  What a boob!
   
   The Frog

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3. 65

   tsadjatkoposted 11 years ago

   Can't put one past "the Frog Prince"'
   
   In 2006, then a freshman senator from Illinois, Barack Obama made the remarks attributed to him above during discussion in the U.S. Senate   prior to the call for votes on raising the debt limit.
   
   The full texts of his remarks in the Senate on 16 March 2006 (750 words) are at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/debtlimit.asp
   
   Oh, he also has a recent explanation of why everything he said then in 2006 was wrong which basically is he lied then but is being honest now? (the teleprompter made me say it would be a more believable explanation)

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4. 78

   junksellerposted 11 years ago

   Obama was making a relatively broad point about fiscal responsibility. And he was right if you ask me. In that point he argued for re-implementing pay-as-you-go rules which were abandoned by Bush and the Republicans. Taking a symbolic stand made more sense (perhaps) in 2006 than it does now, but either way, it was a symbolic stand. Until recently there hasn't been any real chance of not passing a debt limit increase.
   
   It could be argued (and I know conservatives will start frothing at the mouth for saying so) that Obama has actually stood by his interest in fiscal responsibility. In 2010 the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act was signed into law, and the emergency spending which has been exempted from that could be argued to be necessary spending to get out of the recession.
   
   Fiscal responsibility and pay-as-you-go principles seem like fundamentally good policies that both sides should be able to agree to.
   
   The problem and the difference with Boehner and the current GOP is that they are fighting essentially for cut-as-you-go policies. In this case it's worse than that. It is more like they are saying cut-or-else. Additionally it isn't cut-everything-as-you-go, it is cut-the-social-spending-programs-we-hate-as-you-go. That has little to do with fiscal responsibility and everything to do with a singular ideological agenda. I suppose he is right to those who agree with that agenda.

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   1. 65

      tsadjatkoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So Obama was right then? but now he is saying that what he said then  " was just an example of a new senator making what is a political vote as opposed to doing what was important for the country." That's OK with you that he totally flip flopped?

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   2. 71

      The Frog Princeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      A rather "broad statement?"  If that is so that is all the guy ever makes because all his pronpouncements about budgets and the economy lack specifics.  You continue to worship at his altar truth be damned.  Amazing.

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   3. 78

      junksellerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Changing one's position based upon knowledge and experience doesn't count as a flip-flop. Obama admits his past position was a mistake. I don't have a problem with that.

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   4. 71

      The Frog Princeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Changing one's position because you're a Democratic spend-a-holic is a flip-flop.  Listen to Obama's trying to rationalize creating more debt to pay off existing debt.  Try it out junko and get back with us as to just how that works for you & you

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