Senate Democrats urge Obama to bypass Republicans on the debt ceiling

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Rosalind S. Helderman, Published: January 11

Democratic leaders in the Senate on Friday urged President Obama to consider bypassing Congress to prevent the nation from defaulting on its spending obligations if lawmakers cannot agree to raise the nation’s $16.4 trillion debt ceiling next month.

In a joint letter that served as a warning to congressional Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and his leadership team encouraged Obama to “take any lawful steps” to avoid default — “without Congressional approval, if necessary.”

The letter appeared to be an effort to push the White House to play hardball in its negotiations with Republicans as the federal government edges up against a legally imposed limit on borrowing.

Republicans have insisted that they will not increase the government’s borrowing authority without deep spending cuts, including to entitlement programs. On Friday they rejected the idea of unilateral action by the president.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-democrats-urge-obama-to-bypass-republicans-on-the-debt-ceiling/2013/01/11/8a88e19c-5c2e-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html

[Amonester]

1. Sign the petition for the coin on the WH's secured site & spread it around (FB, Twtr, emails)

Signatures needed by February 02, 2013 to reach goal of 25,000: 17,357

http://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/direct-united-states-mint-make-single-platinum-trillion-dollar-coin/8hvJbLl6

(HyperTextTransportProtocolSecured or https)

[Selatius]

2. I wonder which programs the Republicans will hold hostage this time.

If it gets to the point where your Republic's government only functions through a series of hostage negotiations to get something done, then it may be a Republic that is entering its twilight years.

[HeiressofBickworth]

4. Conspiracy Theory

It has occurred to me that Mr. Obama may be walking into a trap. If he circumvents Congress in raising the debt ceiling, I believe we will be looking at House Republicans voting for impeachment soon thereafter. It makes sense -- Republicans have set unreasonable parameters for negotiations and the President is bound by the constitution to pay the bills Congress has already passed. All Republicans need is an excuse. I doubt the Senate would convict, but that wouldn't stop the House from impeaching.

[orwell]

5. The House can impeach...

...but Senate will never convict...

[bloomington-lib]

6. another theory is that the Rs want Obama to use other paths to get around the obstruction and

will use these new paths without needing to defend themselves when they get back into power.

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. I partly agree with you. If they can take up the entire 2nd term with impeachment,

they can circumvent the president's agenda by default. Our sorry assed media would love this kind of circus as they wouldn't have to go out and dig up real news, because the daily grind of impeachment tidbits would write themselves. I actually hate the media even more than our do-nothing Congress.

[jwirr]

7. I want this settled anyway it can be but I think if the President does this the Democrats should

first vote on it with a unanimous vote from our side - he should not stand alone. It could easily destroy any chance of getting other things done in the future.

[DallasNE]

8. For The First 150 Years This Country Had No Debt Ceiling

It was only when America got bogged down in World War I and isolationist Republicans gained seats in the Congress that they passed a bill limiting the amount of war bonds President Wilson could sell to finance the war. (No "surge" for those Republicans). It is actually hard to see how that law even has standing since all of those war bonds were retired decades ago unless there is a 2nd law that expanded the scope of that first law. Even then the law butts heads with the 14th Amendment.

If Republicans are serious about debt they could reinstate the "paygo" rules rather that just constantly whining about the debt. Or they could stop loading up spending measures with their pet earmarks. Should not every earmark have a tax increase to pay for it instead of insisting on raising the retirement age for Medicare benefits to pay for those earmarks.

[forestpath]

10. Yeah, that'll be the day.