Sen. Stabenow: 14th Amendment, discharge petition are 'viable' options to avoid default - Velshi MSNBC

[Rhiannon12866]

Discussions between the White House and Republicans broke down over the weekend, less than two weeks before the June 1st deadline to raise the debt ceiling. As an alternative, some Democrats set the ball rolling on other options to avoid a default, including invoking the 14th Amendment and a discharge petition – and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says both are “viable” options to end what she calls a “manufactured crisis.”

“I do think the 14th Amendment is viable,” she tells Ali Velshi about the unprecedented and untested move. “It's never been used because we've never had a group of Republicans, or anybody crazy enough, to get us to a point where we actually might have a default.” - Aired on 05/21/2023.

[MutantAndProud]

1. Another apt observation

It’s an emergency measure, in case anyone in power is hamstrung or reckless enough to unintentionally -or- to the amazement of everyone reasonable, intentionally drive us into default and we need to reset and stabilize the economy. There’s a reason why the post-civil-war amendments were passed, because of elements determined to drive us over the edge and into disunion. They have more technology, better transportation and communications, and superior firearms behind their attempts this time. That does not change the validity of the Constitution.

And the situation we are in in terms of our global economic impact does not change. So it’s not just our economy that crumbles, but every nation we have chosen to support. Who benefits from that other than oligarchs, regional thugs, and regimes determined to oppose our influence. The civil war was actually the only time in the past a change of government like that *could* have been initiated without influencing world matters and causing a scenario where much worse consequences unfolded across the world in the style of the initiation of the First World War. After the World Wars and the collapse or dissolution of the British Empire, the Qing Dynasty, and the insurgent Nazi Reich, Japanese Empire, and Soviet Union, we were it.

We built up the globe, with difficulty and opposition, and it was messy, but ripping the rug out now means something far harsher will step in as a consequence of the famines and structural failures already evident. We may not be able to fix everything right away with our Allies, but we can fix this.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Extremely well said!

I can add nothing.

[Cha]

3. That was good.. I wish she

weren't leaving but I guess she has here reasons.

TY!

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Same here, but it's got to be unbelievably stressful these days...