Barack Obama deflects the blame for the debt, saying “these are debts Congress ran up”
While talking about the possibility of the the United States defaulting on her debt if the debt ceiling were not raised, Barack Obama subtly deflected the blame by stating, “these are debts Congress ran up” thusly implying that these debts are the fault of the Congress and that he was simply an innocent bystander.
I would ask the president if he vetoed these bills when they came to his desk, or if he signed these debts into law? I think we all know that while the Congress appropriated these monies, that the president approved these debts when he signed them into law. And let us not forget that it was Joe Biden who declared the United States had to spend more money in order to avoid bankruptcy, so this irresponsible ideology is rampant in the upper levels of the Obama regime. The Democrat controlled Congress was simply doing what Barack Obama wanted them to do. Now that the United States is in a fiscal crisis he is looking to pass the buck back toward the Congress.
This comment shows an unwillingness from Barack Obama to lead on this issue as the country reaches critical mass, and the president even scoffed at the notion that he needed to provide more leadership on this issue; even going so far as to claim he found this notion “amusing.”
And I have to say, I am very amused when I start hearing comments about ‘well the President needs to show more leadership on this.’
He even went so far as to claim that the Congress wasn’t acting like leaders:
“Now’s the time to go ahead and make the tough choices, that’s why they’re called leaders,”
According to Barack Obama the Congress isn’t willing to make tough choices and is avoiding the leadership role even as he suffers from the same symptoms. After all, the very notion that we are even debating the debt ceiling is a sign of failed leadership from the very top:
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.
Barack Obama made those comments when the Congress was debating raising the debt ceiling in 2006; at the time Barack Obama was a member of the Congress and certainly he was not talking about either himself or his colleagues in the Congress, he was talking about President Bush. Yet now that he is president he doesn’t see this debate as a symptom of his failed policies and lack of leadership. While one he declared that the buck stops here, he is now looking to pass the buck onto the Congress.
America's Watchtower 
Yes – Senator Obama and President Obama both are politicians. I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked! For a historical perspecvtive, google “R Reagan “That sound you hear is concrete cracking.”
From my perspective, this debt ceiling crisis is a manufactured crisis. Every other country in the world is looking at us and wondering what is going on – one branch of the government tells another to go ahead and spend money, but then sets limits on its borrowing.
If Congress authorized the spending, doesn’t it implicitly authorize borrowing the money if it’s not readily available in the Treasury? If the Executive stops borrowing and spending the sums authorized by Congress, is it in violation of at least the spirit of Congressional intent? Does the GOP think it’s got the Dems in a classic “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” bind?
The GOP will lose this one bigtime – the bonds will be paid on time to the foreign and domestic investors, whom everyone sees as wealthy, and those awaiting payments they’ve damn well earned, like veterans, federal retirees and Social Security recipients, will be left wondering if their checks will show up as promised. And if they don’t, it’ll be the GOP that takes the blame for it. . .
Or the President could pay the retirees, etc., and default on the bonds – it may wreak havoc with the economy in the short run, but he’ll cement the overwhelming majority of those voters who count on that government check every month (and I’m talking now only about those who’ve earned them, like veterans and Social Security).
The GOP is so busy pandering to the Tea Party they don’t see this big train barreling down the track at them, and when it hits, they’ll have nobody but themselves to blame.
Take good care and may God bless us all!
TGY
Unless, of course
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The GOP may end up losing on this one, but if we get this under control the American people will win.
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Why is it that more and more each day, that we’re all living in bizarro world, and too many people refuse realize it?
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I just think that too many people don’t pay attention and don’t care.
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Why is it that more and more each day, I think that we’re all living in bizarro world, and too many people refuse realize it?
FIXED!
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Well, technically unless he vetoed the spending bills and Congress passed it anyway, he’s wrong.
What a shallow, lying man!
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Exactly!
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That De[press]ed Conference was the most insipid, idiotic display of ignorance ever seen from any ‘leader’ let alone the ‘leader’ of the free(?) world.
Obama is clueless or wants US to believe we are clueless as to debt-credit-default-spending…the list goes on…
There is a bill [stalled go figure] named S. 163 Full Faith and Credit Act; A bill to require that the Government prioritize all obligations on the debt held by the public in the event that the debt limit is reached. |http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-163|
This is the BIG LIE that the Feds will default on loans…there is plenty of money to cover %interest% on monies in play.
BHO used a analogy that if the debt ceiling is not raised is like a family deciding which credit card to pay…Pay in Full? Minimum Payment? What?
Of course the BIG LIE involves stopping checks to the Military PAYROLL and SS…How bout stopping payment on all check to Federal Employees from prez to janitor?…or stopping payment on ALL checks to ANY government program with the exception of Military[in total] and entitlements?
Not so ‘amusing’ now!
BTW you all can express your opinion on S. 163 by going to |www.popvox.com| a great resource for you to tell congress what you think on any legislation introduced.
Aloha From Sunny South Florida!
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Interesting stuff, I will check it out. Obama is pulling out the class warfare card as well, trying to stir up dissent. So much for bringing the countr together.
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I guess he was never part of that body of government that ran up the debt. And now he is an even bigger threat to our economy.
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The point I take from his remark is that Congress directed the spending, and now is refusing to authorize the means to raise the funds. Honestly, other than politics, there’s no reason for a “debt ceiling.” I wonder if any other developed nation has one. The Congress, we’re told, is not a bunch of dummies and knows full well the situation with the debt – yet on the one hand it continues to authorize spending, and on the other it’s threatening to withhold permission to raise the money it wants spent.
This permits Congresscritters to tell one group of constituents “Hey, I voted to build a 25-lane superhighway through West Podunk, creating twice as many jobs as we have residents in the district!” and to tell another group “Hey, when the DOT wanted to borrow money to build that superhighway, I voted against letting them borrow the money that your grandchildren will still be paying off!”
On a somewhat tangential point – remember how everyone was sneering at Rahm Emmanuel when he said “Never let a good crisis go to waste?” Notwithstanding the obvious fact that he got his lesson from the way the GOP got the PATRIOT Act passed, I heard on the radio this morning that some GOPers are using this current “crisis” to promote the passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
A balanced budget amendment, like term limits and a “debt ceiling,” isn’t the product of thoughtful, reasonable representatives collaborating on the best way to operate and fund a government, it’s the result of a lack of discipline – it’s the Congress and the people saying “Save us from ourselves!”
Take good care and may God bless us all!
TGY
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