House prepares to vote on “cut, cap, and balance” while Barack Obama threatens a veto

  Most political pundits agree; Barack Obama’s initial “big deal” proposal–which included $4 trillion in spending cuts coupled with tax increases which he knew was DOA–along with his fear-mongering tactics have given him the advantage during this debt ceiling debate. Because he feels as if he has gained the upper hand and has House Republicans back on their heels he warned the Republicans not to call his bluff.

  But House Republicans have not heeded that warning and are prepared to vote on a “cut, cap, and balance” bill tomorrow. This legislation would cut spending by over $100 billion, while capping new spending at about 20% of the gross domestic product, and would allow the debt ceiling to be raised only if the Senate passes a balanced budget amendment.

  Claiming that a balanced budget amendment is not necessary Barack Obama has threatened to veto this legislation in the unlikely event that it passes the Senate after the House approves the measure.

Neither setting arbitrary spending levels nor amending the Constitution is necessary to restore fiscal responsibility,” the White House said in its statement. “Increasing the federal debt limit, which is needed to avoid a federal government default on its obligations and a severe blow to the economy, should not be conditioned on taking these actions. Instead of pursuing an empty political statement and unrealistic policy goals, it is necessary to move beyond politics as usual and find bipartisan common ground

  The White House also claimed that this measure is “extreme and unprecedented.” To which I would argue that this crisis is also extreme and unprecedented, and as such extreme and unprecedented measures are necessary to hold off the impending doom that most people think will occur if the debt ceiling is not raised.

  From a political standpoint I think that this is a great move by the House Republicans: If they pass this legislation and it fails in the Democrat controlled Senate the onus for not raising the debt ceiling falls back on the Democrats. If the House and the Senate both pass this bill and Barack Obama vetoes it, the onus falls right on Barack Obama himself. House Republicans would have approved a measure to increase the debt ceiling–and after all, we all want to avoid that calamity, right–yet in both scenarios I outlined above it will be the Democrats, who when presented with a plan to increase the debt ceiling, instead decided to kill the legislation and send the country into default.

  Barack Obama claimed above that “it is necessary to move beyond politics as usual” in order to find “common ground,” yet it is he who is unwilling to compromise on the Democrats’ fall back position of class warfare and scaring the elderly into supporting their positions.

  The American people spoke out and clear last November, and they sent the Republicans in the House to reign in the out of control spending and balance the budget. This was a clear repudiation of Barack Obama and his policies and yet he is still unwilling to admit that the American people have rejected his ideas. When prudence should dictate to the president that he should begin listening to the American people he has instead decided to double down and ignore the will of the people. He should be the one compromising because that is what the American people are demanding, and yet he continues to try to lead American down this path to ruination.