Press Staff Blog
Here we go again. Norm Ornstein’s op-ed in Roll Call today slams Speaker Boehner’s threat to hold the debt limit hostage once again, calling it a sign of fiscal irresponsibility that will lead us right back to the shutdown threat and S&P downgrade from last year.
Some choice quotes below:
“And more than anything else, there is the new threat to America’s credit rating raised by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), a sign of recklessness that is beyond disturbing. “
Wanted to make sure you all saw this op-ed in Roll Call today by Stan Collender on Speaker Boehner’s “exceptionally irresponsible” demands that he will allow the U.S. to default on its obligations unless he gets exactly what he wants.
In case you missed it in the hustle and bustle last week, Politico goes inside the House GOP Caucus and finds a number of Republican members who are finally ready to admit that revenues are necessary if we’re going to seriously address the deficit, and are rejecting Grover Norquist’s tax pledge.
From the Politico article:
“Grover’s grip may be loosening.”
Wanted to make sure you all saw this editorial in today’s New York Times about the unrealistic and unhelpful debt limit marker Speaker Boehner laid down yesterday. Make no mistake; if the country is once again pushed to the brink of default, it will be because Speaker Boehner and Congressional Republicans are once again choosing confrontation over compromise.
You would think Republicans would avoid bringing our nation to the brink of default once again, but a year later Speaker Boehner is putting forward the same partisan strategy that resulted in our nation’s first credit downgrade:
“In other words, welcome to déjà vu all over again.”
Even though Speaker Boehner has spent the day blaming Democrats for our current deficit problem, the numbers—and the charts—tell a very different story. Today, TPM breaks down the real reasons for our exploding national debt. Here’s a hint: It isn’t the policies of President Obama or Congressional Democrats.
We know you have all been glued to the edge of your seats waiting for that plan from the GOP to “replace” the health reform law. Turns out you are going to have to wait a little longer, as the GOP “shies away” from actually doing something to address skyrocketing health care costs and insurance company discrimination.
One would think that House Republicans would be focused on job creation and investments that support our economy. But instead, the House is voting on a Republican amendment offered by Rep. Schweikert that targets voting rights.
It is a rare day when we here in the Democratic Whip Press shop implore Republicans to heed the advice of conservative Senator James Inhofe. But as the impasse over the highway bill drags on, stranger things have happened. To recap how we got here: The Senate passed a bipartisan bill with an overwhelming 74 votes, while House Republicans floundered for months, unable to pass anything beyond a short term extension that needed significant Democratic support to pass.