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Is it Wrong to Use Debt Ceiling Vote as Leverage?

Is it wrong to use the debt ceiling vote as leverage?

  • Yes, it is wrong

    Votes: 6 26.1%

  • No, it is an fair tactic

    Votes: 17 73.9%
  • Total voters
    23
Cameron

Cameron

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Boehner is signaling that he (and presumably the other Republicans) will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless "dramatic steps" are taken "to reduce spending and to reform the budget process.

Wash. Post - "What's So Radical About Boehner's Approach?

Is this wrong, given the "irresponsibility" of not raising the debt limit (Boehner's own words)?

In my opinion, it is fine to take such a position, but only if a responsible and fair plan/compromise has been proposed to reduce spending and reform the budget process. I don't think such a plan has been proposed yet. I also don't think the debt ceiling should be used as leverage to implement lackadaisical or unwise economic reform--essentially, reform that is no more than a political notch to use come election time.

What are you thoughts?
 
Please excuse the grammatical error in the poll. ;)
 
I don't think it is. However, we need to be careful to not make markets nervous.
 
Is it wrong to bankrupt our unborn Grandchildren's Grandchildren in the name of Democrat Subprime Social Spending to Nowhere?


....then using the Debt Ceiling as leverage is completely acceptable.....
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Krhazy said:
Boehner is signaling that he (and presumably the other Republicans) will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless "dramatic steps" are taken "to reduce spending and to reform the budget process.

Wash. Post - "What's So Radical About Boehner's Approach?

Is this wrong, given the "irresponsibility" of not raising the debt limit (Boehner's own words)?

In my opinion, it is fine to take such a position, but only if a responsible and fair plan/compromise has been proposed to reduce spending and reform the budget process. I don't think such a plan has been proposed yet. I also don't think the debt ceiling should be used as leverage to implement lackadaisical or unwise economic reform--essentially, reform that is no more than a political notch to use come election time.

What are you thoughts?
Click to expand...

when you are giving CPR; it does not really matter if you break a rib.
 
I know some libs have claimed that it's wrong.

To those who do, I say "get a grip." This is politics, nothing is off limits. So no, it's not wrong. Those who say it is are ******s.
 
Who cares if it is wrong? It's permissible.
 
I do not think they should raise the debt ceiling. I think they should threaten to shut the government down until drastic cuts are made.
 
I don't want to see either debit ceiling raised or the Gov. shut down but some how we have take charge of the budget in such a way that we attack the debit and convince the Dems. in the Senate of how out of touch Obama is with reality and that Tax and spend is not working have never worked and will never work in the future.

The Tax & spend plans do exactly the opposite of what those who do it say it will do.
 
Threaten to not vote to raise the debt ceiling? How about actually not voting to raise the debt ceiling. We act as if the world will end if the government doesn't feed every one and every thing on the planet.
 
ksu_aviator said:
Threaten to not vote to raise the debt ceiling? How about actually not voting to raise the debt ceiling. We act as if the world will end if the government doesn't feed every one and every thing on the planet.
Click to expand...

That's a good point...We contribute more to foreign aid per capita than any other country in the world. Why is that? And why do we keep doing it when we can't pay our own bills?
 
tessaesque said:
That's a good point...We contribute more to foreign aid per capita than any other country in the world. Why is that? And why do we keep doing it when we can't pay our own bills?
Click to expand...

Foreign aid is pretty much the one thing most people on all sides can agree on cutting.
 
tessaesque said:
Cue dissenting opinion in 3...2..1...
Click to expand...

In all seriousness, cutting all foreign aid won't put a dent in the deficit, and isn't really relevant to the raising of the debt ceiling. I think it's perfectly legitimate for the House GOP to be asking Dems to put concrete cuts on the table.

I'm a liberal - I DO often view government as a problem-solver of the first resort, and I believe in expansive government (Big government if you will). However, taking in less revenue than you are spending, year after year after year, is just plain idiotic. Whoever it was back in the 80s that said "debt isn't a problem" we can just keeping running up the deficit and everything will be fine, was seriously deluded.
 
ksu_aviator said:
Threaten to not vote to raise the debt ceiling? How about actually not voting to raise the debt ceiling. We act as if the world will end if the government doesn't feed every one and every thing on the planet.
Click to expand...

Except that's not what it's about at all. What happens is then we can't pay the obligations we've already made, which throws government bonds into doubt.

Any hope that the recession was over? Forget about it. It's bad for business, and bad for the economy.
 
Not using it as leverage is immoral
 
Bigfoot 88 said:
Not using it as leverage is immoral
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about anybody using it as leverage. I think that making good on the threat is a bad idea. Right now, they're just flexing their muscle, but Boehner's not a dummy. He's not going to do anything to deepen the recession with a Presidential election next year.
 
I dunno... is it wrong to be strapped with explosives threatening to blow yourself up and everyone in the room if you don't get your way? Is that considered good politics or responsible statesmanship?

The debt ceiling has to be raised. Even with the most aggressive budget out there you are going to increase the debt before you begin to decrease it, so the ceiling has to be raised.
 
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Spending needs to be controlled. The Congress needs to cut spending drastically, and if they're unwilling to do so themselves, forcing them to do so is necessary.

If they show the necessary sense of restraint and start behaving responsibly, if they get the idea through their thick pork-laden skulls, then we can raise the debt ceiling and work on reducing it gradually. But until they demonstrate that they can behave responsibly, their options needs to be curtailed.
 
I'd like to have the debt ceiling not raised. Then we can have a fabulous demonstration of the myopic, rhetoric blinded views of the idiocy passing for policy making today. We'll all be poorer, but we'll have very clear view of Republcan scorched earth tactics.
 
Welcome to politics.

The Democrats put the most absurd pork on defense bills Bush had to sign to fund the troops in the field, they can't turn around and complain that the GOP is putting conditions on the debt ceiling vote.

Perhaps if the government wrote a real budget, that was balanced AND STUCK TO IT, there'd be no need for any debt ceiling vote?
 
cpwill said:
when you are giving CPR; it does not really matter if you break a rib.
Click to expand...
Actually, legally speaking, I'm pretty sure that is not true. But I get what you are saying.
 
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