Really interesting article on why the 14th Amendment might end up being Obama's best choice

[Onlooker]

From Forbes, no less!

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/07/29/can-obama-really-use-the-14th-amendment-to-raise-the-debt-limit/

[elocs]

1. Does the interesting article say why he should not be blabbing about using it beforehand? n/t

[gateley]

8. Good point - IF it's do-able, he's certainly not going to

start yammering about it and maybe give them some time to get their ducks in a row.

[elocs]

10. Others can talk about it, but he really can't. If you have a wild card or trump card

you don't start yelling, "hey, I have a trump card I can use" before you actually need it. He can leave them with some doubt as to whether he can or will use it, but he shouldn't really declare it beforehand.

[woolldog]

11. lol

true

Also if repubs think he's going to do that then from their perspective politically it might disincentivize them from actually getting a bill through. Better to force Obama to use the 14th amend and then mercilessly criticize him as a dictator afterwards. It prevents default but allows the republicans to avoid taking a tough vote. I think the GOP would be miscalculating because i think Obamas popularity would soar if he did invoke those powers. Just don't know if he has the balls to do it.

So good idea to not tip your hand f you're Obama.

[sasha031]

2. the question is will he do it,

I don't have a good feeling about this

[Cleita]

3. From the way the House vote is shaping up right now

in real time, it may be his only option.

[dkf]

4. Its our laws that tie us up in knots.

[shraby]

5. If Obama says he will use it if he has to, the whose story

would then become "is it constitutional or not" 27 hours a day on every news channel..not "is the GOP going to tank the economy by not voting on the debt ceiling raise"
I think I'd rather not know what his plan is for the time being. I want the GOP to take the heat right now.

[yellerpup]

6. Very interesting.

Thanks for including the history of the 14th Amendment. The nation hasn't been so divided since the Civil War. Forbes may be doing a bit of educational softening for the shock that is sure to come whether we default or not. If Obama invokes the 14th Amendment, America will be saved and we will spend the rest of his time in office listening to demands for 'apology' and endless whitewater-like politicking.

[frazzled]

7. The question I always ask myself is ...

Would I want George W. Bush (or, g*d forbid, Michele Bachmann and Co.) invoking power under this amendment?

If your answer is an unqualified "no," then you should not be rooting for Obama to do so.

I was pretty convinced by Tribe's argument. But I could be convinced otherwise. The best thing would be for us to declare the debt ceiling itself unconstitutional.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

9. I thought...

I thought someone from the Treasury had come forward recently and explained that they can't pick and choose which bills to pay. ???

Edit. And then I read a few more paragraphs and realized I'd posted this too soon. D'Oh!