Senator attacks raising the Debt Ceiling

[mistertrickster]

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.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.

Senator Barack Obama, 2006

[secondwind]

1. He was right back then. Bush was destroying this country.

And what is your point by posting this?

[mistertrickster]

6. My point is that he's an opportunist . . . he voted in favor of funding the Iraq War

and then he attacks raising the debt ceiling to pay for it.

He wasn't a liberal then, and those of us who thought he was--MYSELF INCLUDED--were wrong.

[Johonny]

13. No he's always been in favor of raising taxes to pay for out debt

The dems at that time said we should fund said war if we we're going to fight it, just like they said Medicare prescription drug program should have revenue, just like now Obama says we should raise taxes on the wealthy and cut corporate loop holes. Obama's position has always been to raise the debt ceiling we should have a plan to eventually pay for the things creating the debt. He has yet to ask for a blanket debt ceiling raise here. I seriously don't see any conflict or hypocrisy in Obama. Nor any evil conservative plot. This is basic democratic policy maker, where you create a plan and create a plan to fund said plan.

[mistertrickster]

14. Okay, you make an excellent point, sir. Context does matter I'm finding out. nt

[sharp_stick]

2. He may not have wanted too but

he voted for it at the time without trying to hold everyone that didn't agree with him hostage. To expect the same from the current crop of puke teabaggers seems a bit far fetched.

[mistertrickster]

4. He voted against it in 2006.

[DURHAM D]

10. And he skipped the vote in 2007 and 2008.

By that time he was running for President.

I believe his voting history on this issue is why he postured about his inability to use the 14th.

[Warpy]

3. He was right then and he's right now

and the failure of leadership is in a Republican Party that hasn't realized its insistence on tax cuts has had the opposite of the intended effect and has the guts to raise revenue by raising taxes back to where they should have been all along.

Instead, they just get crazier and crazier as they must apply more and more magical thinking to try to sell their idiocy.

[girl gone mad]

5. I hope he really doesn't think like this.

It's wrong for at least a dozen different reasons.

[mistertrickster]

7. Yup, that's the scary part, isn't it. nt

[phleshdef]

8. But he is agreeing for it to be raised with measures to cut the debt as part of that raise.

In 2006, Bush wasn't doing anything to try to reduce the debt. It was never on his radar at any point during either of his 2 terms.

Barack Obama the Senator opposed raising the debt ceiling while there was no effort at all to reduce the debt.

Barack Obama the President approves of raising the debt ceiling with measures that will significantly reduce the debt.

For better or worse, there is absolutely no inconsistency to these positions.

[mistertrickster]

9. You make a good point. That is an important distinction I hadn't thought of earlier.

nt.

[gateley]

12. Excellent! There IS a distinction! nt

[treestar]

11. That says increasing the debt, not the ceiling

So the context might matter. And he may still feel that way but this is 2011 and things are different and he is President not Senator representing one state.