Obama urged to invoke 14th Amendment as debt ceiling deadline nears

POLITICO ^ | JENNIFER EPSTEIN

[Cheerio]

Rep. James Clyburn and a group of House Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling if Congress can’t come up with a satisfactory plan before the Tuesday deadline.

Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that if the president is delivered a bill to raise the debt ceiling for only a short period of time, he should instead veto it and turn to the phrase in the Constitution that says the validity of the U.S. government’s debt “shall not be questioned.”

[Jim Robinson]

Do it. Impeachment time!

[camerongood210]

Yep

[grobdriver]

Do it, rookie.

[SeekAndFind]

All Obama has to do is pay the interest on our debts USING MONEY FROM CURRENT REVENUE, PROBLEM SOLVED.

Our revenue is 10 times our interest debt repayment obligation.

What’s all these drama about invoking the 14th? it isn’t rocket science.

[ClearCase_guy]

the validity of the U.S. government’s debt “shall not be questioned.”

The bank says my neighbor's mortage is overdue. That's a valid point. My neighbor doesn't question the bank on this point at all.

But he doesn't have the money and cannot pay the bill.

[Lazlo in PA]

Feel free Obummer. It will be fun to watch you defend yourself in the middle of a Constitutional crisis as you are running for reelection. You will be painted as the modern day Richard Nixon.

[Errant]

His PLAN all the along. He just needed the right crisis...

[Gritty]

Is it time yet, Clair...?

[Mr. Lucky]

The 14th Amendment prohibits repudiation of existing debt. It doesn’t authorize the President to expend funds not lawfully appropriated or to incur new debt.

[VanDeKoik]

“Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that if the president is delivered a bill to raise the debt ceiling for only a short period of time, he should instead veto it and turn to the phrase in the Constitution that says the validity of the U.S. government’s debt “shall not be questioned.””

So this moron never bothered to read the rest of it that says that only Congress can do this?

Third-rank jackass indeed.

[mlocher]

“I believe that something like this will bring calm to the American people and will bring needed stability to our financial markets,”

Yup. Seeing a dictator being created before your very eyes is very calming.

[americanophile]

Hypocrisy of hypocrisies; the Dems turning to the Constitution. I don't suppose the legislative intent of the reconstruction era Fourteenth Amendment using that language to ensure the honoring of the Civil War debt of the states will be considered. No, it will mean a secret imperial right of the federal executive to spend at will...

[SkyDancer]

[dragonblustar]

Would the republicans do anything about it if obama does that?

[Scott from the Left Coast]

He won’t do this...he’s thinking about nothing but the coming election, he wants, at a minimum, cover of the Republicans voting to increase the debt ceiling and if he can get it, the Holy Grail, them going along with tax increases in the package. That’s his “Read My Lips” hope. He knows the conservative base will bolt the party if he can maneuver the D.C. Republicans into that.

He won’t do it himself. That’s why no White House Plan. He’s looking for nothing but political cover and the ability to point the finger at someone else. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what actually happens in the economy.

[americanophile]

...ah, details. Stop with that logic stuff, will you?

[EBH]

Advantages of the American form of government...

he can only play dictator for 4 years.

(I hope)

[arrogantsob]

Dear Representative Jim “Dumbass” Clybourne, using the 14th would only mean he pays the bond holders. Fine by me.

[EBH]

Obama, locked in a fight with Congress over the federal debt ceiling, joked, "Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting, I promise you. Not just on immigration reform," Obama told members of a National Council of La Raza conference who shouted back, "Yes, you can! Yes, you can!" 7/25/11

The fool is more than thinking about it. He is floating the idea in front of the base.