Democrats to Obama: Keep Constitution on the Table in Debt Ceiling Fight

[octoberlib]

The White House insists President Barack Obama can’t — and won’t — use the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling.

But a growing number of his congressional allies are urging Obama not to abandon a potentially powerful weapon before negotiations even begin.
With Republicans promising another climactic fight over the $16.4 trillion debt limit in two months, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday that if she were president, she would invoke the Constitution to raise the ceiling on her own — with or without permission from the GOP.
I would do it, in a second, but I’m not the president of the United States,” Pelosi said


Like many other Democrats, Pelosi is eyeing the language in the 14th Amendment stating that the validity of U.S. public debts “shall not be questioned.” Prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have argued that language — added in the aftermath of the Civil War — gives Obama all the authority he needs to break the ceiling.

Whether Obama could invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt limit is an open legal question.
Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said on Friday the Constitution not only allows Obama to bypass Congress on the debt ceiling — it compels him to.
“I think [the Constitution] is pretty clear. He must do something about paying the bills,” Udall said. “If Congress doesn’t give him an avenue to do that, a leader needs to take a course of action if the bills aren’t being paid. That could be devastating to our economy. It could be devastating to our reputation around the world.”
The president has insisted that he won’t negotiate around the ceiling, calling the threat of default an unacceptable bargaining chip in budget negotiations. The White House has not commented on other options

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/democrats-keep-constitution-on-the-table-85792.html#ixzz2H3iD9vML

[OccupyManny]

1. New Constitution

Everytime I hear one of these repukes talking about the Constitution I want to gag. The thing is way outdated and in no way reflects the time we live in now. Even Justice Ginsberg didn't recommend Egypt model it's constitution after it.

We need a new constitution and not one that was created by racist landowners so many years ago. It's completely flawed and outdated.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Give the do nothing House an opportunity and then do the job for which hwe has taken an oath.

Where are the Constitution whiners when it cones to our national debt, the "We the people" bunch, you can't cry Constitution only on portions. President Obama is a Constitution scholar, he knows his way around and through the Constitution much better than many in Congress.

[julian09]

3. He should have kept it on the table and threatened to use it. Then again

there is the chance it would encourage the Gop would push him to actually do it, with no worries to Gop, who would use excuse Obama said he was going to use 14th amendment, we thought he meant it.
If he has no intention of doing 14th amendment remedy, best not to bluff because it might be called.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Everything's on the table only when

the poor, the aged, and the sick are concerned.

When it's Republicans, bankers, or the 1%... Must be very, very careful.