Bill Clinton Shatters the Republican Attempts to Blame Obama For a Government Shutdown

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2013/09/27/bill-clinton-shatters-republican-attempts-blame-obama-government-shutdown.html

Bill Clinton Shatters the Republican Attempts to Blame Obama For a Government Shutdown

By: Jason Easley
Sep. 27th, 2013

Former President Bill Clinton is pushing back, and pushing back hard against the Republican attempts to blame President Obama an the Democrats for a government shutdown.

Video @ link~

Breaking News

Transcript:

CLINTON: If I were the president, I wouldn’t negotiate over these draconian cuts that are going to take food off the table of low-income working people, while they leave all the agricultural subsidies in for high-income farmers and everything else. I just think it’s — it’s chilling to me. The entitlement spending is going down as the unemployment rate drops and the economy grows. Half of the deficit has already disappeared. The rest of it, well this is just, it seems almost spiteful.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But doesn’t it all come undone if there is a default? I mean all this saying you’re not going to negotiate, you’re betting on the other side caving.

CLINTON: That’s right. This is the House Republicans and the tea party people saying we don’t want to negotiate with the Democrats. We want to dictate over the Senate, over the House Democrats, over the Speaker of the House of our own party, and over the president. We insist on dictating the course of the country.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re saying that you just have to stand up to that, no matter what the consequences?

CLINTON: I think you do, because they haven’t asked for negotiations.

Former President Clinton made two points that the media is overlooking. The Republicans aren’t negotiating. They issued a series of public demands. Public ultimatums and demands are not the characteristics of a serious negotiation. The second point is critical. While Republicans have been complaining in the media that the president won’t negotiate with them, they haven’t asked for any negotiations. In fact, they aren’t speaking to the White House at all.

snip//

This is why all Democrats must stand united, and say no. Appeasement will only embolden. The House Republicans will only back down when they are defeated. Toughness and resolve always triumphs over extremism. Obama is doing the right thing, and Democrats need to show their support.

[northoftheborder]

1. So glad Clinton said these things, needed to be pointed out. I still fear Obama will cave.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. I really don't think so. Not this time. We've got to unite, though.

We can't continue to demonize and hate on this president. We must have his back and stand firm. All Democrats must stand firm. Time to unite. We have absolutely no choice now.

[bluestate10]

28. Caving isn't an option. We aren't talking small adjustments here, we are looking at

a radical attempt to enforce the platform of the republican national convention, a platform which American voters soundly rejected.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. If the debt ceiling doesn't get increased the cuts will occur automatically; only deeper and

far, far more suddenly. Effectively, the GOP holds all the cards if they are willing to do this, consequences be damned. As unfair as that may be it is still the truth.

[trumad]

6. Shit...Mint a coin.

Repukes don't have shit.

[yodermon]

7. problem is the Bond market won't react well to that. Coin option could be ruled unconstitutional

and thus bonds purchased under "coin option" could be ruled void. All it takes is a tiny bit of doubt to spook the markets.

[pscot]

9. So we better just give 'em whatever they demand?

[yodermon]

10. Well if we're fucked either way, I say mint the coin. However don't expect it to just make things OK

TeaPublicans are trying to force Obama into doing something for which they can (try to) impeach him.

[pscot]

18. tea-republicans are the sorriest losers

this country has ever produced. The're stupid, selfish looneys, barking at the moon. They're an embarrassment. They make us all look bad.

[bluestate10]

27. A more plausible route is for President Obama to use the clause in the Fourteenth Amendment

that dictates that the validity of debt of the United States of America can never be questioned. The President can issue a Declaration that House republicans are questioning the legitimate debt of the United States of American and as such stand in violation of the validity clause of the 14th Amendment. The President can then issue an Executive Order that raises the debt ceiling for five years without congressional review and issue an Executive Order that dictates that when Congress passes a law, it must have considerations for the impact of that law on US debt embedded in the law.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

32. The validity of old debt isn't being questioned; only how much, if any, new debt will be incurred.

[trumad]

30. It isn't unconstitutional.

The Treasury can mint anything it wants.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

37. The Weimar Republic tried that to satisfy it's reparations debt.

It crashed their economy. Zimbabwe too. And Argentina. Pretty much every time and every place it is tried.

[trumad]

39. Again--Mr. Krugman.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/be-ready-to-mint-that-coin/

[Nuclear Unicorn]

40. Krugman is a political hack. He's arguing from his bias.

The history is there and no one will accept some stupid coin as payment.

[trumad]

42. A political hack?

And you Sir are what?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

43. I'm reciting history, which neither you or Krugman can refute.

Please show me which nation could create massive amounts of currency with no underlying economic activity or commodity and NOT have its economy crash.

Just 1.

Nor can you refute the fact nobody will accept some silly little coin as payment for US obligations. You realize, of course, that as a trillion dollar coin it cannot be divided, ergo it can only be used as a lump sum payment, further eroding its liquidity because no one will agree to accept such a gimmick as payment. If I'm wrong please show me which government or private entity will accept the coin.

Just 1.

And yes, he is a hack because he doesn't argue from principle or knowledge but strictly from political expediency. His opinions on deficits changes with the party in power. That isn't even advocacy, that's unwitting political suicide because his advice isn't grounded in reality. Fact free advice causes leaders to do things contrary to the public good which gets them in trouble with their constituencies.

[trumad]

44. Uh---let me see---

A noble prize winning economist----OR a guy named Unicorn on the internets....

Dude---you're too funny.

[Shivering Jemmy]

33. No court will rule us into a default

They will defer to the executive.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

29. Despite what the fantisists tell you that coin would be worthless

If the President had a trillion dollar coin struck and then tried to buy back a trillion dollars worth of treasury bonds from the Chinese or someone else, they would just laugh. It might be worth a $1000 but only as a novelty.

[trumad]

31. Pretty much every economist out there says it will work

Including Krugman.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/be-ready-to-mint-that-coin/

[Nuclear Unicorn]

34. Have any of those economists asked someone holding $1,000,000,000,000 in T-bonds if

They would be willing to trade all their bonds for this shiny new coin minted as a budgetary gimmick in the midst of a constitutional crisis? I'll wager those economists have only political skin in the game and no financial assets.

The first rule of value is: it's not what you say it's worth, it's only worth what the other guy is willing to voluntarily give you.

[trumad]

35. I trust Krugman--- not some Keyboard warrior.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

36. In other words: no one holding our bonds would accept the coin as repayment

Next up: magic beans

[Old and In the Way]

3. If the tables were turned and it was the Democrats in the House holding our economy hostage...

would the media be so malleable on this question? No debt limit increase unless we get Single Payer, a $20.00 minimum wage, a trillion dollar infrastructure investment for transportation and decentralized renewable energy, and a across-the-board cut of 30% to the Defense Dept budget?

Something tells me, Corporate Media would be leading the charge in their demonization of Democrats for this kind of extortion that these losers are attempting on the American people.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. In total agreement

[kentuck]

4. Only one side can stop it.

That is the side that will be responsible if there is a shutdown. Only one side has the power to stop this anytime they want.

[Xyzse]

5. He's right.

You do have to stand up regardless the consequence. At some point, you just have to bite the bullet and show you mean business.

I'm sorry, but it really does have to be pointed out that they don't intend to negotiate, just dictate.
It is why they got away with so much. I haven't seen much in regards to an effective counter-measure, and the more we give, the more they demand.

This is, all the while they delude themselves that their counterparts don't compromise, when they have just gotten crazy.

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

[SunSeeker]

11. You can't negotiate with terrorists.

It only encourages more terrorism.

[Martin Eden]

13. Yep. When you cave in to the demands of hostage-takers, you encourage hostage-taking.

President Obama is doing what is absolutely necessary -- stating up front he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling or a government shut-down.

We can't keep having a confrontational crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences every time the debt ceiling or a budget deadline is approached.

The president simply must not reward those kind of tactics.

[Dawson Leery]

15. +1,000,000,000,000

The tea party is just that.

[sakabatou]

23. Yup

[Cha]

14. K&R

[William769]

16. Kick & recommended.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.

[freshwest]

19. 'Obama is doing the right thing, and Democrats need to show their support.' +1,000

[grahamhgreen]

20. Obama has got to realize that right wing authoritarians want to be told what to do.

[Hekate]

21. KnR for the Explainer-in-Chief

OT here, but did you catch Bill Clinton's comments about sane gun control? He talked about Colorado -- how in one election the state passed gun control laws and in the very next election cycle, two elected officials were recalled. He said the problem is that Democrats do not protect their candidates/office holders. He emphasized this several times, and said if Dems had the focus of Repubs we would come out in every election and we would protect our people against the NRA. And as long as we don't do this, nothing will change. Nothing.

[bluestate10]

25. Clinton is again right on.

Democrats don't protect their office holders that take difficult votes. The reason is their votes will NEVER satisfy everyone. The Left don't think the vote went far enough, the right think it went too far. People in the middle think the action is right, but those people aren't passionate voters. So, an election come up. The Left stays home because they are pissed that the officeholder didn't show enough purity. The middle don't care enough to go out of their way, the election isn't important to them. The right shows up to vote and the officeholder is defeated. This dynamic happened with Democrats to took tough votes in 2009 and 2010 on Obamacare, Women's pay equity, many of those people lost their seats because the Left didn't feel they went far enough and stayed home while Independents bought the right's lies.

[B Calm]

22. I've never known republicans to negotiate in my life, it's either their way or nothing!

Piss on the stubborn fools, let them dig their own graves!

[bluestate10]

24. Clinton is right on. Republicans aren't attempting to negotiate, they are making implausible

demands and expect the other side to cave. Their behavior is equivalent to telling a person that they can either give you what you want, or you will kill them - what sane person would accept those terms when they have ample capacity to defend themselves?

[Romulox]

38. This is how government works. Cries of "unfair!" fail to impress anyone. nt

[Buns_of_Fire]

41. I stand to be hurt pretty badly if things shut down.

That said, fuck 'em. With a rusty chainsaw. If the entire country grinds to a halt because of the teabillies in Congress, let's see how many of them have the nerve to show their faces in their own districts.

[spanone]

45. K&r...