Pic Of The Moment: Obama Calls GOP Government Shutdown Plan What It Is: Extortion

[EarlG]

Finally: Obama uses the E word.

Follow @demunderground

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

1. I wish he'd get around to the T-word

Treasonous

[dsteve01]

4. Would be epic

but it's not his style.

[durablend]

12. Let's cut to the chase what they REALLY are

DOMESTIC TERRORISTS

(and I'd like to see anyone TRY to convince me they're not)

[lark]

14. How about this related T word?

It's more personal, so I like it a bit better - TRAITORS!!!

[Sunlei]

17. IMO, todays republicans are economic terrorists

I don't like America held hostage by them.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

18. They are that

As well as an ongoing criminal enterprise.

IMO

[HowHasItComeToThis]

28. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT OUR DEMOCRACY TO BE A SUCCESS

[Iliyah]

2. "IF" that happens

and the congresscritters refuse to pay their bills and refuse to send out checks, i.e. SSI, SNAP, Medicare/Medicaid and other important issues, than yes, I would consider it as Treason. The house gopers and some senate ones will hold America "Hostage" because their corporate masters don't give a shit about the 99%ers, and are so upset they lost to ACA (Obamacare) that they will sink America because of their unholy pride.

ACA has nothing to do with healthcare but all to do with sore losers.

[caseymoz]

3. Good news and bad news:

The bad news is the GOP is going to ruin the economy and cause massive poverty and suffering.

The good news is, the GOP is going to commit political suicide. I can't see how they are going to survive politically if they do this. I just can't see US voters putting them into office again after this.

I consider the bad news outweighs the good news, but if it's inevitable that they're going to ruin us, we might as well celebrate the good news before we're starving.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. They keep committing suicide...

yet they are still there. They are like roaches.

[caseymoz]

9. No, we just keep thinking . . .

. . . they can't possibly get any worse before they die. The GOP was already terminal. The demographics showed that. The only question was whether they'd be dead by 2016 or 2032, or somewhere in between. Right now, it looks like sooner rather than later and they'll continue to take the country down with them.

But really, if I live for ten more years after they're gone, I have a reason to die happy.

[lark]

16. Don't know if this is possible, but it certainly makes me smile!

Instead of not paying the military or social secuity recipients, how about the government won't pay congress? Can Obama do that? Wouldn't that be poetic justice?

[Sunlei]

19. good idea, congress should work pro bono..if they really love America :)

[caseymoz]

32. Unfortunately, Congress has "the power of the purse."

They set their own salary and fringe benefits. Does that sound like a good job, or what?

[Blue Silent Majority]

26. Nothing To Lose

I think John Boehner wants the GOP (in it current form) to commit political suicide by letting Ted Cruz and the tea party crowd lead the GOP into a government shutdown.

On the surface a shutdown would appear to be suicide for Boehner and the GOP because it will probably lead to major voter backlash in the 2014 midterms giving the Democrats the majority in the House. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Establishment Republicans would love to kill off the wacky tea party movement prior to the 2016 presidential election and they need to get away from being opposed to Obamacare; they lost that fight and they need find a way to give it up. Discrediting the teabagers now might allow the Republican party to move a little bit to the center over the next two years. Why would John Boehner agree to do this you ask, because he has nothing to lose at this point. Boehner has completely lost control of his caucus so there is no way that he will remain on as speaker after 2014. If Boehner is voted out as speaker by his own party he is ruined; if he looses the gavel to Nancy Pelosi, then he saves face. John Boehner could come out of shutdown looking like a victim (within his own party) while Cruz would be the evil villain who precipitated the Democratic takeover of the House.

[rtracey]

5. WHAT THE F.....

Just claim 14th ....The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void."

Mr Obama, walk into the House Chamber, call Boehner over in the corner and say, "I'm claiming 14th and stick the rest pal" and walk out. Quit this BS debt ceiling crap... It make ZERO sense to argue something that is perhaps not even legal...stupid.....

Attn ALL POLITICIANS: QUIT TRYING TO DESTROY THIS COUNTRY.....

[Cryptoad]

11. + 1000 nt

[krispos42]

6. Treason doth never flourish: what is the reason?

If it doth flourish none dare call it treason.




k&r

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

[Cryptoad]

10. Another Shake-Down by the GOP!

Geeez and there are people worried as whether the NSA has read their email all the while the GOP is dismantling this country!

[stonecutter357]

13. K&R

[William769]

15. Kick & recommended.

[gopiscrap]

20. He should have every repuke congress critter arested for extortion!

[MADem]

21. Way to go, EarlG!

Another great graphic!

[ancianita]

22. This is the grifter class' shakedown politics and economics.

[SunSeeker]

23. K & R

[red dog 1]

24. The 14th Amendment may or may not give Obama authority to raise the Debt Ceiling.

"The debt-ceiling crisis in 2011 raises the question of what powers Section 4 of the 14th Amendment gives to the President, an issue that remains unsettled."
Liptak, Adam, July 24, 2011. "The 14th Amendment, the Debt Ceiling and a Way Out"
The New York Times, Retrieved July 30, 2011.
"In recent weeks, law professors have been trying to puzzle out the meaning and relevance of the provision. Some have joined Mr.Clinton in saying it allows Mr Obama to ignore the debt ceiling.
Others say it applies only to Congress and only to outright default on existing debts.
Still others say the President may do what he wants in an emergency, with or without the authority of the 14th Amendment."
New York Times article in Politics section by Adam Liptak, July 24, 2011

From the New York Times article cited above:
"Clinton ..pointed to an obscure provision in the 14th Amendment saying he would unilaterally invoke it "without hesitation" to raise the debt ceiling "and force the courts to stop me."
On Friday, Mr. Obama rejected the idea, though not in categorical terms.
"I have talked to my lawyers," Mr. Obama said, "They are not persuaded that this is a winning argument."
Adding another element of uncertainty, and possible court battles, to the debate do not seem to appeal to the White House. And it is, in any event, not clear that the nation's creditors would continue to lend money to the United States were the President to take unilateral action."

I was unable to fins a working link to the New York Times article:
"The 14th Amendment, the Debt Ceiling and a Way Out", by Adam Liptak

Easiest way to get to the article is to Google
Wikipedia's "Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution",
and scroll down to Footnote # 154 "Liptak, Adam "The 14th Amendment, the Debt Ceiling and a way out."

At Wikipedia's "Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution",
you can also scroll down to the paragraph titled "Validity of Public Debt", which is the second to last paragraph, right before the footnotes.

[demwing]

25. SEDITION!

that's a fact.

Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of the state = sedition.

[grahamhgreen]

27. Since extortion is illegal, shouldn't someone be arrested?

[landolfi]

29. Let them shut it down! Who will notice?

Maybe we could hire some replacement representatives. And no way should Congress get paid. They all deserve to be fired for dereliction of duty.

[Cha]

30. This time President Obama will get to Veto their

bill to defund Obamacare with a Flourish and let America know how much he does care about the people having Affordable Health Care.





https://www.facebook.com/cha.evans.925#!/obamacarefact

Good move, teabagged republicons.

Mahalo EarlG!

[polynomial]

31. Hurray he finally said it...

Analyzing the Republican approach using a complete no chance of agreement exposes a behavior ignored by modern mainstream media Journalist for years if not decades. Just now President Obama declaring the Republican Congress as extortionist in my opinion is mild conservative Democratic pleasant criticism. Considering this offence is repeated show the American citizen a total disrespect for the commitment to oath and affirmation, right in your face the simple good reason we all know they lie like hell.

The President knowing the basic in the elements of the Constitution could make the argument as many of us in this blog know a Congress that fails to support the constitution by oath is treason. Or at minimum ethics that sustains revolt. Finally the President is actually showing leadership in the basic argument.

The obsession is wasted time in Congressional hearings that do not go to convictions, grandstanding theatrics with mainstream media free speech money expanding every possible moment generating cable and satellite commercial time free speech as directed by the compliant Republican Supreme Court complicit in hate mongering through this coolest relation of circular trillion dollar secret derivative market, Cayman Island free speech money laundering the average American citizen will never see besides continuing to hatchet away with misinformation nonstop. Except by the vote.