American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs Message Board

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next

To: sandintoes who wrote (67296)

10/17/2013 11:34:38 PM

From: calgal

Read Replies (1) of 71588

Review Oct. 17, 2013/ 13 Mar-Cheshvan, 5774

Obama has failed to follow his own example

By Victor Davis Hanson

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on print
Share on email
More Sharing Services 100

[iframe id="_atssh372" title="AddThis utility frame" src="http://ct1.addthis.com/static/r07/sh138.html#iit=1382067209570&tmr=load%3D1382067208448%26core%3D1382067208688%26main%3D1382067209564%26ifr%3D1382067209584&cb=0&cdn=1&chr=ISO-8859-1&kw=Victor%20Davis%20Hanson&ab=-&dh=www.jewishworldreview.com&dr=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewishworldreview.com%2F&du=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewishworldreview.com%2F1013%2Fhanson101713.php3&dt=Victor%20Davis%20Hanson%3A%20Obama%20has%20failed%20to%20follow%20his%20own%20example&dbg=0&md=2&cap=tc%3D0%26ab%3D1&inst=1&irt=1&jsl=4128&prod=undefined&lng=en-US&ogt=&pc=men&pub=bljolkov&ssl=0&sid=5260ac08fd1950fe&srpl=1&srcs=1&srd=1&srf=0.02&srx=1&ver=300&xck=0&xtr=0&og=&aa=0&rev=123888&ct=1&xld=1&xd=1&fcu=UmCsCNKsiSo" style="height: 1px; width: 1px; position: absolute; z-index: 100000; border-width: 0px; left: 0px; top: 0px;"][/iframe]

[iframe name="google_conversion_frame" title="Google conversion frame" width="300" height="13" src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/994187515/?random=1382067208558&cv=7&fst=1382067208558&num=1&fmt=1&label=gQZVCJXJ8QQQ-7GI2gM&guid=ON&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=732&u_aw=1366&u_cd=32&u_his=3&u_tz=-300&u_java=true&u_nplug=21&u_nmime=109&ref=http%3A//www.jewishworldreview.com/&url=http%3A//www.jewishworldreview.com/1013/hanson101713.php3&frm=0" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no"][/iframe]

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Republicans and Democrats are still name-calling in their arguments over the government shutdown, out-of-control federal spending and the implementation of Obamacare.

Yet if both sides would agree to just follow the earlier advice of President Obama, tempers might cool and a deal could still be reached. And had President Obama himself just listened to earlier guidance from Barack Obama, his opponents might have had no cause for either a government shutdown or another debt-ceiling crisis.

In 2006, Obama rightly called for an end to the Bush administration's intemperate deficit spending that had resulted in an annual deficit of $250 billion that year. Accordingly, Sen. Obama voted to shut down the government rather than automatically to extend the debt ceiling. He explained his resistance this way: "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."

Obama rightly added an additional warning in forcing an impasse over further borrowing: "Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America's priorities. Instead, interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans -- a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk about."

The next year, Obama voted "present" rather than to approve another $160 billion in annual borrowing that would add to the debt. Then-Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi agreed with Obama's worries over serial deficits, at various times voting no to President Bush's requests to raise the debt ceiling to allow more annual deficits.

Unfortunately, the calls of Obama, Biden and Reid for fiscal restraint were largely ignored by now suddenly deficit-obsessed Republicans -- and the 2006 shutdown effort failed 52-48 on a close but strictly partisan Senate vote. While President Obama has repudiated his earlier "political vote" against raising the debt ceiling, then-Sen. Obama was mostly right in trying to shoc

Report TOU Violation

Share This Post

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next