What cavalier attitude toward default? Who is saying let's default on the debt? Or saying doing so isn't a serious thing? I think you're erecting a strawman there.
lol, what a swell memory you have. Just like the Republicans who are for something until Obama says OK, let's do that, and then they are against it as it magically morphs into a radical socialist commie idea. I note that you didn't respond to my previous post about that. You make it a habit of not responding to anything that might run afoul of your cherished "beliefs."
Save It From The Memory Hole!
David Kurtz | August 12, 2011, 4:21PM
Standard and Poor's says GOPers dismissing default as no big deal contributed to its decision to downgrade U.S. debt. Republicans now claim to have said no such thing. Which virtually demands that we publish a list of who said it, when they said it, and where they said it. Behold the list.
talkingpointsmemo.com
Now that Standard & Poors has confirmed that the chorus of default doubters in the GOP was part of what spooked them into downgrading the U.S. credit rating, Republicans will do all they can to pretend that they never questioned the risk of missing payment obligations, or allowing borrowing authority to lapse. But they sure did! Here's a long, partial timeline of influential Republicans either vouchsafing default, or downplaying the consequences of passing the August 2 deadline without raising the debt limit.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), May 17, 2011: "You want to make sure that the bondholder has confidence that the government's going to be able to pay them.... That's what I'm hearing from most people, which is if a bondholder misses a payment for a day or two or three or four what is more important that you're putting the government in a materially better position to be able to pay their bonds later on."
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), May 18, 2011: "What I think is that the markets are looking to see credible progress on changing the fiscal trajectory in Washington. The markets are not fooled by some date imposed to say that that is the trigger for the collapse. I think the markets are looking to see that there is real reform."
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), May 19, 2011: "The government is not to be trusted with more of your money, so I will refuse to allow them to borrow more. Now is it a good idea to default? No! But this is a false claim being promoted by big-government advocates. We can simply spend what we take in!"
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), June 24, 2011 on administration warnings of "catastrophic consequences" of not raising debt limit: "I don't believe them, it's not true."
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), May 18, 2011: "This problem is so urgent that there is -- an alternative school of thought has emerged recently," Toomey said. "The most high-profile advocate for this was Stanley Druckenmiller ... one of the world's most successful hedge-fund managers, extraordinarily wealthy from his knowledge of the markets, a big money manager now, and a big holder of Treasury securities -- and he has said that he would actually accept even a delay in interest payments on the Treasuries that he holds. And he would prefer that if it meant that the Congress would right this ship."
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), July 13, 2011: "To get a balanced budget amendment in this environment...we'd have to make the serious, credible, earnest threat that if you want to raise [the debt ceiling] and you want to have any Republicans voting for raising it, you're going to have to assist us: You give us 20 votes to adopt the balanced budget amendment in the Senate and we'll make sure you get the votes you need to raise the debt limit."
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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), June 26, 2011: "It isn't true that the government would default on its debt," Bachmann told CBS' Bob Schieffer. "Because, very simply, the Treasury Secretary can pay the interest on the debt first, and then, from there, we have to just prioritize our spending....I have no intention of voting to raise the debt ceiling."
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), June 27, 2011: Bankruptcy "absolutely" could be the best solution to U.S. debt.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), July 13, 2011 on catastrophic consequences of not raising the debt ceiling: "I would encourage the Speaker not to believe the President anymore when the President says things like that."
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), May 16, 2011: "Keeping the debt ceiling at its current level would force Congress to prioritize spending, but it would not force a default on our debt."
Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, July 15, 2011, asked if not raising debt limit would trigger calamitous consequences: "Maybe not. We don't know."
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), July 18, 2011: "I am a little bit cynical about the scare mongering and putting America's back up against this Aug. 2 deadline just to get an increase in the American credit card."
Nebraska Senate candidate Jon Bruning, July 29, 2011: "It may be something that has to happen to make the fundamental changes that are necessary in the American governmental system. We have to shrink it. And, if the Democratic Party that controls the White House and the Senate doesn't understand it, default may be necessary."
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