Posted on 10/08/2013 3:22:08 PM PDT by Red Steel
Republican Sen. Mark Kirk has said he'd vote for a clean debt limit raise. His colleagues are less forthcoming
As Salon’s Brian Beutler and others have reported, Senate Democrats are moving to test Republican claims that the votes aren’t there in the Senate to raise the debt ceiling without Democratic concessions. (Beutler wrote Monday that Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to revive a gambit previously pitched by Mitch McConnell, under which over half of Congress could cast votes against raising the debt ceiling, and barring a two-thirds majority, the president could do it anyway.)
An aide to Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin told Yahoo!’s Chris Moody that every senator in the Democratic Caucus would vote for a “clean” debt ceiling increase. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk yesterday became the first Republican to say he’d do so as well. So how many of his Republican colleagues would join him – or at least allow an up-or-down vote?
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
Uh, raising the debt ceiling is a Dirty ‘Rat Trick on the children of America.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3076448/posts
Manchin Shows First Crack in Democratic Front on Debt Limit
Rollcall ^ | 5:55 p.m. today | Meredith Shiner
Posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 3:16:35 PM by Red Steel
Sen. Joe Manchin III said Tuesday that Democrats should negotiate a debt deal as part of the debt limit increase — a break from Democratic leaders and President Barack Obama.
The West Virginia Democrat said he personally is “looking for a bigger plan” to reduce the debt as part of the discussion to authorize payment of the government’s bills.
Manchin talked to a group of reporters before Democrats’ weekly luncheon Tuesday and said he supports using the debt limit debate as a vehicle to attach deficit reduction, such as the Bowles-Simpson plan — Democratic leaders and the president have vowed not to negotiate any concessions to the GOP under threat of a default. Manchin would not say whether this meant he would join the GOP in filibustering debate over a straight-up extension of the debt limit that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., planned to introduce Tuesday.
“I’m looking for a bigger plan. … I’m worried about my children and grandchildren and it seems like here all we’re worried about is how we get to our next crisis,” Manchin said. “People may be talking about no negotiation. You’ve got to negotiate. That’s what we’re here to do.”
When pressed on whether he thought it was a “mistake” for Reid to push forward with a clean debt limit bill, which could be voted on as early as this week, Manchin would not say.
“I’m not going to say what is going to be a mistake, [but] I’ve never seen anything that’s been a big hit around here,” Manchin said.
After Tuesday’s lunch, the West Virginia Democrat did not clarify or change his position, though Democrats did discuss a clean debt ceiling bill strategy Manchin claimed to have never heard of previously.
Democratic leadership aides have said they believe their bosses can hold all 54 members of their caucus on a procedural vote to consider the clean debt limit bill, just like they did in repeated votes on bills from House Republicans leading up to and since the shutdown Oct. 1. And as we reported Monday, several Republicans are poised to break with their party to support opening up debate on the bill to avert a government default.
But Manchin’s comments and the potential actions they belie do not constitute the first problem for leaders from the West Virginian’s outsized and oft-expressed shoot-from-the-hip opinions. And it most likely won’t be the last.
Salon = troll with a website.
I see the usual douchebag republicans are jumping onto the leftist newspeak regarding a pork laden blank cheque.
Nice try, Salon.
Ain’t buying it no mo.
Shove it up your collective socialist Obamaholes.
I think the best we can hope for is getting the Debt Ceiling raised a teeny tiny bit....ONLY if BIG cuts to expenditures are agreed to by the DEMS....at least until we get some stronger reps in Congress. (Laura Ingraham said same.)
Salon is practicing VooDoo again.
Stopping all federal funding to state and local governments would solve quite a few problems.
Every day the republicans hand Obama more power. With the second CR they admitted he has the authority to change the ACA.
Raise? Shouldn’t the GOP be hammering the “I’ll half the deficit in my 1st term”. How about a ‘compromise’ to help him reach his goal...if not a BIT late?
Instead we get these sell-outs?? Boy, with friends like these...
In the spirit of bipartisanship and to prevent the disenfranchisment of the citizens of the United States, I think the republicans should agree to raise the debt limit...One Dollar...
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