Dems to vote against credit-limit hike? (Fiscal responsibility at last ?)

Hotair ^ | 01/11/2011 | Ed Morrissey

[SeekAndFind]

Remember last week when refusing to support a raise in the debt-limit ceiling was called “deeply irresponsible” by the Obama administration? Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner made that accusation in a letter to Congress, while Barack Obama’s economic adviser Austan Goolsbee warned Republicans not to “play chicken” with the debt ceiling. In an interview with ABC on January 2nd, Goolsbee warned that “[t]he impact on the economy would be catastrophic,” while Geithner warned of “catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades.”

That’s now old and busted. The new hotness? Voting against the debt-ceiling hike to make Republicans the responsible party:

Relegated to the minority, Democrats are hinting they might vote against raising the ceiling to force the GOP’s hand.

Democrats relegated to minority status in the House say Republicans are now the ones responsible for raising the federal debt ceiling and are hinting that they might vote against it to force the GOP’s hand.

“It is up to the majority to get this bill through; they can’t duck the responsibility,” Financial Service Committee ranking member Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told The Hill on Friday.

Will the White House scold Barney Frank for being “deeply irresponsible”? They should, because there was at least some momentum towards cutting a deal on the debt limit increase with spending reductions in the budget. Frank instead wanted to play chicken, in Goolsbee’s words, and he may well have made it impossible for either side to support the increase, if anyone pays attention to Frank’s leadership.

On this point, though, they probably won’t. The White House will look impotent indeed if it can’t round up a considerable majority in its own party’s caucus to support a measure they claim is direly needed to stave off economic disaster, especially if that argument is actually true. Considering that Democrats will almost certainly fight the kind of deep and immediate cuts in entitlement programs required to keep the US from overrunning the debt limit and defaulting on its obligations, their predictions of doom are at the least realistic.

At least it settles which party in Congress is “deeply irresponsible.” Conservative Republicans want to at least make the cuts that would arguably render the increase unnecessary. Frank now says Democrats won’t vote for either. That’s playing chicken with a Yugo against a Mack truck.

[Doogle]

yeah yeah...and the death panels had to be pulled a second time. How many footballs do you have to fall on you ass for before you kick Lucy in the ******* head?

[screaminsunshine]

Wanna bet? I am for not raising it and cutting spending and the size of government.

[traditional1]

The Dem's can't vote to keep the Cap.....if they did, their entitlements crowd of "OBAMA MONEY" would be the FIRST target of cuts (or certainly should be).

Second, the Republicans should implement a pay-for-work to all those able-bodied (reviewing EVERY SSDI claimant) and everyone who recieves ANY public assistance whatsoever, where they will be required to perform Public Works projects or lose their benefits, replacing $35/hr and up Union Lackeys on the Public Dole.

Next; eliminate ALL Federal Union representation in public service. This would be to FIRE (as Reagan did to the ATC's) and offer to RE-HIRE the workforce, strategically reducing Federal employees by at least 25%. (They could pass a budget that reduced the available funds to staff EVERY Congressional office-holders' staff, too).