Senate GOP says they'll block White House student loan bill

CNN ^

[Perdogg]

Senate Republicans will block Democrats from taking up a White House-backed bill to cap rates on some student loans unless Democrats allow a vote on a GOP alternative, the second-ranking Senate Republican said Monday.

[GeronL]

I’ll believe that when I see it.

[KoRn]

While I tend to agree with the Republicans on this one, but to even be allowed to be perceived as blocking this will be one of the most politically ‘tone deaf’ things I’ve ever seen. We’re talking political suicide in an election year. Not very smart to say the least.

This will be demagogue’d 24/7 by the media, and it will piss off the middle class parents of kids that are in college. The votes of the political zombie college kids are a lost cause, but when you get their parents to voting with them because of something like this, you’re just asking for it.

The dems will be up to bat, and the R’s will be throwing them a hanging curve ball, right down the middle.

[Uncle Slayton]

A great deal of the money loaned to college students is ultimately used on birth control and abortions.

We need to stop these Student Loans all together.

[Cementjungle]

There are sill some Republicans in the Senate? I’m amazed... we never seem to see any action from those elusive figures.

[plain talk]

you might be right. One thing I know is that they have to follow through and hang tight on items like this or not even bother if ultimately they will just cave.

[KoRn]

You are absolutely right! Where they REALLY screw up is when they initially talk tough, and then cave in/change their mind. Then it’s a loser on both sides. They’ll catch hell for opposition, get scared at the sight of poll numbers, then cave in, looking week and inept. If they stake out an opposing position on this(politically sound or not), they are best to stick to their guns, and only have 60% of the electorate mad, rather than 100%.

[shelterguy]

Republican plan of action

Huff
Puff
Cry
Cave

[JediJones]

Yup, that’s what Anne Coulter claimed Newt Gingrich did, but she was just making it up. That’s actually exactly what her golden boy Romney’s plan was all along...talk hardline conservative tough in the primary and then go centrist and wobbly in the general election. But the fly in the ointment now is that the conservative support for Romney is so lacking that he’s getting no money, no volunteers, nothing, and is now afraid to back down from those hardline positions. But if he couldn’t get conservatives by now, he never will. So the establishment’s whole plan is going down the tubes in what will likely be spectacular fashion come November.

[Rome2000]

Washingtonians playing us rubes for suckers and paying lip service to tweaking an activity the Feds have absolutely no business being involved in the first place.

REPEAL THE SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT!!!

[Leep]

Go get em... tiger...?

[TheRobb7]

Random Cajones’.....GOP version.

[cripplecreek]

Keep an ear to the ground about what Lord Mitt says tomorrow Lansing community college.

[firebrand]

Those are the only two places funds could be gotten from? Each one is anathema to the other side.

Why can’t we take some of the $200 million going to the terrorists?

[redgolum]

To block it would be a very bad move on an election year. The GOP is a fat cat who likes firing people (quoted), and they want to raise interest on student loans?

Are they trying to drive people to the socialists?

[Principled]

The swap should be a vote on obamacare repeal... let us vote on the repeal and we’ll play ball.

[italianquaker]

Block what there is already a bill passed by the house.

[The_Reader_David]

And, why exactly, when mortgage rates, rates paid on savings accounts, and a lot of dollar denominated bond yields are at record lows, should the rate charged on student loans double?

We can debate the propriety and utility of the Federal Student Loan program (we'd probably be better off not encouraging everyone to go to university and giving scholarships to those who really ought to be going, provided they major in some traditional discipline, not [Grievance-group] Studies), but until major structural reforms which will not take place until there is at least GOP, or better conservative, control of both Congress and the White House take place, raising student loan interest rates is functionally equivalent to a tax increase on the young, and will produce a corresponding drag on the economy.

[Postman]

Don’t forget that much of the news about what the Republicans say they will or won’t do reaches us after having been predigested by the media.

[BobL]

“While I tend to agree with the Republicans on this one, but to even be allowed to be perceived as blocking this will be one of the most politically ‘tone deaf’ things I’ve ever seen. We’re talking political suicide in an election year. Not very smart to say the least.”

...then why not just concede the Senate to the Dems and head home?

Some of us would like to see a bit of a fight out of the Republicans - and ANY ISSUE they choose to fight will get demagogued - that’s how things work in Washington when you’re trying to keep the country from going broke.