Debt ceiling debate causes turmoil for 2012 hopefuls
The ongoing deadlock over raising the debt ceiling has yet to cause too much turmoil in the stock market, but it’s already throwing a wrench into the campaigns of the three members of the House running for president.
After a postponed vote late Thursday and an announcement from Majority Leader Eric Cantor that the House would be in session through the weekend, the timing of congressional action remains hazy. Already, that haziness has caused Michigan Rep. Thad McCotter to pull out of planned Iowa events for Thursday and Friday, including an appearance at the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s presidential candidate series and an appearance with the Dallas County GOP.
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“A week ago, we had to cut things short to go back to vote for ‘Cut, Cap and Balance.’ Here, we had to cancel two days worth of events for the debt vote,” McCotter Iowa strategist Chris Rants told POLITICO.
McCotter, who supports the Boehner plan, is scheduled to speak at the Smart Girl Summit, a conservative women’s gathering, in St. Louis, Mo. Saturday. But Rants said the campaign is playing it by ear to make sure McCotter won’t miss debt votes.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, meanwhile, has made the issue a focal point of her campaign, not just in her first Iowa television ad, but also by taking to the airwaves from Washington.
But even in Washington, she’s had to juggle schedules: she missed a procedural vote on the debt ceiling vote while giving a speech at the National Press Club.
Bachmann is scheduled to return to Iowa Saturday, with a full slate of events across the state set to carry her through Monday.
Bachmann’s in the midst of a major push to have a strong showing at the Ames straw poll Aug. 13, but skipping a House vote to campaign would leave her open to questions about her commitment to her government work. Her campaign did not respond to requests for comment about whether that schedule is being reconsidered.
But for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, spending time in Washington during the debt ceiling debate, instead of heading to Iowa and New Hampshire, has been an advantage, his campaign believes.
Paul aides believe that having their man in the Capitol to speak out against increasing the debt limit gives him the maximum exposure for his libertarian message. He’s only been in the early state’s three days in July, and he isn’t scheduled to return until a brief trip on Aug. 2, the debt limit deadline.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, scheduled to campaign for his father in eleven cities in the Hawkeye State Friday and Saturday, also canceled his planned appearance due to the debt ceiling negotiations.
“Naturally we understand that Sen. Paul is required to be in Washington for a critically important vote on the debt ceiling,” said Drew Ivers, a longtime Iowa GOP activist serving as Paul’s campaign chairman in Iowa.
“I’m sure Sen. Paul’s supporters are disappointed by not being able to see him due to this postponement, but it is far more important to have a strong taxpayer advocate in the Senate for this crucial vote.”
-Dan Hirschhorn contributed to this report.
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Ohio Citizen Party: Democrat
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Read all 19 comments in our forumThe Boehner bill is dead.
Even if they get the votes, the difficulty of getting them sends the message to the Senate that this thing is a wounded duck. They will take great pleasure in finishing it off.
Any Republican that comes from a district that does not want this bill is putting the noose around their own neck.
It's all amusing that some of them are actually going to hang themselves for a bill that has no chance of ever becoming law.
Would you fall on a grenade to save a corpse? Would it make you a hero if you did?
The NEW WORLD ORDER has begun at https://NovusOrdoMundi.com
The "death" Congress has arisen. Bachmann blames Obama. That's a joke. Did you ever hear of Mikie did it. It would be a lot simpler and much more competent, functional, and grownup if Congress would just vote on raising the debt ceiling a certain amount so not to endanger the markets, for they have started going down, and so is our credit rating. They can argue deficit reduction another time. If this country defaults it will be the "death" Congress' fault, not Obama's . I don't care how high the deficit is. Some think that Mitt Romney is the front runner with his touts of "no taxes" in balancing the budget. He never cut, capped, and balanced the budget without the balanced approach. He is still new in the game, but he had a democratic controlled legislature that was functional, and alive. He never cut the increased Capital gains tax. He also closed corporate loopholes, taxed businesses, fees and taxes on everything but the kitchen sink, and cut spending Not to mention $500 million dollars for Federal grants.. He balanced the budget, paid down the deficit, and had a surplus. The end result? Increased unemployment, higher property taxes, college tuition climbed 60 percent. He would have never survived the "death" congress. He won't in 2013. You see the balanced approach is the best. We need them now, not then. Or is that part of this ball game. "To bring President Obama" down. That's all this is. Vengeance. They're going to bring down more than President Obama. We're all going down. This is homicide. How to kill our country in six easy lessons. If President Obama did anything at all, he'd charge them with treason. Unfortunate, he can't even do that. Those of you voted for these clowns in 2010 are just as responsible for this. Don't pass the buck to Obama, you know he has not done this political extortion. It is unforgivable. They're lucky they're not fired. If I was president, I would have gotten a court order to override this ****, and get the ceiling raised. I hope he does.
None of the Republican candidates has shown any courage on this issue. Except for the crazies, they have been ducking for cover the whole time, hoping not to make the Tea Party mad.
Speaking of Polls.........PEW just released a large poll that shows Perry fading and Romney back out to a nearly double digit lead: Romney, who has a Tea Party problem............lol ......according to our dirty dishonest Free Press......leads with Tea Party members..........
Meanwhile, there is no greater clarity to the GOP nomination race.
as long as you think Paul's ideas are those of a "...taxpayer advocate..." then you never understood that his plans destroy both the Middle-Wage-Earner & the Minimum wage earner.....Paul is doing as President James Madison wrote his wife . . .
. . . " . . . only Wealthy Landowners will control this nation ..."... [he also wrote, in that same letter, that the labor class (farmers at that time) was uneducated, and could never run anything.]
Rand & I agree on many parts of our functioning government, yet, he really favors business rights over communities.
This is going to end up with the dems plus enough repubs voting for something that comes out of the senate. Otherwise, Obama will do it himself under the 14th ammendment & the article 1 of the constitution and fight it out in court later. If he wins the court battle the legislature loses this hammer forevermore. Thats the risk that is not being talked openly about.
It's a sad reflection on the Republican presidential field that the country would be better served if the candidates skipped the crucial weekend votes in D.C.
Bachmann is an idiot with outspoken opinions on emotional topics about which she knows nothing. Yet the sheep cheer her on.
All of us here still waiting for the "front runner" republican candidate Mitt Romney to grow a spine and share with us what he thinks the right path should be... i.e. to LEAD
But of course, the spineless leader of ours does not want to have any position regarding any issue and is happy hiding till february...
If no one can locate the "front runner" can we please stop calling him that?
At least Ron Paul, Michel Bachman, even Huntsman have made their choices clear to us to judge and choose... Grow up Mr. Romney
Trump might jump in and he would be a million times better than Obumbler. He knows business, deals with China, knows how to treat Royals and has guts to say what he thinks. I read idiots that call him idiots. I truly would like to see what these people have accomlished in life except to look for the next welfare check. If things keep going like they are now, hopefully there won't be any money left for all the freeloader in this land.
The American people are seeing the demise of the Republican Party. It is now obvious that they have a strong death wish and that they will everything in their power to alienate the American electorate.
VOTING FOR A REPUBLICAN IS A SIGN THAT ONE IS NOT AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
You are right. It is becoming increasingly clear that President Obama is going to have to invoke the authority in the 14th Amendement because of the failure of the Republican Party to do what is necessary.
ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM CAN SEE THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE A DEATH WISH. THEY WANT TO BE MINORITY POLITICAL PARTY IN THIS NATION FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES.
The words "Republican" and "courage" should never be used in the same sentence. Republicans have shown themselves over and over again to have a death wish. They will not be content until they become a permanent minority political power in this nation for the next several decades.
VOTING FOR A REPUBLICAN IS LIKE A CHICKEN VOTING FOR COLONEL SANDERS.
NEWS FLASH: It is irrelevant who the Republicans are foolish enough to nominate. There is very little likelihood that the American people will ever again waste a vote on a Republican. It is clear to anyone who has been paying attention to the world around them that the Republican agenda is to ensure that the USA becomes a third world nation.
THE REPUBLICANS HAVE NO AGENDA THAT INDICATES THAT THEY WILL WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. WE HAVE YET TO RECOVER FROM THE LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE KNOWN AS THE BUSH REGIME. IT IS NOW OBVIOUS THAT REPUBLICANS ARE CLUELESS ON HOW TO LEAD THIS NATION INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.
The only reason that anyone would vote for Rand Paul is because he wants to legalize prostitution and cocaine.
REPUBLICANS CAMPAIGN COMPLAINING THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT WORK. THEN WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO ELECT THEM, THEY PROVE THAT GOVERNMENT IS NOT ABLE TO WORK AS EFFECTIVELY AS IT COULD OR SHOULD.
The most important thing to remember is that if President Obama wins, the American people win. There will indeed be a court fight if President Obama has to invoke the 14th amendment provision. However, there is precedent since President Truman enacted the 14th amendment.
Republicans are in a lose - lose situation and they are not smart enough to figure this realilty out for themselves.
It is clear to anyone who has been paying attention to the world around them that the Republican Party has the weakest field of potential nominees for President in American history. This reality coupled with the general distaste for the Republican agenda that is sweeping across this nation ensures that the Republican Party will be a minority political party for decades in the future.
It is now obvious to the American people that they are not able to trust any Republican.
ROFLMAO. You must have been in a coma during the brief period of the Donald Trump campaign. He proved that he lacks the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of President of the United States.
Donald Trump would never survive the Republican primary process because of his multiple marriages, his repeated bankruptcies and his general lack of ethical standards.
The number of people who collect welfare checks in this nation is very small and they are not generally inclined to speak out about those seeking to become the next President of the United States.
The freeloaders that you have to worry about are the corporations who are the puppet masters of the Republican Party. They are doing everything possible to steal money from your wallet and they have the Republicans complicit in their evil doing.
VOTING FOR A REPUBLICAN IS LIKE A CHICKEN VOTING FOR COLONEL SANDERS.
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