Dems Asking for Another Credit Card as Debt Limit is Blown

They Spent the Money.  They Control Washington.  They’re the Only Ones Crazy Enough to Ask for More.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced this week that the federal government reached the debt limit of more than $14.2 trillion dollars, an amount almost too large to comprehend:

“Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced on Monday morning that the federal government had met its statutory borrowing limit. Now a $14,294,000,000,000 cap on debt is firmly in place, starting the clock toward potential default and turning up the heat on simmering fiscal negotiations in Washington.” (Tim Fernholz, “Government Reaches Borrowing Limit,” National Journal, 5/16/2011)

But rather than kick the debt habit by cutting up the taxpayer-funded big government credit card, congressional Democrats and the Obama administration want yet another credit card to borrow and spend even more money. Democrats are asking for a vote to increase the debt limit without any spending cuts. Harry Reid says let them have that vote, and then there will be a “major effort” to save money. You trust him, right?

REID SAYS JUST TRUST US: “‘If we don’t act, if we allow the United States to default, the day of reckoning will be much, much worse than today,’ the leader warned, adding, ‘We can’t afford to play these political games and trigger a default crisis that will lead to a catastrophe. We can’t afford to make unrealistic demands or hold hostage policies that affect real people.’ Reid called on his colleagues to raise the debt ceiling, after which there could, he said, be a major effort at ‘saving.’” (Trish Turner, “Senate Leader Calls For No Politics on Debt Ceiling, Then Hits GOP on Medicare,” Fox News Channel’s “America’s Election HQ” blog, 5/16/2011)

DURBIN SAYS EFFORTS TO CUT SPENDING ARE “GAMES” and “POLITICS”:“Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., reiterated on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that while Democrats also want to cut spending, the debt ceiling must be raised. ‘It’s about the reputation of the United States and the economy. And if we play games with it or play politics with it, and default on our national debt, we could plunge this country back in a recession with even deeper unemployment.’” (“Treasury Tapping Federal Retirement Accounts to Stave Off Default,” Fox News Channel, 5/16/2011)

114 HOUSE DEMOCRATS ALREADY SIGNED ONTO BLANK CHECK FOR FUTURE SPENDING: “As the New York Stock Exchange dropped sharply this morning in reaction to a report that Standard & Poor’s downgraded America’s long-term credit outlook to negative, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the names of 114 House Democrats in support of raising the debt ceiling without conditions.” (“As Stock Market Drops Over Worries About US Debt, Welch Leads 114 Democrats in Demanding A Clean Extension of Debt Ceiling,” Office of Rep. Peter Welch, 4/18/2011)

HOYER SAID WELCH LETTER NOT COMPLETE: “‘Well, when Mr. Cantor says it doesn’t have enough support, Mr. Welch has 114, of which I’m not one – I would vote for that,’ Hoyer said, referring to Rep. Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) coalition of Democrats who are calling for a clean vote.” (Jake Sherman, “GOP Floats Test Vote on Debt Ceiling,” Politico, 5/03/2011)

OBAMA, TREASURY SECRETARY TIM GEITHNER “DISMISSED” LINKING DEBT INCREASE TO SPENDING CUTS: “President Obama and Geithner have called for a vote on the debt limit that is not linked to any actions. Some congressional Democrats favor a trigger that would cut spending and raise taxes if budget goals are not met within a few years. Many Republicans favor hard caps on spending and don’t want to raise taxes at all. But Geithner dismissed the idea of linking the debate over the nation’s long-term fiscal picture to the debt limit.” (Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Deadline To Raise U.S. Debt Ceiling Pushed To Aug. 2, Geithner Says,” The Washington Post, 5/2/11)

If Democrats are so serious about raising the debt limit without any spending cuts, then why doesn’t Harry Reid bring it to a vote in the Senate? Perhaps it’s because even he must realize how unbelievably unpopular it would be to give Democrats another credit card for more reckless government spending.

A WHOPPING 11 PERCENT SUPPORT A “CLEAN” VOTE TO RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT (“Voters Want Spending Cuts and Budget Reforms Tied to Debt Limit Increase,”Resurgent Republic, 4/26/2011)