Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Over on Powerline, John Hinderaker, our comrade-in-arms and frequent guest on Ricochet podcasts, posts an excerpt from Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty's appearance with Chris Wallace on Fox News this morning:
WALLACE: Back in 2005, you allowed the government of Minnesota to shut down for nine days because of a disagreement with the Democratic legislature about taxes and spending. Should congressional Republicans take the same tough stance when it comes to raising the debt limit and federal spending?
PAWLENTY: Well, what I've learned, Chris, after eight years of doing in a very liberal place -- I love my state, but it's liberal in terms of spending and government -- is you've got to draw some lines in the sands. ...
And as to the federal government, they should not raise the debt ceiling. I believe they should pass legislation, allow them to sequence the spending as the revenues come in to make sure they don't default, and then have the debate about what other spending can be reduced.
WALLACE: But you would say to the Republicans up in that building behind me do not raise the debt limit?
PAWLENTY: That's right. And, in fact, to avoid the default, I would take it one step further, send the president a piece of legislation that authorizes the federal government to sequence the paying of its bills so that we don't default on the debt obligation and then have the debate about how we reduce the other spending.
John Hinderaker's comment, which strikes me as more than intriguing:
Pawlenty has great credibility as a fiscal conservative, and he is no irresponsible firebrand. So if he thinks the Republicans can hold the line on debt, avoid a default, and use the debt ceiling to compel, rather than bargain for, spending cuts, one wonders whether the Republican Congressional leadership is aiming too low.
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Jun '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
"The gallows doth wonderfully concentrate the mind" --Dr. Samuel Johnson
Jun '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Let me know when Moody's weighs in on the idea.
Jul '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
I don't know why I can't warm up to Pawlenty. It's probably just crude Minnesotaphobia on my part - the vague feeling that any state which gave us Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Jesse Ventura and Al Franken isn't to be trusted.
Jun '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
I think if you knew how much Mondale and Franken hate Pawlenty's guts, really hate his guts, you could grow to like him. Pawlenty is tricky. He smiles and talks softly while he's politically eviscerating you. It's the innocent smile that confuses people.
Jul '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
etoiledunord
I think if you knew how much Mondale and Franken hate Pawlenty's guts, really hate his guts, you could grow to like him. Pawlenty is tricky. He smiles and talks softly while he's politically eviscerating you. It's the innocent smile that confuses people. · Jan 16 at 6:35pm
Well, that's certainly high praise.
Oct '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Most likely the debt ceiling will be raised a smidge if that is any consolation. Then ony for the reason of buying time as is were to tackle spending reductions.
In large part reductions may come about on the hot button issues, as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, on and on... ObamaCare will die a slow death.
The real and true issue is the size and bloat of goverment overall.
The real problem lies in the fact that our elected themselves are unaware of the sheer scope and size of what they are meant to oversee...
To be sadly honest, the government or its functionaries has never been interested in reducing its size or power. So whats next...
May '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Wonderful news.
Sadly, I can't bring myself to believe Republican leadership in D.C. will follow his advice, though. We'll see.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
John Hinderaker lost his Saturday radio show/slot a few weeks ago, and Northern Alliance's First Team is sorely missed. Please have more of him here, and on the Richochet podcast....often!
Edited on Jan 16, 2011 at 7:16pmDec '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
I am so-so on Pawlenty in the past, but he has handled himself very well in recent days. I could not agree with this assessment and diagnosis and prescription more. Bold colors, not pale pastels. Make a stand, make your case to the American people (remembering to disagree without being unnecessarily disagreeable), and be ready to take things to the edge of the abyss. The government is out of money and out of time.
I don't know if Pawlenty has the personality to capture the imagination (or more important, votes) of Center-Right Americans, but he's on a roll right now.
Edited on Jan 16, 2011 at 7:57pmDec '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Chris Christie is arguing the same thing.
Jun '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
So just exactly how is this big bluff the Republicans are going to act out going to work? "Let's see, Mr Democrat, we Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling ( wink, wink) until you give us some spending cuts." Of course the R's have been talking publicly for two weeks about how they will raise the debt ceiling, but they are gosh darn gonna get some big stuff in return. Mr Dem says, shaking in his boots, "Oh golly gee, we better give in because you R's are really getting tough, we can tell you mean business this time (wink,wink)."
I am already queasy about these people.
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
It sounds like Governor Pawlenty's politics is the art of the possible, not the traditional whining, handwringing, compromising and surrendering we get from our RINO squishes.
Be vewwy vewwy quiet ... I'm hunting Whinos! Maybe we can actually nominate one of these guys! Is the Establishment still planning to inflict Governor Romney on the nation? I hope not -- my nose is still sore from the pinch I had to give it when I voted for Senator McCain ...
I will actually donate $100 to one embattled Congressional Republican deficit hawk in 2012 if they do it -- and I've never donated to a political cause before.
It's sad to think that a Republican deficit hawk would have trouble getting reelected these days. Any Representative or Senator who is not a deficit hawk when our country is in this preposterous situation is, in my opinion, violating the oath of office.
D'you think that the prospect of a trillion a year in interest will rouse the electorate? Nor do I but I always hope I’m wrong about this stuff ... that way I still have hope!
Edited on Jan 17, 2011 at 12:28pmOct '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Debt will kill this country before al Qaida can get out of its caves, NKorea can strike Seattle or Tehran strikes Jerusalem. Make ‘no’ on raising the debt ceiling palatable by tying it to a 25% real DoD budget reduction over 5yrs. As 20+ year military officer, I know vast portions of DoD’s budget contribute nothing to national security. Also, it’s time to accept we can’t “nation build” Afghanistan, especially not with NATO soldiers. GEN Petraeus’ Iraq formula doesn’t work there and he can’t pacify it without vastly more US troops. There’s almost no place on earth less relevant to our security than Afghanistan, despite 911 mythology. We screwed up and let al Qaida operatives take one-way lessons in our flight schools, have US IDs and board our planes. We compound the mistake by endlessly searching for bin Laden’s lair. It’s far less costly and just as effective to isolate the snake pit and let it wither. Trying to clear the snakes out one at a time or (worse) trying to transform the pit into something it won’t become for ten centuries, wastes lives and treasure we can’t afford.
Jan '11
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
I retired from the military 7 years ago and I cannot imagine a less responsible proposal. While there is definitely waste in the DoD budget, a 25% reduction would require cutting not only into the muscle but into the bone. Where would these cuts come from? End strength? Maintenance and replacement of worn out systems? Maybe get rid of 3 or 4 carrier battle groups? Which potential threat should we simply ignore?
If there is one portion of the budget that should be based on a thoughtful overall national strategy, it is the military.
Pretending that abandoning the mission in Afghanistan (and assuming that al Qaeda will not again create a nation in a nation there) will allow anywhere near a 25% reduction is sheer folly.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Pawlenty is singing half my tune (or perhaps the other way around?).
Perhaps if we learn to live within our means as a society (not just government) we might have a fighting chance at repaying the debt without defaulting. I've always thought it was impossible, politically, for the government to stop borrowing and start being responsible with our money, and it's become more clear to me (thanks in part to Midget Faded Rattlesnake and others) that we need some kind of enforceable, absolute and strict limit on borrowing regardless of whether the government defaults or not.
As for military spending, I'm in favor of cutting wasteful spending, and being aggressive in looking for ways to continually modernize, improve efficiency, and prepare for tomorrow's threats, not just today's (and especially not yesterday's). But there's something to be said for finishing the job in Afghanistan if it's at all possible. The main problem with Afghanistan is actually Pakistan. I think the Afghan people have seen enough war that if it were just up to them, they'd settle down. But there's a lot of incitement of violence coming from across the border.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
cdor: So just exactly how is this big bluff the Republicans are going to act out going to work? "Let's see, Mr Democrat, we Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling (wink, wink) until you give us some spending cuts." Of course the R's have been talking publicly for two weeks about how they will raise the debt ceiling, but they are gosh darn gonna get some big stuff in return. Mr Dem says, shaking in his boots, "Oh golly gee, we better give in because you R's are really getting tough, we can tell you mean business this time (wink,wink)."
I am already queasy about these people. · Jan 16 at 8:19pm
For the bluff to work you have to make the other side believe you're serious. Perhaps Chris Christie and Pawlenty are part of that, whether they mean to be or not. I'm deadly serious about it.
I agree, however, about the general queasiness. Of course, if we expect to be sold down the river, it's going to happen. We need to expect more from our representatives, and hold their feet to the (primary) fires.
May '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
And to anyone who says we really should raise the debt limit (or that we cannot afford not to), I ask,
If not now, when?
When will we make aggressive moves to get the budget under control? When will we make the hard choices? When will we become responsible instead of enslaving our children?
It's my contention that it may be already too late. Even if it's not too late, it's darn close. And anything short of a hard limit on the debt (that is, cut a little here and cut a little there and say "that's the best we could do") is doomed not only to fail to save us from the ultimate reckoning day, it will take the Republicans down with it (as if that mattered in the relative scheme of things).
The Republicans don't have the votes to pass the spending cuts we need. But the debt limit is a trump card. They can refuse to raise it.
Let the dems scream and be hysterical and say we're irresponsible.
Milk it for all it's worth, at the very least; and if I had my way, still refuse to raise it.
Sep '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Certainly the GOP leadership will aim too low. When haven’t they?
Oct '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Klaatu: I cannot imagine a less responsible proposal.
From FY01 to FY11, DoD’s spending increased 124%. Yet a 25% decrease over five yrs is irresponsible? A catastrophe for national security? The Navy now has more Admirals than warships; 25% fewer would imapct us how? You're worried about losing 3-4 carriers? How many will we scrap when we go the way of Europe financially? Britain just decided it can't afford even one carrier for the next five years, but will instead share one with France. With whom will we timeshare a carrier strike group? China? Russia?
But if you want a more irresponsible proposal than mine, just drop “proposal” and reflect on this: the national debt accumulated to about $9T in our entire history thru "W" Bush. In just two years of a Democrat Congress and White House, they’ve pumped it to $14T, a 56% increase in two years. But in your view a DoD scale back over 5 years averaging 5% a year is a crisis? If you are right, we’re done for because we’ll never make the scale of cuts now required by the fiscal insanity recently unleashed by Obama/Reid/Pelosi.
Oct '10
Re: Pawlenty to Republicans in Congress: Keep the Darned Debt Ceiling Right Where it Is
Chris Deleon: But there's something to be said for finishing the job in Afghanistan if it's at all possible.
What is "the job" in Afghanistan? Nation building? Open-ended missions cause wars to become endless, so let’s define success. Is it constitutional rule of law, separation of powers, private property, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary? Good luck in 15 generations, let alone by 2015. No Mid-east nation save Israel---and it ‘nation built’ itself---has attained those lofty democratic standards. We flatter ourselves thinking we can create ‘modern’ Afghanistan from the medieval cesspool it is now.
And why exactly do we care about this in Afghanistan more than, say, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan? If we can live without a 'built nation' around Cairo, Damascus and Islamabad, why not around Kabul? Because Osama has a cave in distant hills? Please. These fine standards of Western civilization don't exist in Russia or China; somehow we trade goods, swap money for IOUs and manage generally to co-exist. It's vital to US national security—worth the lives and treasure we’re spending there—that Kandahar attain democratic ideals that nuclear armed Moscow and Beijing cannot?