Mr. Montgomery posts excerpts of a letter from Senator John Thune and 11 GOP colleagues who say President Barack Obama is putting the financial markets in peril... by telling the financial markets about the peril Republicans are putting them in with their default talk:
We were greatly disappointed to hear your recent comments to CNBC’s John Harwood that you believe that Republicans in Congress are willing to default on our debt obligations by not raising the statutory debt limit. Specifically, you stated that you recently told representatives from the financial sector visiting Washington that “they should be concerned” over a faction of Congress that is “willing potentially to default.”
We are writing to express our concern that such comments are unproductive and misguided. Any statements by you or other senior administration officials – whether to Wall Street or Main Street – that express the belief that America will default on its debt are not only misleading in our view, but they threaten to destabilize financial markets and could raise borrowing costs for families and small businesses [Senator John Thune et al., letter to President Barack Obama, 2013.10.09; quoted in David Montgomery, "Thune to Obama: Stop Saying We Want to Default," Political Smokeout, 2013.10.09].
President Obama made his comments last week. He said what Senator Thune said he said:
But when you have a situation in which-- a faction is willing potentially to default on-- U.S. government obligations-- then we are in trouble. And if they're willing to do it-- now, they'll be willing to do it later [President Barack Obama, interview, CNBC, 2013.10.02].
Various Republicans try to redefine default, but their statements and tactics make clear that they are willing to tease the bear market by throwing the United States of America into a situation where it cannot fulfill its financial obligations. That is the default definition of default. The President's statement is accurate.
To understand Senator Thune's Bizarro world, the hostage analogy remains instructive. Imagine I walk into your office, draw a gun, and say I will start shooting your people if you don't do what I want. Trying to keep Obama-cool, you announce to your people, "This man has a gun, and he is threatening to hurt us with it." Playing Thune, I say, "Shame on you, trying to scare your people like that. Who said my bullets would hurt anyone?"
Senator John Thune's completely absurd rhetoric should make us wonder whether reason is even possible with the Republican Party.
According to the constitution it is the responsibility of the Congress to present a budget to the President. They have not given him a whole years budget since he got into office. I do not remember this ever happening. But I do not ever remember a black president before either. This is not a coincidence.
If anyone had sabotaged an unbalanced budget when Bush was busting the budget with a horendously expensive war, they would have been accused of putting the country at risk also.
Dear John,
I think it's time we broke up. It's not you, it's me.
I'm tired of being a hostage and trying to understand your hypocrisy.
You cherry pick the parts of the shutdown you want to fix, but fail to mention all of the times the GOP Senate has refused to send conferees to work out a budget with the House. As the #3 guy in your party you stood by the people who campaigned on shutting down the government as a promise and then act surprised when it happens!
And now your public nasty-gram to the President of our United States.
Here's some of "your" friends that have threatened or are encouraging the USA defaulting on its debt so you can see where the President might have perceived a threat to our economy.
Stop us if you have heard of them before.
Cruz, Toomey, Paul and Coburn. Others in the House you seem to have forgotten are Chaffetz, Mulvaney and Yoho.
Some of the influencers thinking it's not such a bad idea are: The Tea Party Patriots, GOP mega-donor Foster Friess, and GOP blog site RedState.
The Koch brothers were the bag men for the government shut down and escalating the debt ceiling default, maybe when they decided it wasn't a good idea they passed you a memo to call off the dogs. Speaking of dogs, how does a big guy like you fit so snugly in the Koch brother's lap?
You are our Senator and so far you have managed to drag the rating of Congress to an all time low.
This is embarrassing all of us.
It was fun while it lasted, but you've changed...for the worse. Call me, maybe, when you stop the game playing and decide to get back to the business of the country and not just slumming around with your party boys.
Arrivederci,
Jana
Oh boy...now the Governor is writing letters. Specifically to help our neighbors who own ranches impacted by the blizzard. (Sorry, won't link to DWC)
I seem to have missed his letters to help the people of Pine Ridge who ran out of propane and were without electricity in bad winters past.
How much is the average ranch worth? Are they on the edge of financial ruin with no assets? Once the GOP has stopped the hostage taking and passes a clean CR, will the ranchers get disaster relief?
He bemoans the lack of a farm bill...maybe he should have sent a public letter to Kristi and the House GOP.
As a percentage of income, does anyone know how this would compare to people hurt by the GOP shutdown in our military? How about the people hurt by DD's ideological hatred for the President and his refusal to expand Medicaid? Heck, how about all the people who lost jobs or were impacted in other financial ways by his draconian cuts from 2 years ago, only to see that money sent to out of state businesses?
Funny how he defines neighbors and some are left out. Thank god he was there to help the financially vulnerable in Dakota Dunes and Marion Gardens.
The governor really needs to get out more and meet all of his "neighbors" who are hurting from circumstances beyond their control.
I hope the ranchers can recover and survive their losses, I really do.
Wondering how big the checks he and his staff wrote to this fund he set up?
Jana, I think that you have nailed it. You are correct, thinking people should be asking for a divorce from the madness of King Thune. My God, how in the world did this man ever win over Tom Daschle? Now if you read and listen to what Nelson, big Rounds and little Rounds put out there, you realize they all went to the same class kind of an auctioneer type school. Nothing against the wonderful and much needed profession of being an auctioneer, but when these guys get to rattling on and on, you cannot remember what the bid was and they like it that way. They want you to pay more for less as that is what has become of the republican party. As you point out, a terrible date.
Thune's hypocrisy and deceit is enough to make a person gag. He really should become a full-time actor if he can quote such BS lines and appear to be sincere as he lies through his teeth. Guys who grew up with him in Murdo said he didn't have enough sense to step over cow manure, let alone know anything about ranching.
The Blindman wrote in another section about questions to ask Stace Nelson. I would propose asking not only Nelson, the two Rounds boys, but also the big empty suit, Mr. Thune and his sidekick, NOem. I would ask all about the smoke screen of being against Obamacare to find the real reason they wish to topple the government. As George Carlin (RIP) once said, "They want your Social Security" He was absolutely correcto mundo on that. Here is what another fake leader, Paul Ryan, of the republican party had to say to others about what the secessionists intent really is.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/paul-ryan-i-havent-dropped-obamacare-98062.html?hp=f1
What all of these so called serious people need to come clean on is why are they willing to throw the old, disabled and poor under the bus to feed their corporate masters? Here is the question, "What will you do to protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security right now and into the future?" Bonus question "What will you do to provide a more secure safety net for our poor and working poor dependent on Medicaid and what is your position on SNAP to feed those poor and working poor?" There, very easy questions from a very eager feller, me.
O Thuneo, Thuneo! Wherefore art thou Thuneo?
Deny thy party and pay thy nations debts.
Or, if thou wilt not, be but a slave to the Koch name and a pimp to their madness,
And you can but linger as their jestor.
Come on people, neither Thune or Rounds can own any part of a solution, when they are the problem.
DD WTF, WORDS!
The Blindman
Jerry that sounds to simple
The Blindman
This is a side note here but it needs to be said. I would like to bring to your attention what the "Fisher House Foundation" did today for our families that lost veterans sense the shutdown started.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/us/fisher-house-death-benefits/
THANK YOU from someone that appreciates what those people gave up so that we might continue to live the type of life we have now.
The Blindman
Oh and John, if the threat of having the congressional gym is distracting you from your job of fundraising and cheerleading here's a little more on the Republican threats you want the President of our United States to stop talking about. hat tip to http://leftinsd.blogspot.com/
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/8-flagrant-examples-of-republican-shutdown-hypocrisy-20131007
Then there's this damning evidence that is just a wee bit contrary to your false narrative.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&
John, I do understand that the GOP has backed themselves into a corner and now you're frantically trying to shift the blame and try to save face.
Did your father ever tell you to own your mistakes and learn from them. Timeless advice...follow it and stop with the falsehoods and end this now!
Will somebody please look around the Senate Chambers and see if they can find John Thune's brain? It's clear he's lost it.
There's always a silver lining. One thing great about the government shutdown is that Powertech ended up screwing themselves by shifting most of the permitting for their uranium mining operation from the state to the feds. The longer the feds are shut down, the longer it's going to take Powertech to get their permits. The same goes for corporate welfare and for red state welfare. The states that are going to be hurting the most the soonest will be the Republican welfare states. I feel for the ranchers who suffered a lot of losses during the blizzard. You might want to think about how you vote, and why we as a country need each other in such times, and how others go through though times, too. It will be an educational experience for the anti-government crowd.
The GOP and TP are negotiating terms of surrender to the President: should they divorce or should they reconcile for the good of their diseased children?
Brilliant IP, just brilliant! Still snickering, thanks