Obama: I won't negotiate on debt limit

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/255814-obama-i-wont-negotiate-on-debt-limit

October 02, 2015, 05:20 pm
Obama: I won't negotiate on debt limit

By Jesse Byrnes

President Obama is pressing lawmakers to raise the federal debt ceiling and says he won't be drawn into negotiations.

"When it comes to the debt ceiling, we're not going back there," Obama said during a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House on Friday.

His comments come after Treasury Secretary Jack Lew set a Nov. 5 deadline on Thursday for raising the debt limit to avert a potential default on current loans. That gives Congress just a few weeks to hammer out an agreement on the current $18.1 trillion limit.

Obama acknowledged that Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) plans to leave Congress in October will complicate budget negotiations with congressional leaders, but said he believed there is a path to an agreement.

"I do think there is still a path for us to come up with a reasonable agreement that raises the spending caps above sequester to make sure that we can properly finance both our defense and non-defense needs, that maintains a prudent control of our deficits and that we can do that in short order," Obama said.

"It's not that complicated. The math is the math," he added, saying he has spoken with Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Congress on Wednesday passed a short-term bill to keep the government funded through Dec. 11.

Obama said Friday that "extraneous issues" should be kept out of budget talks, mentioning the current fight over funding Planned Parenthood.

"You can't have an issue like that potentially wreck the entire U.S. economy, any more than I should hold the entire budget hostage to my desire to do something about gun violence," Obama said during the press conference, where he talked about gun control in the aftermath of Thursday's mass shooting at an Oregon college.

"There are some fights that we fight individually," Obama said.

[Scottftlc]

When has Obama ever negotiated on anything?  Except maybe with Harry Reid or Pelosi I suppose.  He has known that the Republicans will always cower in fear and roll over in the end - the only discussion has been whether Republicans would surrender quietly and meekly (whiling rolling in the K-Sreet lucre) as Boehner and McConnell desire or if they curse it from the rooftops as Cruz has.

[aligncare]

When has Obama ever negotiated on anything?  Except maybe with Harry Reid or Pelosi I suppose.  He has known that the Republicans will always cower in fear and roll over in the end - the only discussion has been whether Republicans would surrender quietly and meekly (whiling rolling in the K-Sreet lucre) as Boehner and McConnell desire or if they curse it from the rooftops as Cruz has.

Nice having a deck full of race cards to play. Invite Boehner and McConnell over for cards and drinks. Some of that homebrewed white guilt--a little like white lightning only the hangover's a bitch.

[Godzilla]

My take is that Congress passed the legislation stating that the US would spend XX dollars.

So it's disingenuous to have the same people that spent the money refuse to actually pay it when the bill comes due.

It's fiscally irresponsible to spend more than you have, but even *MORE* fiscally irresponsible to then renege on your debts.

[bkepley]

Big tough guy Obama.  He can take any fool on.  Putin?  He spits on him.  Congress critters?  The same.  Media?  Huh!! One tough guy.