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If Congress fails to act, should Obama follow the advice of Bill Clinton?
I would want to spend time with legal experts to gain clarification, but yes, if it seems that he can legally do this, it seems to me a better option than allowing the tea party to destroy the full faith and credit of the US. In fact, I would argue that in a crisis Obama is required to do this in the interest of national security. The tea party cannot be allowed to ruin a highly fragile and struggling economy. We cannot allow a 30% voting block to break us due to some wildly misguided ideology.
Recall that these are many of the same folks [Republicans] who would have allowed global economic collapse back in 2008, and voted against the bank bailouts.
http://blogs.forbes.com/jerrybowyer/2011/07/20/four-questions-for-obamas-14th-amendment-courtiers/Bill Clinton recently revealed that if he were in office now that he would “without hesitation” use the 14th Amendment to justify ignoring the congressional debt limit. He was less clear about whether he thought it was constitutional, claiming that he would force the courts to rule on the issue. Here’s how the former president framed his argument...
14th Amendment said:Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
I would want to spend time with legal experts to gain clarification, but yes, if it seems that he can legally do this, it seems to me a better option than allowing the tea party to destroy the full faith and credit of the US. In fact, I would argue that in a crisis Obama is required to do this in the interest of national security. The tea party cannot be allowed to ruin a highly fragile and struggling economy. We cannot allow a 30% voting block to break us due to some wildly misguided ideology.
Recall that these are many of the same folks [Republicans] who would have allowed global economic collapse back in 2008, and voted against the bank bailouts.
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