Debt Ceiling: Fighting the Dark Side

Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- With just three days left until the country is set to begin defaulting on its debt, the House rejected a debt proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Saturday -- a move Republicans designed purely for theatrics to show the bill lacked the votes to pass.

The bill was rejected by a vote of 173 to 246. Eleven Democrats joined all of the House Republicans in opposing Reid's bill. The defecting Democrats included Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Dan Boren (Okla.), Bruce Braley (Iowa), David Loebsack (Iowa), Jim Matheson (Utah), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Mike Ross (Ark.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.), Peter Visclosky (Ind.) and David Wu (Ore.).

Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) headed to the White House to discuss the state of play with President Barack Obama shortly after the bill went down.

House Republicans pushed Reid's bill through via a restrictive voting process: The measure was taken up on the suspension calendar, which requires a two-thirds vote to pass, bars amendments and limits debate to 40 minutes.

Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who sits on the House Rules Committee, called the day's business "a joke," "a disgrace" and "an insult to the American people."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Republicans
• Michele Bachmann
• Nancy Pelosi
• Deficit
• Elections 2012
• Gop
• James McGovern
• Sander Levin
• Sen. Mitch McConnell
• Boehner
• David Dreier
• Debt Ceiling Debate
• Debt Ceiling Vote
• Eliot Engel
• Harry Reid
• Mcconnell Debt
• Obama
• Reid

[wordgeezer]

@vechorik Democrats and Republicans no longer exist. Only Dino's and Rino's "aka in name only". We've got the best government that money can buy. The social security system is the only program that is solvent. It is paid by organized labor and the money belongs to the working people. If a disparate unemployed person robs a bank, they go to prison. If a bankster robs the people he is rewarded. Go figure...G:

[wordgeezer]

This bill , like many others, contains too much pork and should pertain to the debt ceiling ONLY. The, so called, Republicans have become vampires and the smell of blood is too much for them to to resist. Let them eat pork, but leave "We The People" alone or we will come for you with torches and pitchforks...G:

[vechorik]

Who voted against raising the debt ceiling?

95 Democrats and 66 Republicans exactly - voted against the bill

The US credit rating was downgraded because the bill didn't contain enough cuts.