The Debt Kamikazes

Via John Avlon at the Daily BeastGOP’s Debt Kamikazes

Michele Bachmann believes it’s all a hoax. Tim Pawlenty told an Iowa crowd, “I hope and pray and believe they should not raise the debt ceiling.” Ron Paul based his first presidential ad on a call to not raise the debt ceiling, proclaiming “No Deals.”  And Rick Santorum has said that raising the debt ceiling should be avoided until a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution is passed.   

The options here are not good.  Either the politicians in question really think that this is not big deal or they are blatantly lying for political gain.

Either option, it seems to me, leads one to the conclusion that they are unfit for office.

h/t:  Taegan Goddard

FILED UNDER: 2012 Election, Deficit and Debt, US Politics, , , , , , , , , ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. hey norm says:

    “… they are unfit for office…”
    gee…do ya really think so?

  2. I must say I’m disappointed with Ron Paul. This seems uncharacteristically partisan for him. I expect things like this from people like Bachmann, Santorum, Pawlenty, etc. but I didn’t expect it from him.

  3. lunaticllama says:

    @Stormy Dragon: I don’t know why this surprises you. Ron Paul has a long history of being a monetary crank. His ideas on the subject essentially amount to conspiracy theories.

    These people have consistently demonstrated that they are unfit for office. I really don’t know why all of sudden people are suddenly realizing that a lot of Republicans are dangerous to our well-being. They’ve been saying the same things for quite a while, and their statements demonstrate a tenuous understanding of how modern economies function.

  4. hey norm says:

    And in the meantime Boehner has announced that he will hold a series of pointless political theater votes next week before deciding how to actually proceed. McConnell, earlier this week, offered to abdicate congressional responsibilities in exchange for political opportunities.
    None of the so-called republicans are capable of, or interested in, governing.

  5. reid says:

    I’d like to vote up the original post. Very to-the-point.

  6. @lunaticllama:

    My complaint isn’t his ideas, it’s the lets cause a castastrophe now to stop a catastrophe later stance he seems to be taking. Generally speaking he normally tends to pursue his goals in a more pragmatic matter. That’s what suprises me here.

  7. john personna says:

    The saner among them are just posers. That is, they expect to have the debt limit raised, and to be able to complain about it also.