Gibbs: Obama Opposed Raising Debt Ceiling Before He Was For It
- Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:05pm by
Meredith Jessup
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In 2006, then-Sen. Barack Obama had some stern words for his colleagues who were voting to increase America’s debt ceiling. But just four years later, President Barack Obama is singing a very different tune.
Just four years ago, Obama decried politicians’ lack of leadership and failure to rein in federal spending:
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure,” he said on March 16, 2006. “Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership . Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”
On Sunday, Obama’s chief economic advisor, Council of Economic Advisers chair Austan Goolsbee, warned that members of Congress ought not to “play chicken” by voting against an increase of the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, despite his boss doing just that during his own time in the Senate.
“I don‘t see why anybody’s talking about playing chicken with the debt ceiling,” Goolsbee told ABC News. “If we get to the point where you’ve damaged the full faith and credit of the United States, that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity.”
Not supporting a rise in the debt ceiling would cause a “worse financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008… This is not a game,” he scolded. “The debt ceiling is not something to toy with.”
When asked about the president’s apparent double-standard Wednesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that President Obama was against raising the debt ceiling before he was for it:
Gibbs suggested that President Obama used his vote “to make a point about needing to get serious about fiscal discipline. His vote was not necessarily needed on that,” he said.
The final vote to raise the debt ceiling in 2006 was 52-48.
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Comments (58)
BoilitDown
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 4:20amA truism:
Excuses for dishonesty are lies as well.
I don‘t like the fact that I’m going to have to study a new press secretary. Gibbs is so easy to see through.
Report Post »NytMuves
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 3:42amWhats the news here? Obama lying and flipping depending on the way the wind blows is just business as usual. My biggest complaint with his administration is the lack of intellectual honesty.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:45amGibbs, the sandbox bully, trying to get the last of his prissy huffing 2 cents in.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:45am“a failure of leadership”, how many times did obama rant that about our AMERICAN PRESIDENT George W Bush about the DEBT CEILING… .now obama can feel how it goes when the pot calls the kettle black. ..
Report Post »Okieflyover
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:20amit is never about the issue with this crowd. It is about POLITICS. It is a game with these people. A game they are good at playing. They have not class and no shame and no competence.
When they fail, they take us down with them. If they were failing on their own and it only impacted them, then I could cheer against them. How do we cheer for their failures when their failures hurt us too?
Report Post »BRIX 66
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:40amTypical bullshyte !
Report Post »JimmyFasthands
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:17amBack pedal back pedal, that is just nuts craziness. Baraka said no to more debt? WTF this guy is in full campaign mode now//
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:42pmEmpty suits tend to flip flop pretty regularly. O’Barry makes John Kerry look like Winston Churchill.
Report Post »Ken
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:22pmTar and Feather POTUS
Report Post »suzy000
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:20pm“He was against it before he was for it”….no wonder Gibbs is leaving. With intelligent chatter like that, we are sure to win the White House in 2012. These people are idiots…do they know how they sound?
Report Post »idrathermisstotheright
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:20amGibbs was intelligent before he became stupid and now must leave to work towards intelligence again. Makes sense. He could go on the Biggest loser not only to look weight since it describes who he is and always will be.
Report Post »flagbearer
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:04pmThey don’t want the revolution to begin before the election in 2012, so of course they want to raise the debt ceiling now. I hope the Republicans make a wise decision on this call. Pray for them. They‘re going to need God’s guidance on it. Either way they vote, it is bad.
Report Post »Suki
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:51pmNice to see the stellar Kerry playbook back in action. What a collection of clowns.
Report Post »Suki
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:48pmFlip Flopping Away…it’s nice that the TOTUS is such a raging sack of hypocritical political expediency.
Seriously, is there anything Obongo isn’t a hypocrite about?
Report Post »1TrueOne55
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:37pmFound this on Google search, I remembered it from my days working at Boeing.
Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency(/crisis) on my part.
— unknown
Just because Democrats want to call it a crisis if the Debt Ceiling is not raised then maybe they should reverse all the spending that created the problem…
Report Post »(added by me)
idrathermisstotheright
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:17amWe call it the 7 P’s
Prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance…….
Report Post »doogan
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:34pmFlip Flop…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mZ39Zet97Q
Report Post »spirited
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:30pm“B a m b o o z l e” :->Barack Obama also said that.
>Guess his Hawaiian foot wear was telling.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:29pmHAHAHA He sure can tap dance! :)
Report Post »idrathermisstotheright
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:16amCrap dance it more like it!
Report Post »Cpriestess
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:22pmThey depend on the ignorance of the American people, and God help us no one in the media calls him on it because they are so thoroughly invested in his success.
Report Post »taebaggranny
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:21pmIs there a reason why my posts are not being put up?
taebaggranny
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:20pmWell Gee, He just took a leaf out of John Kerry’s book!! I was against it before I was for it!!! (or vice a versa)
Report Post »ohmy
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:14pmSo funny, I was about to write the same thing.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:38pmI was wondering where I heard this before…
Report Post »Its Gonna Getcha
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:19pmHe’s a liar and he will lie again.
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:06pmOur president is worse than a political animal. Is the American public really this stupid?
Beyond belief!!
When a man won’t stand by his word I have absolutely no faith in him. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did not have to serve in the military under this evil person. He may not be stupid but he sure says and does stupid things. Problem is that some of these stupid things get our brave and honorable men & women killed and maimed.
Report Post »rojotx
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:03pmby by, Gibbie, don’t let the door hit you in the …!!
Report Post »TRUTHSEEKINGAL
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 3:09amIn your gibblet’s?
Report Post »TRUTHSEEKINGAL
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 3:19amgiblets?
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:58pmFlag in the wind….
Report Post »dwh320
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:53pmFlip flop the Progressive way
Report Post »Barry Soetoro
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:58pmFlip flop don’t even come close! Fibbs, how many times do I need to fire you?
Report Post »Mike Liberation
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:07pmI think the progressives like Gibbs, Obama, and crew rely on the fact that a large portion of the American public is misinformed (or not informed at all). They feel that people will just believe whatever they say at the moment, simply because they just said it on TV, so it MUST be the truth. Any of us know this, because anytime we pin down a liberal with a fact, they immediately rally back with anger and some sort of emotional outburst, devoid of any real information, but filled with plenty of FEELINGS and expressing the way they think things SHOULD be. They count on people NOT having the time to check their facts on the internet. We can only just keep doing what we are doing…exposing liberal lies at every chance we get. Rock the truth! \m/
http://www.liberationapparel.com
Report Post »GBMBulletsSKNRD
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:21pmFibbs has got that old two step down pat.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:22pmGibbs is such a liar. I am so happy he is leaving and we won’t have to hear his lies anymore. What is troubling though, is Obama and his administration condoned this lackey and went along with his lies. Is there anyone in this current administration that can actually tell the truth?
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:30pmAt time he was against it == 9 trillion … now 14+ TRILLION and he is FOR IT … God help us. Stop spending you idiots .. it isn’t hard .. most of America has already cut back ..except Government!
Report Post »JimOhio
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:00amAs Barney Frank would say…he’s a fwip fwopper. Gotta love the Blaze, it’s one place we can go, be facetious and its OK.
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:49amIt wasn’t a flip-flop – conditions have changed – that was 5 years ago, 5 years of spending on two wars, a stimulus package, Wall Street bailout, car company bailout, etc, etc. The conditions have changed. Thats just like someone making 75 grand 5 years ago and then getting laid off – conditions changed. If the debt ceiling is not raised, we default on all our loans and the government shuts down. It’s not a flip-flop – he is President now and he has to make a different decision. http://wp.me/pYLB7-uK
taskmaster78
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:19amThese hypocrites are being seen as who they are, it’s still good to see at least some taking these dimwits to task for there duplicity.
Report Post »leftiesaredangerous
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:58amLOL! Unbelievable.
Report Post »pscully17
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 4:58pmwhen you have to raise the debt ceiling, which is the ratio of allowable national debt vs the gross domestic product (yearly fiscal revenues) 4 times in 2 years, houston, we have a problem! and the problem ISNT the recession, its the over reaching burden thru massive expansion of the Government!!! its NOT rocket science! When your TAX EATING salary base jumps with every Government employee hire, which in the last 2 years has been outpacing private industry by 25 percent, your country will go broke!! The Liberals warp speed to incorporate banks, oil, healthcare and auto companies results in TAX REVENUES being consumed to pay SAlaries with NO PRODUCT or resulting economic benefit The Government WILL collapse, and I predict by 2012 June! The money needed to service the national debt, ( interest paymnents just at the minimums every month) will be 15-20 percent of our Total revenue intake! Thats NOT including PROMISED NOTES on social Security, MEDICARE etc… WE are beyond recovering!! ITS MATHEMATICS!!! a 6th grader knows the answer to this basic equation…Something the Liberal Idiots cant get in their heads!!!
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