Jim DeMint Throws Cold Water On Mitch McConnell's Debt Ceiling Plan

WASHINGTON — A Republican senator who helped foster the tea party movement is throwing cold water on a proposal by the Senate's GOP leader to give President Barack Obama new power to ask Congress to increase the government's borrowing limit.

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint tells CBS' "The Early Show" Wednesday that the idea from Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell isn't something he likes.

DeMint says "Republicans weren't elected last November to make it easier to spend and borrow and add to our debt."

Obama and congressional leaders are discussing how to avoid a government default threatened for Aug. 2.

Under McConnell's plan, Obama could request increases of up to $2.5 trillion in borrowing authority in three installments over the next year, as long as he simultaneously proposed spending cuts of greater size.

Comments

[Joel Asa Miller]

10:55 AM on 07/26/2011

With Demint's State of South Carolina is long term economic decline, the nation's highest rates of violent crime, widespread public health problems and poverty, its a wonder how this guy can advocate more austerity. Of course his connections to big business, the Koch's and Boeing explain alot of this.

For more info on who owns Jim Demint check: http://jimdemints-southcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/06/who-owns-jim-demint-list-of-campaign.html

[StopMakingSense2]

02:14 PM on 07/14/2011

As they say in the land of the blind a one eyed man is king!

[Erik Kartmann]

11:38 AM on 07/14/2011

It really doesn't matter either way now does it JIm. You are going to filibuster and stop everything singlehandedly. At least, that's what you said...

[arkymorgan]

08:03 PM on 07/14/2011

If only it was a real filibuster!

[BoshSpong]

11:18 AM on 07/14/2011

Let's just be honest with each other and quit the lying and decitfulne­ss.

The GOP came up with the "Starve the Beast" strategy during the Reagan years; massive spending coupled with huge tax cuts with the intent to "break" the treasury so that the goverment would be forced to cut social spending.

The objective: do away with Social Security and Medicare along with education and every other service that does not conform with the rigid ideology espoused by the Koch brothers and their ilk.

This is explains why:
Reagan tripled the debt.
W doubled it from 6 trillion to over 12 trillion
As seniors are getting cuts in benefits and teachers and policemen have their salaries and positions eliminated - the GOP has no problem with massive, deficit increasing loans in order to give big oil and other corporate welfare recipients billions of taxpayer dollars.

Quit pretending to care about deficits when your real objectives are to:

Give more money and power to the wealthiest­.
Gut all programs that benefit anyone else.
Dismantle all regulation­s that protect our environmen­t so that corporatio­ns can make more profits.
Leave those who have limited resources with no avenue to seek justice (tort reform).

All I am asking from the GOP and their chorus of ditto-head­s is for some honesty - at least then we could have an honest conversati­on about our future.

[cybexg]

11:43 AM on 07/14/2011

Repeated post and fanned for truth

The GOP came up with the "Starve the Beast" strategy during the Reagan years; massive spending coupled with huge tax cuts with the intent to "break" the treasury so that the goverment would be forced to cut social spending.

The objective: do away with Social Security and Medicare along with education and every other service that does not conform with the rigid ideology espoused by the Koch brothers and their ilk.

This is explains why:
Reagan tripled the debt.
W doubled it from 6 trillion to over 12 trillion
As seniors are getting cuts in benefits and teachers and policemen have their salaries and positions eliminated - the GOP has no problem with massive, deficit increasing loans in order to give big oil and other corporate welfare recipients billions of taxpayer dollars.

Quit pretending to care about deficits when your real objectives are to:

Give more money and power to the wealthiest­­.
Gut all programs that benefit anyone else.
Dismantle all regulation­­s that protect our environmen­­t so that corporatio­­ns can make more profits.
Leave those who have limited resources with no avenue to seek justice (tort reform).

All I am asking from the GOP and their chorus of ditto-head­­s is for some honesty - at least then we could have an honest conversati­­on about our future.

[Lvm]

02:01 PM on 07/14/2011

F&F , but asking TRepubs for honesty is whistling in the wind.

[southpawman]

10:10 AM on 07/14/2011

when the SS checks stop going out, the talks will end. The rep and Tparty will be be blamed and hung in effigy.

[MilesLong]

12:15 PM on 07/14/2011

...in Chicago too!

Miles "Rand-McNally" Long

[scottymac11]

03:16 AM on 07/14/2011

DeMints power is illusionary. There are no real consequences for ignoring him. Do the right thing for this country and you will be rewarded responsible republicans.

[kcin]

11:38 PM on 07/13/2011

The Tea Partiers are the smallest group in Congress. Too bad normal Republicans are afraid of the bully.

[Lvm]

02:02 PM on 07/14/2011

I think all the "normal" Republicans are all gone.

[Don Harry Santiago]

11:25 PM on 07/13/2011

One has no neck the other has no chin what the heck!

[John Reff]

11:06 PM on 07/13/2011

Jim DeMint should have been drowned as a pup.

[JulianTrinityNorwich]

10:50 PM on 07/13/2011

Borrowing is more fiscally responsible than looking at a revenue increase on millionaires? What kind of conservative political voodoo is this? It is certainly not conservative financial management. No finance manager would leave easy revenue on the table leading to a further destruction of the balance sheet. And if America were working with one man one vote these professional politicians would not dare propose it.

SHAME SHAME SHAME. Shame on you politicians pretending to be fiscal deficit hawks.

[brokerallen]

10:36 PM on 07/13/2011

The Republicans in Congress should be representing their constituents not Jim DeMint.

[John Reff]

11:07 PM on 07/13/2011

Jobs? F--- no- its abortion, NPR, Planned Parenthood, anti gay sentiment. That sells.

[Jack Glastra]

11:21 PM on 07/13/2011

sensationalism is good for fundraising

[dave6686]

07:27 PM on 07/13/2011

DeMint says "Republicans weren't elected last November to make it easier to spend and borrow and add to our debt.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA a little crack in the armor? No they weren't. They were elected because they lied again and said they would create millions of jobs... Where are the jobs DeMint!

[TJ Logan]

06:59 PM on 07/13/2011

That the supposedly "grass roots" movement of the Tea Party has a "King" strikes me as a bit odd. After all was not the Boston Tea Party about getting rid of a King.

Oh well, what goes around comes around.

If they cant read, cant think, and cant hear, then perhaps the baggers do need a King.

[citizen of the universe]

06:29 PM on 07/13/2011

Shouldn't the headline read: "Jim DeMint Throws Ice Tea on Mitch McConnell's Debt Ceiling Plan"

[class of 66]

06:27 PM on 07/13/2011

Mc Connell came up with his idea to try and divert some of the heat he is feeling by the people that see him and the repubs as blocking anything that shows any progress at all. The president will not agree to take all the responsibility for this debt ceiling mess. mcconnell just blinked!