Ronald Reagan Hailed By Liberals In Debt Fight

WASHINGTON -- Democrats have a new icon these days: Ronald Reagan.

That's because, unlike many Republicans in the House, the fiscally conservative late president believed it was essential for the United States to make good on its all obligations and raise the debt ceiling.

And Democrats across the spectrum on Wednesday have been holding the conservative hero up to Republicans as an example they should follow.

"I find myself these days quoting Ronald Reagan," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) at a news conference Wednesday. "'The full consequences of a default,' he said, 'or even the serious prospect of a default by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The nation can ill afford to allow such a result.'

"That's Ronald Reagan," Boxer emphasized, suggesting that Republicans recall that model. "All they have to do is look at their icon, Ronald Reagan, and understand you don't play with fire when it comes to the full faith and credit of the United States of America."

She was far from alone.

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter to all the Republican members of the House to remind them of the Gipper's feelings as expressed in a 1983 letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) -- the same letter Boxer quoted.

"President Reagan was a staunch conservative whose views sharply differ from Progressives’ in nearly every respect," wrote the CPC members to Republicans. "Yet, Reagan understood that the American people have invested their trust in our ability to be wise stewards."

"We hope you will take President Reagan’s message to heart and put what’s best for America’s economy ahead of gaining a short-term political advantage," they added. "Let’s not hold the jobs and economic security of the American people hostage to an agenda that will only cause long-term harm to our great nation."

Baker himself has come out in favor of lifting the nation's spending cap before it is reached on Aug. 2.

The Senate Democratic message shop took a sneakier approach, blasting out an e-mail headlined with a paraphrase of the famous Reaganism. "There they go again," it said. "GOP Lawmakers ignoring Reagan, still downplay consequences of a default."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said the debt ceiling must be raised, but he has also stuck to the postion of his caucus that it cannot be raised with out major cuts. His spokesmen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Comments

[Robin Witt]

05:27 PM on 07/28/2011

It's amazing that we're just days away from defaulting on our national debt. We need to tell Congress to stop the madness and take action now to resolve the default crisis with a balanced approach. Here's a link you can use to send a letter to your member of Congress: http://action.momsrising.org/letter/SolveDefaultCrisis/?akid=2838.260667.1Lovjj&rd=1&t=1

[Jean Bastien]

12:23 PM on 07/25/2011

Another cheap, transparent ploy to sully the name of our greatest president ever. Liberals love to invoke his name when it is convenient to say he raised taxes and raised the debt limit. We all know what bed-wetting liberals REALLY think of his policies and procedures. They will cherry pick approval ratings at certain times when it was low in the early eighties and compare them to Obama's ratings at the same time during his presidency. It's just like those empty pathetic comparisons to the founding fathers when liberals say "what would the founding fathers do" when trying to insinuate that "religious" right wingers are defying the founder's plee of separation of church and state. Again, cherrypicking words and phrases and trying to say that "In God We Trust" or saying God during the pledge goes against the founding fathers.
Just silly. We all know these comparisons mean nothing, but to liberals they are but a cheap way to poke holes in the legacy of the GPAT, the Greatest President of All Time!!!

[urbrainwashed2]

09:22 AM on 07/28/2011

ha ha ha.
Ain't no thing like a hypocrite to pass the blame.
The CON-servatives use Reagan's name almost as much as they do God.
"I'm a Reagan-Log Cabin- Right Wing- Tea Party- republican? I'm so happy the republicans are self destructing.
Founding fathers? Our founding fathers have been spinning out of control with the last republican puppet in office. The Bush family controlled Reagan like a puppet. We would not had a 9-11 terrorist attack if Bush wouldn't of stole the 2000 election in Florida. Thank You brother Jeb. Why don't you ever hear much about Neil Bush? You know Neil who made out like a bandit when daddy H-Dubya covered his Savings and Loan scandal with taxpayers money. Neil managed to rob plenty of Middle Easterners of their money with his scam.
There's your founding fathers of the collapse of this economy Reagan-Hdubya Bush, and Little Geogre Dumya Bush. Who benefited from their economic scam? The richest 400 people in America, defense contractors, China, Mexico, Saudi's, crooked overseas bankers, Big Oil, and so on. It's an endless list of CON-servatives who reaped by ripping americans off.
So get off of your GPAT, the most Glorified President Advertised Today!!!

[Jean Bastien]

05:24 PM on 07/28/2011

Nice play, Joker face, but if you think you're beholding to some republican cabal secrets you're the one getting played! Keep your nine-one-one conspiracy theories for your America hating brethren. Now go do your best Heath Leger impersonation and disappear!

[Truth Purveyor]

04:41 PM on 07/22/2011

You KNOW liberals are in deep doo doo when they are praising Reagan :-)

[dantepics]

06:48 AM on 07/22/2011

The GOP loves reagan but hates what he said

[wanttoknowfacts]

06:10 PM on 07/22/2011

That's not true. Here is the part of his radio address to the Nation on the Federal Debt Ceiling Increase and Deficit Reduction

September 26, 1987

" This decision is not easy. I have no choice but to sign this bill to guarantee the United States Government's credit. But I also will not permit Congress to dismantle our national defense, to jeopardize arms reduction, or to increase your taxes. I am determined that will not happen."

[AllAmericanAmericanBoy]

08:56 PM on 07/21/2011

Reagan was the worst thing to happen to America, though W made a strong case in an attempt to claim the title. Between the two of them, they've destroyed what was once the greatest nation in the world.

How's that trickle down working for you?

[Dan Vasquez]

02:43 PM on 07/23/2011

Like a golden shower that trickles into the toilet.

[eddy joe]

08:20 PM on 07/21/2011

When a president as bad as Ronald Reagan is hailed by anyone, it's a new low point in america.

[johnjam101]

03:47 PM on 07/21/2011

For those making silly comments...

look it up

rounded off

Up till the time Reagan took office, debt 1 trillion

Reagan/Bush 1 -finish 4 trillion

Clinton finish 5.5 trill minus half trill surplus net 5 trillion

Bush 2 start 5 trillion, ends 12 trillion plus a deficit of 1.4 trill total 13.4 trillion

Obama start 13.4 trill, present 14.5

[johnjam101]

03:43 PM on 07/21/2011

How does this sound...
Government isn't the problem,
unchecked Capitalism and ideologues are the problem.

[SSF]

03:01 AM on 07/22/2011

Couldn't agree more! F&F!

[Dan Vasquez]

03:35 PM on 07/21/2011

Ok let's take a history quiz about Carter and Reagan.

1) One of them cut social programs to balance the budget. The other one increased government spending by over 500%.

2) One of them was a born again Christian who was criticized for a speech he gave which asked Americans to, "Stop cursing and start praying." The other one didn't go to church and was cryogenically frozen when he died.

Stumped??? Well Baggers, considering that only one of them is dead, I think the question pretty much gives the answer away.

[BOOWAH]

02:05 PM on 07/21/2011

Sort of reminds me of the Movie "The Ten Commandments" where Yul Brynner commands the slaves to make bricks but deprives them of the necessary straw to do so! He then orders that "the tally shall not diminish" Exactly like what the Republicans are now trying to do with the budget!

[luckyt]

08:20 AM on 07/22/2011

In the sixties whenever our union contract was up the company would hire efficiency experts who would go around and say you don't need four people to do that job and so forth. So we would either have to except their terms or layoff people and work harder for our pay. Unions built our country and hopefully they will do it again, with or without the help of this President. This debt crisis is just another battle of class warfare, where so far our leader has been retreating from one scrimmage to the next.

[dragonlady620]

01:14 PM on 07/21/2011

http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/02/barack-obama-ronald-reagan-budget-taxes-opinions-contributors-rob-shapiro.html http://mises.org/freemarket_detail.aspx?cThe Education of David Stockman:" http://classes.maxwell.syr.edu/hst341/Greider.htm

[SeanMMasters]

12:13 PM on 07/21/2011

Every single time US Federal spending has contracted or the US Govt has enacted austerity programs, we have entered into a Recession.

People of all political leanings who don't understand this should take great heed: the Dow has DOUBLED under "the spendingest President ever". DOUBLED. If you really think that US Government spending is bad, maybe you should take a look at the stock market. We are SPENDING and it is GROWING. We are SPENDING and Corporate profits are SKYROCKETING.

The real problem, then? Productivity is growing at an alarming rate, meaning fewer and fewer of our American brothers and sisters are required to fulfill demand. What this means is we need more innovation, more products and services, and an increase in demand. We can only get this by spending. Both in the private sector which needs to invest the billions it is holding on to, and in the public sector which can open up new doors through vastly improved education and research funding.

[philothandrian]

04:38 PM on 07/21/2011

there are a few people who are raking in tons and tons of cash right now......that's what this is all about. nothing more, nothing less...

[Truth Purveyor]

04:36 PM on 07/22/2011

ok, and Im not down on Wall Street or anything, but what good does that do most Americans? Yeah, the wealthy (and I am NOT a class warfare guy) prosper greatly when the market does well, because the vast majority of their income is made from investments. If the government is printing money like crazy, it makes sense that Wall Street makes bucks off of it. But the money never makes it to the middle class, as there is no need by the wealthy to invest there, they can make better, more certain investments just playing with dollars.

We must decrease regulations, and flatten the tax code. Then we need to find a way to deal with China constantly devaluing their currency. We need to make America the best place to produce goods and services, rather than it being much cheaper to ship materials and jobs overseas.

The key is to find a way to get the private sector to invest again, without force. Forcefully redistributing wealth will not create a long term prosperous nation.

[Tony Moschetti]

11:48 AM on 07/21/2011

Are we talking about the same Ronald Reagan that the Community Organizer-in-Chief ripped mercilessly in his book Audicity of Hope! He said he would work to undo everything that Reagan did. It's working wonderfully. By this time in his first term, after he had INHERITED a truly disastrous economy, unemployment had fallen from 10+% to about 7 percent and the economy was growing at around 7 percent also.

Obama has NOTHING in common with Reagan. Reagan always spoke glowingly about this country, its people, and our greatness. Obama speaks of exactly the opposite, as he, like his pal George Soros, sees us as the problem in the world!

And Reagan said that government is not the solution to our problems, government IS the problem. Please show me a quote anywhere close to that from the Saul Alinsky disciple. Obama is to Reagan what.

Oh yes Reagan did eliminate many tax loopholes for promise of spending cuts. His mistake was in believing that liberal Democrat woud actually keep their word. THEY DIDN'T! But they only fooled him once! Too bad today's Republicrats aren't as perceptive as was Reagan.

Obama knows he can fool some of the people all of the time, praising Reagan while having spen his life despising him!

[SaveTheMarshMouse]

12:42 PM on 07/21/2011

If governement is the problem then why do so many baggers want to work for it??

[dragonlady620]

01:28 PM on 07/21/2011

Reagan was great at selling his ideas to the public. That's the only thing he was great at. And quoting to the Republicans a few words from St. Ronnie isn't the same as praise, nor does it mean a wholesale embracing of his policies- which are nebulous anyway since he told the public one thing and more often than not, did exactly the opposite. You say Obama has nothing in common with Reagan. I certainly hope not since a lot of our current woes can be traced directly to Reagan. You should read a little real history. This is a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_administration_scandals http://classes.maxwell.syr.edu/hst341/Greider.htm

[luckyt]

08:28 AM on 07/22/2011

Well said, that is why I'm a fan of people like you who know your history.

[scottishboy]

11:25 AM on 07/21/2011

What a sin!

[leonardosobe]

11:17 AM on 07/21/2011

NASA and it's benefit's. We spent less on the Space Program than the TARP that bailedout the banks. What was a better investment? Who killed the sapce program?

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/54868main_bush_trans.pdf