TPMDC Twitter townhall
Barack Obama
Obama Not Ruling Out Invoking Constitutional Nuclear Option In Debt Talks
During Wednesday's first Twitter town hall, President Barack Obama made his feelings about the debt ceiling situation pretty clear. Using charged language, he said it should not be "used as a gun against the heads of the American people to extract tax breaks for corporate jet owners, or oil and gas companies." However, the president sidestepped a question about whether it was a good idea to invoke the 14th Amendment to pay government obligations if Congress refuses to raise that debt ceiling -- but he didn't rule it out.
As the Aug. 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling looms closer and closer, liberal academics -- and even some Democratic members of Congress -- have begun questioning whether the legislative branch actually has the power under the Constitution to force the federal government to default on its debts.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 14th Amendment, Barack Obama, Constitution, Debt, Debt Ceiling, House Republicans, Twitter, Twitter townhall
Barack Obama
Obama: I Underestimated Magnitude Of The Recession
President Obama openly acknowledged underestimating the length and magnitude of the worst recession since the Great Depression in a response to a question during his Twitter town hall.
Always a tough question to answer, Obama was asked what mistakes he made in handling the economic crisis and what he would have done differently looking back on his first months in office.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 14th Amendment, 2012 elections, 21st Amendment, Barack Obama, Debt ceiling, Default, Deficit, Economy, Jobs, Recession, Twitter, Twitter townhall, White House
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