Washington Post
By Editorial Board,
Published: May 16
IT’S NOT OFTEN that a senior political figure announces an intention to behave irresponsibly and risk inflicting great harm on the U.S. economy. It’s even rarer that the politician, having already behaved irresponsibly and inflicted harm on the U.S. economy, announces his intention to do so again.
Yet that is the situation in which House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has placed himself. In a speech Tuesday to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s fiscal summit, he vowed to use the next debt-ceiling debate to extract additional spending cuts as the price of lifting the country’s borrowing limit.
“Yes, allowing America to default would be irresponsible,” Mr. Boehner said. “But it would be more irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without taking dramatic steps to reduce spending and reform the budget process.” Actually, no. It would be more irresponsible to risk — again — the United States’ credit rating.
The Hopewell News
By Caitlin Davis
May 16, 2012, 14:09
HOPEWELL - Tim Kaine, former Governor of Virginia and currently in the race for U.S. Senate, came to visit Hopewell on Monday morning. He held a roundtable discussion with small business owners at Touch of Red. Kaine began by saying the discussion was to “get the wheels turning.”
“I’ve worked as mayor and as governor, I can always learn more,” Kaine said.
Kaine gave the small business owners in attendance an insight into his view of the current state of the economy. He said the economy has undergone many changes since he left office.
Richmond Times Dispatch: Kaine is going on the offensive and taking his message to seniors.
Falls Church News Press: [Kaine] noted that Allen advocated "privatization" of Social Security…"I will fight that tooth and nail."
WSLS: [Kaine] began the day meeting with seniors and retirees in Falls Church, focusing on ways to improve Social Security and Medicare.
Richmond Times Dispatch: "As Republicans continue to duke it out for the nomination, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Timothy M. Kaine is going on the offensive and taking his message to seniors. Kaine’s campaign today launched an online ad buy and kicked off a two-week tour of the state where he will meet with groups of retirees and seniors in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads and Southside."
Falls Church News Press: "During a debate with his presumptive Republican Senate challenger George Allen, he noted that Allen advocated 'privatization' of Social Security. 'He wants to break the generational bond' that makes Social Security work," Kaine said. 'I will fight that tooth and nail." Many of the problems of Medicare, Kaine added, can be addressed by taking on the pharmaceutical companies. He cited the component of the prescription drug legislation that prohibits the U.S. from negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies for the price of drugs.'"
Falls Church Patch: "Ira Kaylin said senior citizens need someone in the Senate with tremendous, intellect, compassion and leadership. Kaylin, a sitting councilman in Falls Church, said issues with possible increases in the minimum age to receive senior benefits are frightening. 'We’re going to need help in D.C. to keep an eye on these issues,' Kaylin said."
WSLS: "Former governor Tim Kaine shared his vision for the country's economic future at a series of events in Northern Virginia today. Kaine is the democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. He began the day meeting with seniors and retirees in Falls Church, focusing on ways to improve Social Security and Medicare."
Politico: "Tim Kaine’s campaign is trying to get George Allen on the defensive, launching a two-week tour of events to highlight what a campaign official describes as 'the stark contrast between George Allen’s record of voting to shift Social Security dollars to private accounts and praising plans that drastically alter Medicare and shift costs onto seniors, with Governor Kaine’s commitment to strengthen these programs.'"
Richmond, VA - In response to the votes the U.S. Senate took on five proposed budgets yesterday, Tim Kaine released the following statement:
"The Senate voted down five bad budgets yesterday. They proved once again that they can block action, even on the most important and critical matters of the day.
"The Senate must now show that it can act for the good of the country. They haven't passed a budget in nearly three years. They have refused to confirm key appointments - no Administrator of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been confirmed since 2006. They've allowed filibuster and other vanity rules to grow into everyday tools for obstruction.
"We won't change the dynamic in Congress by sending folks there who've been part of the growing dysfunction. I led Virginia through the worst recession in 70 years by making tough budget cuts in all areas and still finding ways to make critical investments in education and infrastructure. I balanced budgets and negotiated a compromise between two Republican houses in 2006 when they stalemated over the budget.
"I will fight against Senate inaction on budgets or anything else. I urge the Senate to work in earnest to pass a budget. The House budget is deeply flawed - cutting education, defense and Medicare too deeply and foolishly embracing deficit-busting tax reductions for the folks at the upper end of the income scale. The Senate can do better and they should. The American public is waiting for a responsible alternative."
Kaine: "There's a better way. Our budget can get thinner, without our economy getting weaker."
Richmond, VA- As the New York Times reported this morning, Congressional Republicans led by Speaker Boehner are again promising a "standoff" over the debt limit. Earlier this month at a GOP primary debate, George Allen echoed that call for gridlocking government. By pushing policies that are both politically untenable and disastrous for the economy, George Allen and his Republican colleagues are all but assuring a return to last summer's debt ceiling fiasco that lead to credit downgrade and spending cuts that would be disastrous for Virginia's economy if enacted.
In response to renewed calls from George Allen and GOP leaders in Washington for another debt limit standoff, Tim Kaine released the following statement:
"My chief opponent in this election is a prime example of backward Washington thinking on our budget. During his first term in the U.S. Senate, George Allen voted four times for debt ceiling increases, voted repeatedly against commonsense measures to control spending like PAYGO, and voted for massive deficit spending. After years of voting for increased spending without paying for it, Allen had an election-year conversion and decided to stand with the Tea Party in cheering on government shutdown. Virginia chambers of commerce, local governments, and our Republican Governor all urged George Allen and his allies to set aside politics and work toward a deal, but they refused.
"Now, Republicans, including Allen, are calling for an approach that would blow a hole in Virginia's economy. Extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will add to the growing deficits and pledging no new dollars for critical investments represent a return to the same economic approach that helped create this mess. And, new calls for holding our country's finances hostage are not a path forward, they're a replay of last summer's manufactured political crisis that led to a credit downgrade.
"The good news is there's a better way. Our budget can get thinner, without our economy getting weaker. The approach I advocate would implement two to three dollars in spending cuts for every dollar of new revenue, allowing for critical investments and protecting Virginia's businesses, localities, military infrastructure, federal contractors and employees, and other sectors from devastating funding cuts. To achieve this, we need to send leaders to Washington who know how to make tough cuts. As Governor, I cut $5 billion in spending, while still making investments in education and infrastructure that helped make Virginia Forbes' Best State for Business. That's exactly what I'll do in Washington."
Background:
Today: Republicans Pledge New Standoff On Debt Limit. The New York Times reported, “Speaker John A. Boehner on Tuesday set the stage for a bruising election-year showdown on fiscal policy, vowing to hold up another increase in the federal debt ceiling unless it was offset by larger spending cuts. His combative comments came on the same day the Republicans’ presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, hit President Obama hard on his fiscal stewardship in a speech in Des Moines, suggesting that Mr. Romney and Congressional Republicans see an opening to attack the president on the mounting federal debt and the size of the government. Mr. Boehner’s stance threatened to throw Congress back into the debt-limit stalemate that consumed Washington in 2011, but this time at the height of a campaign that Republicans are trying to make a referendum on Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy.” [The New York Times, 5/15/12]
April: George Allen Again Said He Would Refuse To Raise Debt Limit Unless Conservative Demands Were Met At the Republican Party of Virginia’s Senate primary debate, Allen said, “Number 1, I think there should be a balanced budget requirement in the Constitution of the United States. We have it here in Virginia -- 49 other states have it. I think line-item veto authority ought be given to the President. . . . So I can’t see any increases in debt limits unless there are concrete steps – concrete iron clad spending restraints because we’re loading future generations such dangerous levels of debt.” [RPVA Debate, 4/28/12]
Last Year: George Allen Called Stalemate Over Debt Deal A "Great Opportunity. It Is Leverage." In an interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business, Allen said, “I actually think that this debt ceiling vote, as dangerous as some people say it is, it is a great opportunity. It is leverage that we conservatives have to say, ‘if you want us to vote for this, there needs to be real cuts, real cuts, not fake cuts, not nice words, not platitudes, real cuts, and if you don’t get it, we’re not going to vote for that debt ceiling increase.’” [Fox Business, 5/13/11]
During His Time in The Senate: Allen Voted Four Times To Raise Debt Limit Without Spending Controls. [Vote 148, 6/11/02; Vote 202, 5/23/03; Vote 213, 11/17/04; Vote 54, 3/16/06]
• Allen Voted Against Restoring PAYGO Rules At Least Six Times. Allen voted against restoring pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules at least six times, which would have required tax cuts and new entitlement spending to be offset with revenue increases or spending cuts. [Vote 38, 3/14/06; Vote 340, 11/17/05; Vote 283, 11/3/05; Vote 53, 3/16/05; Vote 38, 3/10/04; Vote 200, 5/23/03]