Senator Cornyn: Obama Bypassing Congress on Debt Limit is 'Crazy Talk'

[JL Gawlik]

Sen. John Cornyn warned President Obama on Sunday to not even consider interpreting the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment to bypass Congress and raise the debt limit without its approval. 

"That's crazy talk. It's not acceptable for Congress and the president not to do their job and to say somehow the president has the authority then to basically do this by himself," Cornyn, R-Texas, a former judge on the Texas Supreme Court, told "Fox News Sunday." 

The proposal that Obama re-interpret Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment to justify raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit has been gaining traction in Democratic circles since Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told reporters that the Constitution's language could support the president's raising the limit without congressional approval.

'The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for the payments of pension and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion' -- this is the important thing -- 'shall not be questioned,' " Geithner read during a discussion hosted by Politico in May.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and others on Capitol Hill reportedly acknowledged that the idea is percolating, and had been presented to the president. 

"It's certainly worth exploring. I think it needs a little more exploration and study," he said during a conference call with reporters held Friday.

Without addressing efforts to invoke the Constitution, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said Sunday the president and congressional negotiators shouldn't even be discussing a debt deal privately.

"Congress is the constitutional place for this to be decided," said Sessions, who is the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. 

Asked during a press conference Wednesday whether the debt limit was constitutional, the president glossed over the question, saying, "I'm not a Supreme Court justice, so I'm not going to put my constitutional law professor hat on here."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/03/cornyn-obama-bypassing-c...

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The AMERICAN people should be OUTRAGED and APPALLED.

 

Write your Congressional members ALL of them at: congress.org and Speaker Boehner at speaker.gov

 

Also check down at the bottom of the page at congress.org and write to other Congressional members. This is NOT right, NOT legal and goes completely against the separation of powers, their oath of office to support and defend the U.S. Constitution and is clearly a abuse of power issue. These Democratic Progressive Liberals are drunk with power and have gone rabid to hold on to it.

 

The Constitution grants Congress the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States, not the president (Article I, section 8).  Also, look at what the rest of the 14th Amendment says:

 

"4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."  

 

It looks like 1st off, the public debt of the United States to be unquestioned would have to be "authorized by law" (the law has a debt ceiling currently).  2nd, it clearly states that "Congress shall have the power to enforce" the provisions of the 14th Amendment.  

 

Of course, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Obama tries to skirt the Constitution some more (since he does it as often as possible).

 

What can the house do if Obama and the Democrats ignore the Constitution? 

 

First, all states with Democrat Senators must recall their Senator and contact each Republican member and tell him not to fund government if Obama and the Democrats do this unconstitutional debt raising.

 

When the Senate get enough GOP member they can impeach Obama and bring treason charges against him and any other Democrat Senators that helped him commit these crimes.

 

If we really want change it must start in the states so get busy and recall the Democrat Senators and any Republican Senators that side with the Democrats.  They the Republicans can bring charges against these criminals.

 

The AMERICAN PEOPLE need to rise up, speak up and stand up for TRUTH and HONOR.

 

[Patricia M. McBride]

PS, thank you for your fine post!

 

[Patricia M. McBride]

JL, I was horrified when I heard what Obama thought he could manage to do since he has already over stepped on War Powers Act, Cap and Trade and the Dream Act.  Here in lies the problem when you don't call someone like him the first time they do something wrong.  If they are afraid of the hell he will create through his radical groups, what do they think he is threatening now.  This man is putting our country in grave danger every day he remains in office and imposes all his executive orders and job killing legislation.  He now has over half the country on the dole in some manner or another through his own policies, and he can't be allowed to continue down the destruction path he is taking us.