David Schweikert: “We are going to go after a handful of things, but we are actually going to try something that is somewhat unique for…”

“We are going to go after a handful of things, but we are actually going to try something that is somewhat unique for this body. We are actually going to use math. We are going to use facts. We are actually going to get to the way the system actually works instead of doing what seems to be a moniker around here as we make public policy by virtue signaling, by feelings. Let's actually go over something that has been just grating on me. I am going to try to minimize being a jerk tonight, but if I get one more Democrat running around here screaming at us, ``We are going to default,'' da, da, da, da. Remember, we got downgraded. That is not what happened. The language S&P did in 2011 wasn't because of the debt ceiling fight. If you actually read it, ``U.S. loses AAA credit rating after S&P downgrade,'' it was because S&P cut the long-term U.S. rating by one notch to AA-plus with negative outlook, citing concerns about budget deficits. It wasn't the debt ceiling. It was the failure of this body to take our demographics and our spending seriously. This was a decade ago. I believe it was today or yesterday that I heard one of my colleagues on the other side walk behind one of these microphones and lie--excuse me; I take that back--forget what actually happened. It wasn't because of a fight over the debt ceiling.…”