Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the bills from a decade of ineffective tax cuts and unpaid wars and a recession fueled by lax regulation have come due. I did not support the policies that generated these bills, but pretending these bills do not have to be paid is not an option. Indeed, playing chicken, literally, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government is a recipe for disaster. If the U.S. defaults on its debt, every single expert tells us, it will have a huge and immediate impact on the lives of every American all across this country, from the poorest to the most well off. And particularly for those who are struggling, it will be devastating at a time when they can least afford it. Not only could it cause a stoppage of Social Security and veterans' benefits checks, but, more systemically, it would undermine our Nation's opportunity to build a more lasting and more prosperous recovery. We have seen some progress, but it is not enough. This step, if we default, would seriously undermine our ability to function as an economy and would seriously, perhaps decisively affect our ability to mount and continue to mount a reasonably recovery. We are still recovering from the worst depression since the 1930s. Much of it is based on the policies I mentioned previously: two unfunded wars, the expansion of an entitlement program that was unpaid for, deep tax cuts that were unpaid for--all of it put on the tab, and the tab is coming due.…”