Here’s some straight talk from a Democratic Congressman that pops the Washington drama balloon about the Debt Limit – Pete Stark (D-CA) told an audience Saturday morning that the Debt Limit debate is a ”political charade’. Not exactly anything that President Obama wants the American people to hear while he’s trying to convince them of the utter, complete and immediate need to raise the limit.

Here’s the video of Stark speaking on Saturday, July 23.

“You’ve heard a lot about the Debt Limit. And I guess that’s – I don’t know how many of you are worried about it or concerned about it. The fact is I think it’s a political charade.

“I’m afraid that the Democrats have done that in the past, threatened to shut down the government. I don’t think there’s a chance that it will happen. I think the last time somebody did, they lost enough seats in the House of Representatives to convince them it was a dumbest thing they ever did. [It] doesn’t get us anywhere, it doesn’t help anybody, and to extend the Debt Limit is nothing more – than people have described it – than that the government’s credit card doesn’t run out of resources.

“And we all know we have more debt than we should be carrying and there’s a fight going on: Should we raise your taxes to lower that debt? Should we quit government spending? The question is if we quit government spending, what do we quit spending? Do we quit spending on Social Security and WIC and children’s daycare? Or do we quit spending for corporate jet deductions, and those sorts of things? And those are the political fights.


“They are going to go on. You’ll hear about them ’til the end of the year. My prediction is that we will extend the Debt Ceiling; and the Republicans will accuse us Democrats of being big taxers and big spenders; and I guess we’ll accuse them of not being concerned about the elderly, and the poor, and children.

“And the country will go on with its debates, and we hope that you will all stay involved and express your opinions loudly and to all of us. …”

(emphasis added)

(H/t to Christina Boteri & Steve Kemp)