COMMENTARY | Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., seems to think the U.S. should default on its debt to rein in uncontrollable spending. She was hypercritical of President Barack Obama's deal he insisted upon to raise the country's debt ceiling by an Aug. 2 deadline.
"Mr. President, I'm not sure what voice you're listening to, but I can assure you that the voice of the American people wasn't the voice that compelled Washington to act. It was you that got us into this mess, and it was you who wanted a $2.4 trillion blank check to get you through the election," Bachmann told CNN after the deal was announced.
I'm trying to figure out how Bachmann came to a few conclusions. First, "Washington" includes a 535-member body called Congress and not just the White House. It's called separation of powers. Second, Obama didn't get us into the tanked economy that led to bank bailouts and extreme debt. We wouldn't be in this mess if greedy bank lenders didn't prey on the American people under the watch of Republican President George W. Bush.
Bachmann seems to forget that Bush also raised the debt ceiling to help pay for two wars. Her first term in office began in 2006, when Bush was president. I don't recall Bachmann's vocality when the economy was being destroyed in 2008.
One misconception that people have about Obama is that he doesn't listen to the American people. The president does indeed listen to what America needs all the time. Obama gives a voice to those who don't have one, in my opinion. He spoke up for citizens who were too busy paying their health care bills to vote in an election. He listened to the millions of impoverished residents without a job who may not find time to attend public round table meetings.
Obama goes beyond polls and beyond constituent letters. He sees the statistics and knows why Americans are hurting and tries to do something about it.
When too many Americans are busy raising families, working multiple jobs or simply trying to find food to put on the table, they really don't have time to write their representative to Congress. When someone hurts, all you hear are the screams of pain and not what they really need.
Obama listened when he knew a debt default would destroy the economy. If nine percent unemployment is bad now, imagine if another recession hit as the economy is starting to climb out of its hole?
Obama did listen to Republicans--there are no tax increases for the rich included with this legislation. That has yet to be hammered out. Because the rich got us here in the first place, they should bear some burden for the current debt crisis.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
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