“What I’ve been pushing from the beginning is an increase in debt ceiling to avoid default, but have a clean debt ceiling vote,” Welch told Johnson. That means, just a vote on increasing the debt ceiling and debate budget cuts and tax increases another day.
“We have to have a balanced outcome,” Welch added. “If we’re going to move to a fiscal balance, there’s got to be shared sacrifice. This [Republican] plan in my view lacks that balance there’s no revenues whatsoever.”
To which Johnson added, “Wait, I’m confused here. You say you would have voted in favor of this bill if you had been the deciding vote?”
“Yes,” Welch added.
So this was like, what – a Nader protest vote in 2000? I don’t think it’s supposed to work that way in Congress. (Podcast link)
he was the one member of the VT. delegation who was left to suck the lemon.
Leahy voted for what he thought was the best they’d get while avoiding default, Bernie voted for what he thought was right. Welch figured he could have his cake and eat it too, because the bill would pass and he could still reject the bill.
I like your hopefulness, Odum, but of course it works this way. One party or the other sets up a bill and a vote simply to get on the record for a campaign, or to appease the base at home, knowing it’s a “safe” vote.
NanuqFC
In a Time of Universal Deceit, TELLING the TRUTH Is a Revolutionary Act. ~ George Orwell
There is a pretty strong tradition of casting symbolic votes against increasing the debt ceiling as a way of demonstrating dissatisfaction with the underlying circumstances that have forced the issue to come to a vote in the first place. This is especially true when it involves a member of the minority party voting against a motion brought by the majority party.
But casting that kind of symbolic vote is different than being willing to drive the entire US (and world) economy off a cliff by forcing a default and subsequent economic meltdown. In that case, it would be highly irresponsible to be the deciding vote to commit national economic suicide.
Welch’s stance may be easy to parody, but it is actually a responsible position.