Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) made an unexpected return to Congress on Monday to vote on the debt ceiling bill. Seven months after being shot in the head in Tucson, Arizona, Giffords recovery has astounded doctors.

House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) introduced Giffords to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Colleagues shook Giffords hand and welcomed her back to her job for the first time since she was critically injured during a political event that left six dead.

“I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what’s going on in Washington,” Giffords said, in a statement from her office. “After weeks of failed debate in Washington, I was pleased to see a solution to this crisis emerge.

I strongly believe that crossing the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than party politics. I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy.”

Giffords voted in favor of raising the debt ceiling which passed through House by a margin of 269 to 161. Her office, in a statement, noted that in December 2009 and again in February 2010, she had objected to raising the nation’s debt limit. This vote, the statement added, “was substantially different, with the strength of the U.S. economy hanging in the balance.”

After the vote was cast, Giffords received multiple additional rounds of applause, as Pelosi called her “the personification of courage.”

“Her presence here in the chamber as well as her service throughout her career in Congress, brings honor to this chamber,” Pelosi said. “Thank you, Gabby.”

Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said he found out that Giffords would show for the vote when he saw her, hinting that Pelosi and others in the know played it close to the vest.  ”I just said, ‘I love you, glad to have you back, great to see you,’” he said. “I only found out when I saw her. [It was] a little emotional.”

Jared Lee Loughner, of Tucson, has been charged in the shootings that injured Giffords and others.

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If there is any doubt that Republicans are choosing politics over country, erase it with the words of Donald Trump. Monday, Trump urged Republican lawmakers to reject any debt ceiling deal in an effort to ensure that President Obama is a one-term president. Despite economists and administration officials warnings that defaulting on our nation’s debt could mean dire consequences for the country, Trump still believes that the risk is worth it. Politics over country.

“Frankly the Republicans would be crazy unless they get 100 percent of the deal that they want right now to make any deal,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends” Monday. “If this happens, for instance if this stuff is going on prior to an election, he can’t get reelected. He possibly can’t get elected anyway. …

The fact is, unless the Republicans get 100% of what they want, and that may include getting rid of Obamacare, which is a total disaster, then they should not make a deal other than a minor extension which would take you before the election which would ensure Obama doesn’t get elected, which would be a great thing.”

Host Brian Kilmead pointed out that Americans currently blame Republicans more than Obama for the debt ceiling crisis, but Trump responded that, in the long run, the blame will fall on Obama, not Republicans. “I don’t care about polls,” Trump said. “When it comes time to default, they’re not going to remember any of the Republicans’ names. They are going to remember in history books one name, and that’s Obama.”

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, Americans disapprove of Republicans’ and Obama’s economic policies in roughly equal measure, but 65 percent disapprove of the GOP’s handling of jobs, compared to 52 percent for Obama.

In an interview with Newsmax, Trump stated that Obama is trying to create a crisis. “Monday of this week, everything was supposed to crash in Asia and it didn’t,” said the Trump, who earlier this year mulled running for the Republican nomination for president.
“It was supposed to crash throughout the world but it didn’t.

“That threat is highly overblown, and August 2 is no longer the date. There’s plenty of funds to keep it going quite a bit longer. That’s just a date that Geithner came up with mysteriously, so August 2 is not a real threat at all.”

Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com

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While the nation is in disarray over the debt ceiling, the Republican Party in particular is in shambles. The Tea Party is warning the Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders to “hold the line,” while elders in the Republican Party and Republican business donors are urging the party to raise the debt ceiling to prevent an economic downfall.

The Tea Party and American Grassroots Coalition organized a rally on Wednesday in the capital. Seventy-five supporters and featured GOP Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), and Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).  The supporters at the rally want the Republican leadership to bring back the “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill that the House passed, but failed in the Senate. The Act would raise the debt ceiling before August 2^nd deadline.

The Tea Party and many GOP lawmakers do not support Speaker Boehner’s plan, criticizing that it cuts too little. Boehner reportedly held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday and told Republicans to “get your ass in line.”

“This is the bill,” Boehner stated. “I can’t do this job unless you’re behind me.”

Boehner’s plan would temporarily raise the debt ceiling until the end of the year. The plan would also make spending cuts, although not as deep as many in the party would like.  Credit raters along with Bank of America have described the Speaker’s plan as insufficient and would not prevent an economic fallout.

The normally Republican-leaning National Association of Manufacturers is insisting that Congress raise the debt ceiling, again. In part, the statement read:

During the current uncertain economic times, Americans desperately need jobs. It is unreasonable for our government to stand by idly and allow interest rates to increase for families and businesses. Doing nothing also will result in a decrease in foreign investments in the United States and a general hit on the economy.

This is the time for leadership in Washington. The White House and Congress must act to raise the debt ceiling to ensure our country’s fiscal and economic well-being. To do otherwise is wholly irresponsible and ignores grave consequences and fiscal responsibility.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) criticized the tea party republicans on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “What is really amazing about this is that some members are believing that we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation — and that is foolish,” said McCain on the Senate floor, according to The Hill.

“That is worse than foolish. That is deceiving many of our constituents.” The Arizona senator regarded the situation unfolding as “unfair” and “bizarre.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/29671464@N02/

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Despite some Democratic leaders prompting, President Barack Obama has stated that he will not utilize the 14^th amendment in order to bypass congress and raise the debt ceiling. The little known 14^th amendment is vaguely worded and legal scholars differ on the whether the amendment would allow the president to continue to borrow or could pose a legal challenge.

On Tuesday, Obama’s spokesman, Jay Carney, seems to dismiss the possibility. “The Constitution makes clear that Congress has the authority, not the president, to borrow money and only Congress can increase the statutory debt ceiling. That is just a reality,” Carney told reporters.

However, House leaders emerged from a caucus on Wednesday and urged Obama to raise the debt ceiling any way possible. If Congress can’t reach a deal on a long-term debt limit increase by Aug. 2, Obama should “sign an executive order invoking the 14th Amendment,” said Assistant Minority Leader James Cyburn (D-S.C.).

“I am convinced that whatever discussions about the legality of that can continue,” Clyburn said. “But I believe that something like this will bring calm to the American people and will bring needed stability to our financial markets.”

House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) stated that Obama has previously expressed doubts about his legal authority to unilaterally raise the debt limit. But circumstances have changed, Larson said, and “we just want to let him know that his caucus is prepared to stand behind him” if Congress fails to pass a longterm deal.

“We have to have a fail-safe mechanism,” Larson said. “We believe that fail-safe mechanism is the 14th Amendment and the president of the United States.”

Former President Bill Clinton argued last week that the 14th Amendment that states the “validity” of government debt ”shall not be questioned” means that Obama could simply ignore the congressionally imposed debt ceiling and go on borrowing.

A handful of Democrats plan to hold a press conference on Thursday in the capital. The Democrats want to encourage the president to “invoke the 14th Amendment in the absence of a bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling and avoid national default,” according to their press release.

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