Ken Buck: National Default Wouldn't Be So Bad

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by: Colorado Pols

Rep.-elect Ken Buck.

Roll Call's Emma Dumain catches up with Rep.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado, the new president of the 114th Congress' freshman class–who now says he "respects" President Barack Obama, apparently on longer losing his appetite at the sight of America's first black President.

We'd say that's good news.

In addition, Buck has a message for all you worry-warts concerned about the direction the GOP-dominated House and Senate might take in Obama's last two years with the nation's debt obligations:

Buck…said he hoped the federal government would not default on its finances when Congress has to raise the debt limit early this year, but was noncommittal on whether he himself would provide a likely much-needed vote to advance a “clean” extension of the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority.

“I don’t believe the consequences of failing to raise the debt limit are what the president and some others in the United States Congress have said,” Buck explained. [Pols emphasis] “I think we have a lot of room to cut our spending. If we do that, we will in fact avoid the catastrophic consequences that others talk about.”

Just like that, folks! It's good to know that when the brinksmanship over defaulting on the nation's debt obligations starts up again, Ken Buck is in the "default denier" caucus–the only lawmakers who could be considered even more irresponsible than lawmakers threatening default for negotiative advantage. Why negotiate at all if nothing bad will happen–even in the worst case scenario?

In any negotiation, there are helpful participants and unhelpful distractions. Rep. Ken Buck, in case there was ever a doubt, will be part of the latter camp.

15 thoughts on “Ken Buck: National Default Wouldn’t Be So Bad”

BlueCat says:

January 5, 2015 at 3:45 pm

Too bad there isn't an IQ requirement for public office.

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1. BoulderDem says:
  
  January 5, 2015 at 3:47 pm
  
  I am somewhat curious if people who say these things took an economics class in college at all. If so, their professor ought to be fired flat out.
  
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DawnPatrol says:

January 5, 2015 at 4:07 pm

Go ahead, Bucky Boy. Do take that chance…

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Phoenix Rising says:

January 5, 2015 at 4:09 pm

Why is it that the first think Senator Buck has to say is so mind-numbingly stupid?

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1. DawnPatrol says:
  
  January 5, 2015 at 4:33 pm
  
  Fish gotta swim. Birds gotta fly. Ken Buck's gotta say stupid sh-t.
  
  He stays limber by putting (and keeping) his foot in his mouth — both feet simultaneously, if necessary.
  
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2. marklane1351 says:
  
  January 5, 2015 at 9:18 pm
  
  Pooh Bear had it right. "Sometimes when you think you have a pretty good think and then you say it out loud and it turns out to be not such a good think."
  
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3. BlueCat says:
  
  January 6, 2015 at 9:11 am
  
  Rhetorical question, right?
  
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4. bullshit! says:
  
  January 6, 2015 at 10:35 am
  
  Yikes! I hope this isn't an alternate reality where Buck won the 2010 Senate race. 🙂
  
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itlduso says:

January 5, 2015 at 6:21 pm

Go ahead, punk. Make my day. And, shut down the government while you're at it.

GOP asshole.

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1. Bokonon says:
  
  January 5, 2015 at 9:46 pm
  
  A significant part of the GOP thinks that the recent government shutdowns and near-default weren't a mistake, but actually a triumph. And who's to say they are wrong? Look how the voters reacted. They rewarded the arsonists and promoted them to fire chief.
  
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  1. bullshit! says:
    
    January 6, 2015 at 10:36 am
    
    It was a little more complicated than that. If the elected had been held right after the 2013 shutdown, Dems would have won. Dems did benefit in 2012 from the GOP's default threats in 2011.
    
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notaskinnycook says:

January 5, 2015 at 10:08 pm

To begin with, the concept that raising the debt ceiling is to pay bills that have already been incurred needs to become part of freshman orientation for the House. That will make it a bit more difficult for Congress-critters to mislead their constituents about the purpose of these votes. They won't hbe able to claim to misunderstand. Second, this nonsense of having to say "mother may I" each time we need to pay our bills has to come to a screeching halt. It serves no purpose other than to let the party out of power pitch a public fit about how "those people" spend too much.

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1. BlueCat says:
  
  January 6, 2015 at 9:12 am
  
  Exactly.
  
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MargariGivens says:

October 30, 2015 at 6:59 pm

LOL, he really thinks this will work 🙂

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mamajama55 says:

October 30, 2015 at 8:33 pm

Not to worry. Ken Buck will be MIA when it's time to actually vote, just as he was on the EPA, climate change votes, and more. He really hates to be on the record on controverwsial issues. He's missed 59 of 580 roll call votes, which GovTrack calls

much worse than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving

Profile in courage, our Bucko.

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