July 29, 2011 4:10 PM

Obama calls for debt #compromise on Twitter

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Economy ,
Obama Administration
President Obama twitter feed (Credit: CBS/Twitter)

Phones are once again ringing off the hook on Capitol Hill after President Obama repeated his request for voters to call their representatives and let them know what they think about the ongoing debt debate.

The Capitol call center alerted House offices Friday that the high level of incoming calls put the House phone circuits near capacity. The House faced a similar influx of calls earlier in the week after the president urged people to get involved.

"On Monday night, I asked the American people to make their voice heard in this debate, and the response was overwhelming," Mr. Obama said in a White House address this morning. "So please, to all the American people, keep it up. If you want to see a bipartisan compromise, a bill that can pass both houses of Congress and that I can sign, let your members of Congress know."

He urged people to call, email, or contact their congressmen via Twitter -- "Keep the pressure on Washington and we can get past this," he said. He repeated the message on his 2012 re-election Twitter feed: "The time for putting party first is over. If you want to see a bipartisan #compromise, let Congress know. Call. Email. Tweet. --BO"

With just days left to raise the debt limit before the U.S. exhausts its borrowing authority, Mr. Obama said he'd do his part to work with congressional leaders through the weekend.

After delivering his White House remarks, Mr. Obama dispatched his 2012 re-election team to get voters talking about the debt debate on Twitter. His team tweeted, "You heard the President. So here's what we're doing: throughout the day we'll post the Twitter handles of GOP lawmakers in each state."

Special report: America's debt battle

Using the hash tag #compromise, the 2012 Obama team then methodically tweeted messages directed at voters in every state. "Folks with Republican representatives in Indiana: Make sure your representative knows you support a compromise in the deficit debate," the team tweeted, followed by a message, "Indiana Republican reps on Twitter: @repstutzman (IN- 03), @toddrokita (IN-04), @repdanburton (IN-05), @repmikepence (IN-06) #compromise."

The move elicited a variety of responses on the micro-blogging site.

Some Republicans responded seriously: "Soon, @BarackObama feed will tell his followers to tweet NC GOP Reps in Washington to support his #compromise," the North Carolina Republican party tweeted. They followed that with the message, "but on Nov. 6, 2012, the NCGOP will help #takebackNC because @BarackObamahas #failedtolead."

Others were quick to ridicule or express their bemusement at the attempt to encourage compromise via Twitter. The liberal blog ThinkProgress tweeted, "hahahaha RT @BarackObama: Kentucky voters: Tweet @SenRandPaul and ask him to compromise on a balanced deficit solution."

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War of words over the debt

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Add a Comment See all 23 Comments
by fairtax71 July 30, 2011 3:25 PM EDT
CBS, funny how you failed to mention that after out President pulled this stunt and told his followers to put the "pressure on" Republicans even states giving their handes...........
wait for it......;............
he lost 40,000 followers in 1 day!
1 tweeted " can't believe I have to unfollow Barack Obama, but very, very strange behavior".
numerous tweets from his followers like this after this last ditch of desperation
Reply to this comment
by RobAla July 29, 2011 9:34 PM EDT
The Republicans in the House passed and sent the Senate a responsible plan that dealt with some of the horrible financial issues facing this nation via the Cut, Cap, and Balance bill.

Harry Reid refused to allow the bill to be even voted on in the Senate.

The Republicans in the House sent a second (less conservative, and less meaningful) plan to the Senate, and the Democrats in the Senate immediately killed it.

The Republicans have passed and submitted two plans, which were real plans scored by the CBO. So far, the President and the Democrat led Senate have produced NO real plan (one that has been scored by the CBO).

President Obama's plan = Ask Americans to give him $2.5 trillion, to carry him through the 2012 election.

Harry Reid's Senate Plan = If it is not President Obama's Plan, then it is "dead on arrival."
Reply to this comment
by donnalee64 July 29, 2011 8:01 PM EDT
O.K. so it looks like the big boys are going to keep their tax breaks. How about we start a movement that they do something humane with their ill gotten gains. There are men, women and children in Africa Starving to death. Why shouldn't BP, GE and the other fleas send help and food to these people?! NOT with some grand employee Rah-Rah but actually taking it out of their profits.
Yea, we have people hungry in our own country. Shouldn't happen. But we are not placing our children in shallow graves.
Reply to this comment
by RobAla July 30, 2011 8:31 AM EDT
donnalee64: So, what makes you think that Americans who have been financially have "ill gotten gains"? Have you investigated them - all of them? Most Americans who are successful financially have become so by long hours of hard work, sound financial decisions, and a few may have inherited some money. How is any of this "ill gotten gains"?

Do you really think that stealing money from some to give away to others is ethical or even fair? We hear the story of Robin Hood's taking from the rich to give to the poor. Actually, the story is about a greedy government (King) taking from citizens, and Robin Hood took some of the confiscated money from the government (King) and gave it back to those who earned it.

I am not rich, but I give money away each month. I have know a few rich people who were very generous. You shouldn't condemn people for being successful
by kevin_writes July 29, 2011 5:47 PM EDT
The president should either put out a real plan of his own or stop using the American people to spam Congress. The only people responding to his requests are Democrats who are only getting in the way. Congress knows what the people want...deficit reduction and a stop to the president's out of control spending. But it's hard for them to put a stop to it when two-thirds of the government keep threatening to kill any plan Congress puts out.
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by kevin_writes July 29, 2011 5:40 PM EDT
Cool dude. Maybe some rad surfer in a beach side coffee shop tweeted back with some totally awesome budgeting advice.
Reply to this comment
by HAZELET July 29, 2011 5:16 PM EDT
by retm-w July 29, 2011 4:54 PM EDT
problem is the tea oarty wnats all the sacrifices on the middle class seniors and poor while giving the rich a free ride. Now is that fair? you want to let the rich and corporations pay nothing at all which is what they are doing now.

Are you referring to G.E.? obama's buddy?
Reply to this comment
by retm-w July 29, 2011 5:27 PM EDT
I'm reffering to all the republicans friends which includes GE. Since republicans support offshore investment.
by kevin_writes July 29, 2011 5:52 PM EDT
I love the line "giving the rich a free ride." Obviously you don't know a thing about the stats...how the rich pay 70% of the taxes and 50% of Americans pay nothing. Now, who has the free ride?
by GVJaneAz July 29, 2011 4:51 PM EDT
Well, I hope the people of this Country have had a good education in what the Obama Administration, and his cronies, intend for this Country.

If he is re-elected, the "People" will get what they deserve, if they are that stupid!
Reply to this comment
by retm-w July 29, 2011 5:02 PM EDT
Same goes for the tea party.
by rwjacksr July 29, 2011 4:51 PM EDT
In my home as with every other home and business in America I have a debt ceiling, when I pay out more than I spend it devalues my dollars I have to pay interest on what I can not pay off and so does the US. The us now pays .48 cents on every dollar it receives in interest making the value of the US dollar about .52 cents. So subtract .48 cents from every dollar you are paid and that is your salery. If you take home $1000 per week it now buys $520 worth of goods not $1000. obama thinks just like Adolph Hitler that he is right and every one else is wrong, and he wishes to be like Hitler the Supreme Commander, he knows nothing about budgeting, the military, or what is really going on in the world. He does what he is told to do by his Muslim advisors.
Reply to this comment
by marcm1 July 29, 2011 4:37 PM EDT
The Republicans have put forth 3 bills to stop all this nonsense. And each one rejected. Where is the presidents plan? Oh. There is not one. And that Aug 2nd dead line? Does anyone remember Y2K? The fact is we have plenty of money to pay our debt and interest. That totals 30 billion a month and revenues are over 100 billion a month. And do you think for a moment the President would stop Social Security checks from going out? Please. These are terrible scare tactics. This President asked the people to call their congressman. Mr President, The American people called their Congressman last November and threw them out. The new Congress is just doing what they were elected to do. But now some of them are backing down which means they will get that same call the next election. Mr. President, In 2012, I believe you will be getting that same call.

And I remind you that the Dems had both houses in the last 2 years of Bushes term and the first 2 of Obamas. So who is the blame for where we are at? The debt (spending)has risen by 25% in the first 2 years of this Presidents term. So why cannot we go back to 2008 levels? Wait. That would mean cutting spending. You could tax the "rich" 100% of their income and that would raise enough taxes to run the country for 30 days. This is not about rasing revenue, it is about punishing successful people. About buying votes with entitlements. About scaring people into believing life comes to an end on Aug 2. If that was true, the President would have his own plan or be willing to sign anything that came across his desk to prevent that. Our leader is not doing much leading.
Reply to this comment
by GVJaneAz July 29, 2011 4:47 PM EDT
It is obvious this imposter we have as President doesn't even have the word "compromise" in his mentality!
by retm-w July 29, 2011 4:54 PM EDT
problem is the tea oarty wnats all the sacrifices on the middle class seniors and poor while giving the rich a free ride. Now is that fair? you want to let the rich and corporations pay nothing at all which is what they are doing now.
by AngryMobVoter July 29, 2011 4:28 PM EDT
The debt ceiling is NOT the issue, the RECKLESS SPENDING is. Congress should pass a very small increase in the debt ceiling so our government will be continuously confronted by the real issue which is RECKLESS SPENDING.

The fact is the American economic problems will never be solved. All of the people living off the governments dime (welfare, food stamps, government employees, etc.) will continue to vote for the SPEND, PRINT, REGULATE, and TAX DEMOCRATS. The SPEND, PRINT, REGULATE, and TAX DEMOCRATS will continue to vote for the maintenance and extension of these programs so they can keep getting elected. It is a downward spiral with no viable solution unless all of us not living off the governments dime vote 100% to stop the spending.

What needs to be done is to LOWER the debt ceiling.

Obama engaged in a reckless stimulus spending plan which only did more harm than good. That money was used to offset financial mismanagement at the state level. The projects that were funded by that money only gave a temporary increase in business to certain businesses but BUSINESS DID NOT CREATE PERMANENT JOBS TO MEET THAT DEMAND. Why? Because the stimulus was a temporary increase in spending and did not represent a long term increase in business. Businesses met that one time increase without hiring many people. The reckless stimulus spending did not create an investment opportunity for business. The only way we will see real, long term growth in jobs is if we eliminate the oppressive regulation of business (not wall street), change the tax structure so it is comparable to other countries, allow businesses the flexibility to make labor more efficient and STOP THE SPENDING.

Printing money did not work because interest rates were already as low as the could go. More dollars chasing the same amount of good and service means price increases not more jobs.

Our bloated and inefficient government is what is thwarting job and economic growth and the reckless stimulus spending and the reckless printing of money have not and will not do anything to fix it.

Obama is so h*ll bent of "taxing the rich" (whatever that means) because it is a campaign strategy not because it is good for the country. Obama is obsessed with getting reelected so he can ram more of his "hope and change" socialistic programs into law. Obama believes if he can force the Republicans to help pass a "taxing the rich" plan, the "rich" will not donate as much money. The Democrats with Obama in charge will continue to spend and spend. More and more social programs will mean more and more people with little incentive to work. His "taxing the rich" attitude will send more and more jobs out of the country.

Mr. Obama: stop campaigning, stop SPENDING and do what is good for the country.

We must continue to VOTE THEM OUT!!!
Reply to this comment
by GVJaneAz July 29, 2011 4:49 PM EDT
You have stated it all. Thank you.
by retm-w July 29, 2011 5:32 PM EDT
Another republican that wants to throw the seniors, disable and poor under the bus. Maybe if all those republican taxbreaks to the rich and big business created the jobs that they were supposed to, maybe those using those safety net programs would have a job
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