The two Republican presidential candidates who currently serve in the U.S. House voted against a budget-cutting plan crafted by their fellow Republicans.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul said he applauds the “spirit” of the proposal, but voted against it because the plan also would raise the so-called debt ceiling. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann also voted no and she asked people at an event in Norwalk today if they wanted the government to borrow more money.
“Is there a lot of appetite for that?” Bachmann asked.
Many in the crowd said, “No.”
Bachmann continued: “I haven’t been finding people who have much of an appetite to keep growing government. Does that shock you?”
Bachmann suggested the “biggest blessing” of running for president is that she is better attuned to public opinion than most of her congressional colleagues back in Washington.
“They voted, basically, to continue the spending at close to the levels that we’re spending now,” Bachmann said in Norwalk. “There is some ‘cutback’ but not anywhere near enough to get us to where we need to be.”
Both Bachmann and Paul are running television ads in Iowa, critical of the idea of raising the debt ceiling.
The Iowa Democratic Party issued a statement, saying failure to raise the debt ceiling is “dangerous” and “would be catastrophic for the economy.” However, the Democrats made no mention of Ron Paul and singled out Bachmann, saying she “isn’t ready to be president” if she is “unwilling to put the country’s best interests ahead of partisan politics.”