Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann again brushed off warnings from leaders in both parties that the country would face disastrous economic consequences if the government fails to raise the debt ceiling by next Tuesday.
"I do not believe for one moment that we will lose the full faith and credit of the United States," Bachmann said Thursday during a question-and-answer session at the National Press Club in Washington.
Bachmann, a House member from Minnesota, has been a staunch opponent of the debt ceiling hike for months, saying the move poses no threat to the markets or to the American public and would only give President Barack Obama license to increase government spending.
She said she plans to vote against the latest proposal from House Speaker John Boehner that would raise the debt limit and reduce the deficit. That vote is scheduled for late Thursday, but with Republican members divided on the Boehner plan, its fate remains uncertain.
Bachmann was asked whether there is ever an appropriate level of debt for the government to carry.
"There may be times when we do need to increase the debt, particularly in emergencies, but this is not the situation we are in right now," she answered, saying the current debt impasse is simply the result of "bad policies" coming from the Obama administration.
She said the president employed "scare tactics" during his address to the nation on Monday evening to pressure Americans into giving him more spending power.
Though Bachmann's appearance at the press club was pegged to the debt debate, she was questioned late in the program about her Christian faith and whether she finds it difficult to square her personal beliefs with her role as public servant.
"I don't find it difficult to reconcile with my faith," she said. "As President of the United States I will pray every day and ask for the Lord to give me guidance as president. And even more so, I want you to know that I will be praying for every one of you, too, every day."
Bachmann was also asked where she gets her news and what she reads. She said she is addicted to her iPad and often frequents left-leaning news organizations to get a different perspective from her own, naming MSNBC, The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast as examples.
From CNN Politics
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Every time Michelle Bachmann opens her mouth she show us all she not fit to lead a dog let alone the nation. Perhaps rest us who would take this mess in the teeth need to make it an emergency for for her like it is to us.
If she doesn't make it to the Presidency, maybe CNN could hire her for her financial expertise. She's sure a whiz-bang economist.
And all you old folks, you don't REALLY need those Social Security checks.
I'll bet Michelle has already passed on her Government paycheck, just to help out.
Crazy talk Crazy talk!
She's more than welcome to use faith to lead her personal life but I prefer leaders who make fact based decisions.
Too many migraines have rendered this poor lady both clueless and incompetent. Please go away, m'am.
From her speeches I'd say she reads the comics!
"As President of the United States I will pray every day and ask for the Lord to give me guidance as president. And even more so, I want you to know that I will be praying for every one of you, too, every day."
I'd rather you didn't pray for me, Michele. I'm absolutely positive I want nothing to do with whomever it is your prays are ending up with. Seriously.
she is SO clueless & just loves to hear herself talk
"Scare tactics"!!???,.. just look at that picture of her,.. the mouth of a shark,. the face of a devil,.. now that's scare tactics.
Stupid gets redefined everyday
Apparently S&P is not one of the voices in Michele Bachmann's head... Anyone know why Teahadists are so fact averse?
"'There may be times when we do need to increase the debt, particularly in emergencies, but this is not the situation we are in right now,' she answered...." Does she not listen to herself? How can she acknowledge that the United States might need to go into debt, yet push for a Constitutional Amendment that forbids us from doing so?
Then again...she doesn't listen to any of the fiscal experts who have recently explained why failure to increase the debt limit would constitute an emergency, so why would she listen critically to herself, either?
If a government default is not an emergency, what is the GOP using as leverage to force Democrats to cut spending in this debt ceiling mess? Shouldn't Democrats just ignore Republicans? Democrats can tell the voters: if you miss your government checks (e.g., Social Security checks and military paychecks) in the mail, go ask the GOP? The GOP does not think it is an emergency that you miss your checks. Do you?
OK, I guess Bachman is like Palin in that she also doesn't read newspapers. Every news outlet is talking about how a downgrade in the US credit rating could affect consumers. Either this women is a complete idiot or should doesn't care about the American people.
She only believes that praying the gay away, telling lies and being a racist is an emergency .
tell that to the seniors in your district- I'm sure they will be relieved
I love politicians who say they pray to the lord every day, but have no problem cutting social security and other social programs which benefit the needy. That is not Christ's way.
Lord have mercy, and even after bucket after bucket of these types of ignorant, and just plain stupid utterances from her there are those that would still vote for this tool.
THAT'S scarier than she is.
Really – not an emergency so next Tuesday when the stock market drops 1,000+points without a debt deal will this wannabe – admit that she was wrong or what exactly will she be saying then?
Her statements about the full faith and credit indicate that she has absolutely no understanding of how the debt of the United States is woven into the very fabric of the entire world economy. She doesn't have a clue that the debt ceiling needs to be raised to pay for all the programs and expenditures the Congress has made as far back as 5 years or more. She also seems not to understand that the power of the purse rests with Congress, not the President. Presidents don't have the authority to spend money in the US Government, only the Congress does. President's administer the funds authorized and appropriated by the Congress. How can someone this uniformed be a leading Republican candidate for President?