# Could/would Rand Paul really singlehandedly bring on a depression? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 3, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285 "2010-11-03T02:08:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/1 "2010-11-03T02:08:23Z")
Lawrence O’Donnell on CNN claimed that Rand Paul could singlehandedly drive the US into a depression by filibustering an increase in the debt ceiling. This, he claims, would destroy the nation’s credit rating and lead to anarchy and depression. I’ve failed to come up with exact quotes in Google, but is this really possible? Paul supporters claim not, “as the Federal Reserve has the power to monetize outstanding government debt to prevent the the government from defaulting on its treasury debt obligations.” They also claim that he WOULDN’T do such a thing anyway. Would he really? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/2 "2010-11-03T02:17:23Z")
You an old fashioned read-the-phonebook filibuster? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/3 "2010-11-03T02:20:57Z")
I’m not entirely convinced that a teabagger senator _wouldn’t_ try to start a depression if he thought he could blame it on Obongo. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/4 "2010-11-03T02:25:17Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/5 "2010-11-03T02:31:50Z")
heh ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/6 "2010-11-03T02:33:08Z")
No he can’t singlehandedly do anything. He still needs the support of the Republican party to keep himself at the podium. 40 of them plus him, sure he could do some damage. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/7 "2010-11-03T04:18:55Z")
No, he can’t. > [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > I’m not entirely convinced that a teabagger senator _wouldn’t_ try to start a depression if he thought he could blame it on Obongo. I’m entirely convinced that’s an unprovable assertion, and is simply a gratuitous swipe at your political opposition. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/8 "2010-11-03T04:56:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No, he can’t. > > I’m entirely convinced that’s an unprovable assertion, and is simply a gratuitous swipe at your political opposition. Ahh let him be, his party just got obliterated and even the great one couldn’t do anything about it. Change is indeed good. Nice to have a little balance back. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/9 "2010-11-03T05:54:19Z")
Remember Network? When Howard Beale has his meeting with Moloch, played by Ned Beatty? And he’s given a vision of the extent of the power that he, in his puny and ignorant fashion, is toying with. > [@](#): > > …dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today! And YOU have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU… WILL… ATONE! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/10 "2010-11-03T05:55:27Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Ahh let him be, his party just got obliterated and even the great one couldn’t do anything about it. > > Change is indeed good. Nice to have a little balance back. How is balance achieved by adding unbalanced people into an unbalanced situation? ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/11 "2010-11-03T10:30:38Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Lawrence O’Donnell on CNN claimed that Rand Paul could singlehandedly drive the US into a depression by filibustering an increase in the debt ceiling. This, he claims, would destroy the nation’s credit rating and lead to anarchy and depression. It might also be that you could avoid anarchy and depression by living within your means and not spend your children’s inheritance and settling them with a mountain of debt. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/12 "2010-11-03T10:34:16Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > It might also be that you could avoid anarchy and depression by living within your means and not spend your children’s inheritance and settling them with a mountain of debt. Thanks to the Republicans that’s not an option. Our children ARE going to be saddled with massive debt and have to make do with less. And the Republicans will do everything in their power to dig the hole deeper. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/13 "2010-11-03T12:52:56Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Change is indeed good. Nice to have a little [del]balance[/del] gridlock back. Fixed. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/14 "2010-11-03T13:43:18Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Fixed. Not fixed. The SDMB does not permit deliberately changing other posters’ quotes inside the quote tags. Do not do this again. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/15 "2010-11-03T13:46:33Z")
If Paul’s predecessor Jim Bunning could paralyze the Senate with his refusal to extend unemployment benefits, I don’t see why Paul couldn’t do the same by refusing to budge on extending the debt ceiling. From what I know of Rand Paul, the potential consequences of this would be completely unimportant to him. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/16 "2010-11-03T14:25:13Z")
I don’t think the GOP is crazy enough to support him. I sure hope he tries, though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/17 "2010-11-03T14:58:37Z")
Meh. I think he’ll threaten to do it as a tactic to get people to play ball on other budget issues. I don’t think he’ll actually do it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/18 "2010-11-03T15:33:36Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I don’t think the GOP is crazy enough to support him. > > I sure hope he tries, though. The GOP would kiss the ass of Satan himself to gain power. As long as they think that Ron Paul will bring money their way there is almost nothing he can do and/or say that will cause them to drop him. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/19 "2010-11-03T15:39:41Z")
I’ve heard rumors of the new Senate modifying the filibuster rules. If there’s anything to the rumors, would they be modifying them in a way that would prevent just this sort of thing? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285/20 "2010-11-03T15:46:16Z")
It takes a two thirds majority to break a filibuster on amendments to the Senate rules. So in order to amend the Senate rules on filibusters, the Democrats would have to… amend the Senate rules. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-would-rand-paul-really-singlehandedly-bring-on-a-depression/559285.md?page=2)