Flexing the bully pulpit of the presidency, Barack Obama’s Twitter account asked Kentucky voters to pressure U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to compromise on a debt ceiling solution.
Kentucky voters: Tweet @SenRandPaul and ask him to compromise on a balanced deficit solution.
On Friday, Mr. Obama asked the American people to contact their representatives in Congress and demand a resolution to the ongoing deficit negotiations in Washington. According to the Washington Post, the White House is dispatching aides to make a final push “from Capitol Hill to Twitter” as a way to resolve the matter before the August 2 deadline.
“I asked the American people to make their voice heard in this debate, and the response was overwhelming. So please, to all the American people, keep it up,” President Obama said. “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. Make a phone call. Send an email. Tweet. Keep the pressure on Washington and we can get past this.”
Throughout the negotiations, Paul has stood against both Democratic and Republican plans because they do not make the enough cuts in his view. Responding to the president’s tweet, Kentucky’s junior Senator and Tea Party favorite said Mr. Obama has failed to lead on the negotiations with a plan of his own.
@BarackObama Its hard to take advice frm someone w/o a plan. Compromise is to raise #debt ceiling w/ #BBAmdt. Where is your compromise?
The president’s social networking page has been encouraging voters to contact GOP lawmakers across the county, including Congressman Todd Young, R-In., who represents southern Indiana. But the Obama account bypassed other Kentucky lawmakers who have Twitter accounts, such as Congress members Brett Guthrie, Geoff Davis and Ed Whitfield.
