Turner, Weprin Trade Barbs On U.S. Credit Downgrade

Both candidates in the Ninth District special election were trying to shore up their financial bonafides over the weekend, commenting on the S&P credit rating downgrade of the United States.

Unsurprisingly, Republican Bob Turner chose to blame Washington’s “tax, spend and borrow” policies, while the Democratic camp of David Weprin chose to hang the blame squarely on the Tea Party.

“This is a shot across the bow to U.S. lawmakers that the reckless spending and borrowing in this country must stop,” Turner said, via release. “Our political class has let the American people down by putting political interests over responsible governance. There can be no more kicking the can down the road in America; we must face our problems head-on in order to come out the other side.”

Turner, who spent much of his 2010 election bid touting his business-savvy, added that the nation’s leadership should now be focused on a “pro-economic growth agenda.”

Weprin’s campaign, on the other hand savaged the far right —specifically the Tea Party — saying the group went overboard in its zeal for spending cuts.

“Republican Tea Party extremists brought this upon the nation with their outrageous and irresponsible demands,” campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Kerr wrote. “They held the world economy hostage to their demands to end Medicare and Social Security, and this downgrade is the consequence of their dangerous game that played chicken with the world economy.”

The statement also linked Turner with the Tea Party, though he has not received any official endorsement from any Tea Party organizations.

“Bob Turner's Tea Party allies forced this downgrade because they insisted on keeping in place tax subsidies for Big Oil and tax loopholes for billionaires,” the statement added.

Standard & Poor’s lowered the nation’s credit rating from the highest possible AAA rating to AA+, citing the intemperate climate in Washington as the reason for the downgrade. It was the first credit downgrade in American history.

The special election in the Ninth Congressional District will take place Sept. 13.