Great post from The Other McCain about why Speaker Boehner and the GOP’s pittance cut of $38.5 billion is a joke.
Supply-siders know that repealing what Democrats always call “tax cuts for the rich” won’t do much to reduce the deficit — indeed, by stifling private-sector growth, a tax increase might actually make the deficit worse — but the siren song of class-warfare rhetoric is more appealing when Republicans don’t look serious about fiscal discipline.
And cutting $38 billion from a 2011 deficit of $1.4 trillion is not serious: It’s less than 1/30th of the deficit.
Ask yourself: Why is Harry Reid talking about how “historic” this deal is? Why are liberals moaning about this measly 1/30th reduction of the deficit as if it were a draconian slash-and-burn?
Answer: By giving people the idea that this deal imposes drastic cuts, Democrats will make it easier to justify resisting more serious deficit-reduction measures later.
“We already gave them ‘historic’ budget cuts, but now those greedy extremist Republicans want more!”
And really, all you need to know about how much of a joke that minor cut is, consider this: Debt Jumped $54.1 Billion in 8 Days Preceding Obama-Boehner Deal to Cut $38.5 Billion for Rest of Year
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There are several ways to look at the deal that was struck.
A post at Business Insider about Michele Bachman explains one view:
I understand both arguments, I would like to have seen more spending cuts, but I was ambivalent about a shut down over a budget that should have been done last fall. The donks intentionally refused to submit an ’11 budget for political reasons, they were already fearful of what was going to happen in the ’10 midterms and didn’t want to give their opponents any more ammunition. Now they can ignore their failure of responsibility and make a play for political advantage over the pachs by screaming “extremist” at every opportunity.
The debt ceiling has to be raised by 15 Apr or default is quite likely…unless…the ceiling isn’t raised, then B. Hussein and his fellow marxist in Congress will have to determine if default is more risky politically than major spending cuts.
If nothing else, choosing a battle where they already have an advantage, Ryan’s ’12 budget versus no budget proposal from the donks, the pachs are in a position to demand terms they weren’t able to in this nearly half year budget fight.
I don’t know..to me..if the republicans could have made it stick and got their own budget with $58[?] billion in cuts passed it would have meant they had the wherewithal to fight for the $6.2 trillion in cuts next year and make it stick. Now? with the fight over the debt ceiling etc..I don’t hold out much hope at all.
Abstract failure or opening salvo? I don’t know yet. But what I do know is that in the battle for fiscal sanity of the government, this was more like target practice, not Normandy.
I AM encouraged that the Dems have chosen to attack the TEA Party. It means that those who are taking to the streets to demand fiscal responsibility from our elected elite are having an effect. The Dems don’t attack that they are not afraid of.
But the work has only begun. And it was a smart move on the part of the Republicans to put the ever brilliant Paul Ryan front and center. No one can explain the financial armageddon we are facing more than Ryan. But even Ryan cannot acheive what needs to be done if the American people resort to silence and accept that our destiny is left in the hands of those who are willing to “go along to get along”.
So be prepared. The Democrats will replace honest words with spin, just as Harry Reid continued to babble on about cutting “women’s health” when what he was really talking about was abortion. Nevermind the health of the unborn. We will hear more and more how Republicans want to force grandma to eat dog food, want women to die like the National Endowment for the Arts, how the poor (read; zero liability taxpayers) will suffer, all because the productive 1/2 of America is sick of being responsible for taking care of unproductive, entitlement seeking other 1/2.
You’re right – it’s not a campaign slogan; it’s an explicit advertisement for why one should not support the republicans and then, in shock at their duplicity, whine and cry about betrayal. I will not vote for the GOP again, and anyone who then says I am complicit in D’Won’s re-election hasn’t looked at all the stupid DWLs out there. He’s going to win anyhow, and I’ve stated before I do not expect to see him willingly leave the office in my lifetime.
So, Sheila, in your dissatisfaction with Republicans, you will vote for Democrats who care naught if they give away the farm? Perhaps you should vote for Democrats, then we can say that you deserve the government you get.
But I rather think you would not vote for Republicans, no matter what they had acheived with this latest dispute. I find that those who say “I will never vote for another Republican” simply mean “I will continue to vote for Democrats.”
No, Obama will not “willing” leave the White House. So I will work like never before in my life to make sure he is escorted out on January 20th, 2013. You see, you Obamabots are not the only ones that have ever read Rules for Radicals. We conservatives are on to you now like never before.
retire05: You mistake my meaning. I have never voted for a Democrat, and I held my nose and voted for McCain in ’08. I’m as far from an Obamabot as anyone you could posssibly imagine; I find most movement Republican sites merely “right liberals” and I frequent those farther to the right.
My point is that voting, when the options are the Democrats and the Republicans, is merely slowing the rate at which we approach the unavoidable cliff. The Republicans want to slow the pace only fractionally, and the Dems want to speed it up. Either way we go off the cliff, and voting makes no difference. Despite the noble intentions (and almost heroic actions) of the TruetheVote people and others, the amount of fraud the last few elections was staggering, and the Republicans are only now, in the face of great opposition, passing the occasional Voter ID law – but no such requirement for registering, where the real fraud takes place.
I expect Obama to win, because the number of DWLs is far higher than most imagine. I expect Obama to win, because the number of “cultural enrichers” is exponentially higher than the last time, with the UN in charge of our refugee resettlement, and the ineffectual ICE and mostly Hispanic Border Patrol not even arresting those few they catch. I expect Obama to win because massive fraud will ensure this. All of these previous conditions notwithstanding, I don’t expect Obama to leave office PERIOD. Yes, yes, I’m preaching despair and failure, okay, fine. I personally will do all in my power to prevent the destruction of this historical nation so that my children won’t have to face what I know is coming their way, but voting, and trusting the PTB to ensure a legitimate outcome, is not going to make a bit of difference.
Sheila, sorry, but I don’t understand your twitter talk with “DWLs” because you seem to lazy to type out words.
And you discount those like Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Allen West, and others, who are breathing new life into the Republican Party and have values that Americans can get behind.
And I resent the shit out of your bigoted remark about the “Hispanic” Border Patrol. It is those “Hispanic” Border Patrol that are giving their lives in the line of duty to protect your bigoted ass. If you are representative of some conservatives, then perhaps you should vote Democrat.
retire05. Rand Paul? he’s his daddy’s son and I don’t trust THAT son of a bitch either.
retire05 – I don’t respond to “shaming” language like bigot (or Nazi or fascist or hater or racist); I comment and debate based on facts, not emotion. I’m sorry you “resent’ my mentioning the fact that a large number of Hispanics are in the Border Patrol, and an alarmingly large number of them have been arrested for taking bribes and helping the Mexican cartels. I read recently that more than 60% of the mere 10% of recent recruits who took lie-detector tests failed.
Of those Republicans you mentioned, I could see supporting Rand Paul, but I can pretty much guarantee the Republican Party powers-that-be will ensure he gets nowhere within their power structure.
My apologies for using shorthand like DWL – it stands for Disingenuous White Liberals – those who elected D’Won.
I see, Sheila, you make a racist remark, and then refuse to address it? You are not only intellectually dishonest, you come off as a loon.
So what if those applying for the Border Patrol failed. News Flash!! That means they don’t make it in. And exactly what percentage of those applying for the CIA, FBI, local police and fire departments fail? Or do you not worry about that since there is no way you can make your racist comments about them? I also noticed that you provided no link. That is what people like you do when they get called down; make comments without proof.
Now, go crawl back under your bridge.
About the state we are in with our budget deficits and the national debt, something Rep. Allan West said the other day is worth repeating.
“It takes five miles to turn an aircraft carrier.”
Agreed. They give an inch, and we’re going to take miles…it’s high time we start using the 100-year lib bullshit tactic against them.
Good to see your smiling face, Sam.
Of course you realize he is saying that something as large as a carrier(or federal government) can’t be turned on a dime.
But in order to come about, the turn has to be initiated.
Your statment points out simple warefare strategy,,Disinformation, confussion, distraction to win the overall objective..Both sides have been playing constituensts for years and more years to come if their not called on the lack of performance in their job..