Yesterday was a busy and troubling day -- almost impossible to keep up with or make sense of. Here's the latest:
"President Obama used the power of his bully pulpit to try force House Republicans to forge a deficit-reduction deal with Democrats that would raise the debt ceiling but would not force massive cuts to entitlement programs while sparing the wealthiest Americans from higher taxes and 'shared sacrifice.'"
The President said, "They're fed up with a town where compromise has become a dirty word. They work all day long, many of them scraping by, just to put food on the table. And when these Americans come home at night, bone-tired, and turn on the news, all they see is the same partisan three-ring circus here in Washington. They see leaders who can't seem to come together and do what it takes to make life just a little bit better for ordinary Americans. They are offended by that. And they should be."
Readers of TMDR know full well that we are offended by this. I have written my Congressman and Senators, and I hope you do, too. Tell them loud and clear that, not only are you sick of this level of intransigent politics, you also want to keep Medicare and Social Security safe for generations to come. Do it now; please, do not hesitate. If you already have written, then write again.
"Just moments after President Obama said in a televised address that Americans are 'fed up with a town where compromise is a dirty word,' House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) flung that message back in his face. Drawing attention to the controversial and stringent 'Cut, Cap and Balance' Bill that passed the House of Representatives last week, Boehner claimed 'there is no stalemate in Congress.'" "Scorning the alternative bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has introduced to the Senate, Boehner said the House would this week consider another alternative approach."
From my perspective, it looks like, once again, Rep. Boehner is putting forth just another fake approach -- certainly not a compromise -- simply for the sake of stalling. It's not even enough to be able to claim honestly that he's making an attempt at some kind of compromise. It's fraud on the American people; the kind of fraud we are all too accustomed to seeing from today's Conservatives. They have disgraced themselves of any meaningful Conservative values at all.
"In the debate over the debt ceiling, Republicans have sought to portray themselves as having two bottom lines. One is that any increase in the debt ceiling must be met dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts. The other is that no revenue increases can be part of the deal. What Harry Reid did yesterday was essentially call the GOP’s bluff by outlining a plan that raises the debt ceiling by $2.7 trillion and includes $2.7 trillion in spending cuts.... Republicans are rejecting this even though it nominally meets their demands. Why? Because it doesn’t achieve either of their two real objectives. In particular, the plan doesn’t cut Medicare, which means that Democratic party candidates for office in November 2012 and 2014 can accurately remind voters of the content of the Republican budget plan."
The Republican Version of Reality
"But while this denial of reality might be shocking to some people who only recently started paying attention to Republican politics, it’s not, in fact, a new phenomenon. And it’s taking place wherever Republicans are asserting power." "For example, if you just listened to conservatives, you would think that Wall Street and the reckless actions of big banks had nothing to do with the financial crisis." "You would also have no idea that the bailouts started under President George W. Bush and were supported by many Republicans in Congress -- not to mention Sarah Palin."
Of course there are more examples. This perspective goes beyond spin. But is it simply delusional or is it purposeful lying? So much for values and principles.
For Your Information
***
No comments:
Post a Comment