The president meets with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tonight. So how serious is Sen. McConnell about having a grownup conversation on not just the debt, but spending and revenue? This serious, as Steve Benen points out. This is all pure political theater -- and to hell with the very real lives and jobs and businesses at stake.
At least, however, the default crisis has laid bare -- if anyone's looking -- what the GOP's real priorities are. They used to be the party of a strong defense. But they'd rather take money from the military (which needs it badly not for the contractor boondoggles Republicans love, but for things like veterans' care and PTSD treatment and suicide prevention) than from millionaires. Specifically, we know now, the GOP walked out of these talks last week in defense of private jets, big oil and hedge-fund managers.
How fraudulent is the GOP concern about government spending? At the same time they were scapegoating government workers as overpaid, they were increasing the pay for some government workers: Their staffs. And if some of them are open, as they claim, to raising tax revenues, why is it they're only open to doing so by closing loopholes, rather than by raising rates? Why are rates sacrosanct, but loopholes aren't? Because rich people can always find more loopholes. Why else are Democrats having trouble closing loopholes specifically for the rich?
It almost makes me want to see a short-term default. Short enough that it doesn't tank the economy -- but violent enough that Wall Street forces Republicans to make a deal fast. Because a fast deal at that point will be a clean bill -- with no cuts attached to it. And that's what we need.
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Hay Ed I find it funny that the Dems want tax increases in the discussion now, because they tried to do the same thing when they had a super majority and they couldn't do it them. Talk about bipartisan, well it was a bipartisan decision back then. 5 dems and all the Repubs voted nay. sounds like bipartisan voting does work for the American people, it just doesn't work for socialism.
Theynever had a "super" majority
Democratics never had a SuperMajority following the 2008 election! Where are you getting your facts from?
You don't want to go there Ben. Guess where? Just here to taunt, pay him no mind.
Try 58 with 1 independant and joe the repub.
Mitch McConnell--McTurtle is one of the leaders of the "pants on fire" crowd who are willing to bury America to make this (Black) President--a one term president.
The last time someone actually said, "we will bury you"--it didn't to over too well.
GOP, you are ruining real people's real lives --people with real families--for all your coded words about family values. Liars.
McConnell is an as#hole and proud of it! His comments are meant to sting and hurt. He's a senile old man who, for some unknown reason, apparently calls the shots. What the hell is wrong with Barack Obama? I'm so sick of his mealy-mouth giveaways to the likes of McConnell and Boehner, that I pray to the unknown gods that they will all get their just rewards. As for MSNBCs Ezra Klein, he should button his lips, that young punk! I'm sick of the whole Washington mess and I can't do a damn thing about it. Neither can Bernie Sanders. Obviously, I'm very upset.
The reason why Cantor walked is because by doing so he and the other repubsconteadins believe they will have an easier time getting what they want if they negotiate with the Prez rather than with the other dems in congress.
What I find irritating is the various well paid folks whether talking heads, journalists or polititians or strategists from which ever party talking as if they feel the pain of the masses, when in actuality very few of them do or know what it is like to look at bills one can't pay yet again.
How many of them have had to go to a food bank or go through the indignity of getting welfare?
If any of these polititians (especially) did they would not treat the masses that are struggling like they do...... they would not have continued the Bush taxcuts and other welfare for the rich and the corporations.
The folks that keep showing up at these teaparty meeting etc are just the relatives of these rich folks or are their employees imo or these folks are fools who would vote against their best interest because they probably believe it gives them an opportunity to rub elbows with their betters.
So the backs of the masses have been broken and we have been serfed...... so what now? What next?
Why go to a rally when we can all view the "your" leaders in action everyday. I, along with just about everyone else, still wait for something constructive to happen from that group. So far there has been no limit to the divisive rhetoric. Is this the plan? .... talk everybody into submission?
You come here to learn what we think and why. First off the label of "socialism" seems to get applied pretty liberally by your side. Seems to be applied to whatever looks or smells like government protection whether that be for the worker, the environment, the proposed limits on industries (banking and manufacturing) ... etc. Our constitution is very explicit about our leaders protecting the people from enemies both foreign and domestic. What is happening now is a total assault on the working class in this country. If you take away vital programs from common people, debilitate their wages/benefits, all while knowing/recognizing that this will hurt the people ... what you've done is intentional. You're my enemy.
What is worse here is a future society that has no regard for our country ... no honor or allegiance. Rape the people, the land, line your pockets while being protected by the rule of the "new" law. Anything else will have the appearance of socialism. Any attempt to protect my country against domestic enemies is socialist.
It has been the progressive actions of the few in society over the last 30+ years that has put most of our citizens in a position of needing a helping hand. Your ideas don't work. You've had the free ride through deregulation of numerous industries. We received an cup full of waste left by the profit making in return. ... and you don't feel like you should but your shoulder to it now? Again, .. who is it that's looking for the free "socialist" ride here?
Wake up buddy. The BS stops here.
Save the republic at #6.1... you said a mouthful..... you have even got Palin and Bachmann beat...... in which if ignorance and stupidity...er idiocy were phd programs, they would have double Ds and graduated with honors. LOL
Why would one want to attend a meeting and mingle with
Are you saying you believe in social injustice and poverty?
So, it is ok by you lot, for the rich and strong to just take every thing from the poor and the weak....i.e. creating a one way wealth stream to the wealthy only?
You do know that in this country, that many slaves rebelled against their owners and hightailed it away from the plantation attempting to be free? Were they wrong? Should they have stayed and suffered their owners largess.... counting their beatings....er blessings?
Wouldn't the slaves running away be looked upon as a form of wealth redistribution i.e. keeping ones strength and reproductive ability for ones self and running away with it, instead of being property of the plantation owners who had been using up all the slaves had for their own betterment and increase in wealth? Hmmm
Was it social injustice for those folks who helped the slaves to help them to excape?
Do you know that many of the slaves learned to read and write and even think for themselves.......inspite of their owners.. reach?
So was this social injustice for others to teach the slaves to do these things against the wishes/rights of the slave owners, because it was the societal norm and thus people were at liberty to own slaves in the South?
Do you believe that the federal government over reached when it outlawed slavery?
Do you believe that the federal government over reached with the equal rights/civil rights laws?
Anyway what exactly do You mean by ...'middle class folks that don't believe in 'social justice' or wealth redistribution'?
What exactly do You mean by "they support the Constitution and protecting our Liberties from an over reaching federal government"?
How are you lot supporting the Constitution more that the rest of us are?
How are you 'protecting our liberties'.... what liberties.... which ones exactly?
What do you mean by 'over reaching federal government'?
Can you explain to me what you mean by " America is a constitutional republic that we should all defend from socialism or worse"?
What do you mean by 'socialism' ..... and by.... 'or worse'?
How should we 'defend' ourselves and from whom?
Do you really believe that the many posters here, that rale, rant and rebuke, shout, sneer, irritate, agitate, redicule, debate, converse and commiserate etc ...... actually believe everything the talking heads, polititians, lobbiests, shillers, fillers, regurgers, strategists, journalists etc... say without thought... i.e. mindlessly? HA.... They wish..... LOL
This is Newsvine..... not Fauxwhine..... LOL
Save the republic....# 6.4, with all due respect, you are just regurging things you heard at these meeting and it is painfully obvious that you do not really understand what the speakers are flimflamming you folks about, with their veneer of being against big government, low taxes blah blah blan.....
They are not against big govt providing it does not affect their ability to gouge the masses. If a bigger govt will give these folks the ability to make more money they will push for larger govt...
Your speakers are astroturf..... they are paid shills of the the rich corporate elite and who are just taking advantage of your present disquiet and desperation at the state of the economy etc for their benefit.
These folks do not hold the answers..... and they are not going to help you either only themselves. They indulge you in some of the baser human beliefs and behaviour like racism, sexism, intolerance etc
If it is a matter of saving you money, your job or your life, even by them paying higher taxes- as many are paying zero taxes- these folks would push you under the bus, take your last dime and watch you lose your house, be without healthcare and die, and they would not help you.... they would tell you to go seek charity from a chatritable organization or go to a shelter rather than help anyone that is not in their income group.
Try watching some other news programs that are not Fox related..... like PBS, BBCAmerica, Current TV, even MSNBC..... check out other points of views.... check the internet etc..... and think for yourself.
The sad part is that the teaparty folks could have been a force for good and change, instead they have become incoherent, spreading mis-information and ignorance, busy following selfish selfcentered greedy folks, while being serfs to their overlords instead of pushing to clean up corruption in high and low places, and other things like campaign reform, term limits, stricter rules and regulations to protect our borders - land sea air and water... pushing for lower cost for higher education, better schools, affordable housing, no cuts or privatization of /to Social Security Medicare or Medicaid...pushing for a public option not for profit health care plan, better food safety, more police officers, firemen etc, improvement of our infrastructure, rebuilding of our bridges, roads, the electric grid, internet , wireless, cable, levees, dams, better trade policies, stricter consumer protection, pushing for the wars to end in Iraq and Afghanistan and the monies being spent to pay for these wars, pushing for increase funding of new green technologies, high speed rail and other means of public transportation and having these rail cars built here in this country etc, all of which would bring jobs back to this country and reinvigorate the economy.
Those are the things I care about..... how is lowering taxes on the rich even further, continuing to give refunds and to subsidize oil companies, big pharma, big agro etc while increasing spending in the Defense budget, continuing these costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and continuing the tax loopholes for corporate America going to solve our revenue shortage problem?
At the next meeting ask the speaker why Norquist - who has not been elected or appointed to any govt/public office - made the republican, conservative, teaparty polititians sign a document/pledge that they will not raise taxes no matter what and they did? Why is he this most powerful of persons in the USA that he can call these rep/con/tea polititians to his heel?
Why is he trying to further stagnate the economy and regress this country?
No matter the size of govt, the govt will still need monies to function so..... where are they going to get it from if not from the masses if the rich do not want to pay their fair share?
Who is going to maintain or rebuild the infrastructure that we all depend on? The rich? but then they would be charging you for the previlege of using their stuff like those privately owned toll roads.... and have no one to limit what they charge.... Hmmm
See the problem(s).....
Sorry to be so long winded but most of what you wrote did not make any sense to me..... as I do not have time to watch Faux news, because most to all they state can be facts checked and be found to be false....
we have to keep our hope and work for 2012 and kick out the republicans and tea party.....people are waking up and forming groups and know these people are for the corporations/bankers/big oil/wealthy. It is not the government that is bad...it is this group doing what their masters tell them what to do. I know not all democrats are good and I am very unhappy with the president on some things, but he is better than a GOP president....esp Bachmann. we must keep looking forward...this evil will not last. Have you noticed the repubs are not even trying to hide who they support...they are just throwing it in our face and hoping we will forget it in 2012.
There is no way that the republicans will cave and allow taxes to be increased on the wealthy, it would bring a rapid end to their orchestrated hostile corporate take-over of private and public lands, properties and other holdings. After purposely destroying the economy by engaging the U.S.A. in two wars without raising taxes they managed to run up trillions in debt while funneling those moneys to the corporations which were positioning themselves for the eventual hostile corporate take-over opportunity that exists today, effectively bankrupting our nation, we are experiencing the reality of the republicans true plan. At the same time they provided corporations tax incentives to “create over-seas markets” which in fact was tax credits for shipping U.S. jobs to foreign countries thereby even further crippling tax revenues both to the states and the federal government. With their successful efforts to drive unemployment up, the once middle class employees now were unable to pay their mortgages which in turn drove home values down by creating a glut of properties on the market additional creating a negative effect on tax revenues which further helped bankrupt the states as well, leading to fire sale prices on state owned land, utilities and various other infrastructure and thereby enabling corporations to acquire these assets for pennies on the dollar.
Now that these Fortune 500 corporations and CEO’s are sitting on an enormous stash of cash, much of which was provided to them by the American Tax Payer through the tarp bailout that we were told would be utilized to create jobs in this country (ha, ha, ha), a default of the U.S.A. government would further play into their hands by driving commodity prices up while putting even more of the middle class out of work. Higher unemployment would place additional downward pressure on wages and benefits as the worker to job ratio continues to climb, a real plus for business, while further depressing revenues from taxes resulting ultimately in greater fire sale prices, possibly to the level of a fraction of a cent on the dollar for both public and private land and holdings.
Cheney and his stooge G.W. Bush hostile corporate business plan along with the other republicans have finally put the death nail into what our founding fathers so courageously fought and died for and now more than 200 years later handed the British the victory they desired. It is the current actions of these multi-national corporations that the founding fathers foresaw when they outlawed the existence of corporations in this country for anything other than short term projects such as the building of a bridge or a canal with the mandated immediate dissolution of the corporation upon completion of the specific project. Having escaped such power that existed under British rule they were determined not to allow the same thing to exist here. How sad that what so many fought and died for has been effectively dismantled by the turncoat courts and politicians that have been blinded by the lure of easy corporate payola that have enabled corporations to become what they have today leaving the Founding Fathers American Dream in ruins.
Has anyone noticed that since the republicans took control of the house the economy is getting worse? Republicans are saying that we can't take 4 more years of Obama but the truth is we can't take two more years of the republicans controlling any part of the federal government. They are simply put treasonist. Nothing of value gets passed so nothing happens or worse than nothing. They will kill this country in a belief that they are saving it. It falls in line with how they operate. Oppose anything that Obama is for even if it was a republican proposal. That is not governing that is treason. Turning on your own policies to spite the president and driving the country into finacial ruin.