He’s still worried about his cushy job as speaker, not about what is good for the country. Just like all the Republicans, who care more about themselves than the country. Didn’t they used to call that “treason”? You can shout patriotism all you want, but it’s still treason to me. The germans insisted that that was patriotism back in the 30s, didn’t they?
Don’t forget folks, the fiscal cliff was created by the GOP: it is entirely artificial. There is a long-term debt problem: there is no debt crisis except one made up for partisan purposes. No, we are not on the verge of “becoming Greece.” Simply a lie. Not to mention the fact that going over the cliff we have few immediate consequences. Going over it will be an expensive nuisance, but it will be easy enough to climb back up if it is done in a month or two. You want to make serious cuts spending? Okay! Where? Defense? Law Enforcement? Maintenance of infrastructure? Support for the elderly and sick? Abandoning our air and water and soil to contamination by people who can afford to live upwind? Cutting means suffering to somebody. Who do you want to suffer? It is no surprise that the GOP refuses to make any specific offers. They want the cuts to be made — but only if they can coerce the democrats into making them, so they can then blame the democrats for cutting the wrong things. Some folks say liberals are people who just want free stuff at other’s expense. Yet all the liberals I know are perfectly willing to get less and pay more if that’s what the country needs. I don’t hear many conservatives saying that, but perhaps they are out there. They’ll talk about hard choices and painful measures, but only for the other guy to suffer. Once again, my challenge to all deficit hawks: Tell us what spending or programs (or tax deductions or subsidies) THAT BENEFIT YOU PERSONALLY do you want to cut? Or do you only want this “terrible problem” to be solved if you don’t have to lose a dime solving it?
I’ll start. I’ll give up my itemized tax return in favor of the standard deduction. No more deductions for my mortgage interest or my charitable gifts. What I won’t give up are those things that support folks who aren’t as lucky as I have been. Your turn.
Um, Obama DID say he was willing to “make cuts in X, Y, and Z if you guys are willing to raise taxes on A, B, and C.” His original proposal, combined with the more than one trillion dollar cuts not balanced by ANY taxes in the original deal that set up the austerity bomb, contain a lot of detail, and the things in his new proposal are good economics as well. Top tax rates go up, dividends and interest taxed as normal income (none of that will affect the economy, since the rich will still invest), $400 billion in cuts to Medicare (you can do that without hurting benefits by just letting Medicare negotiate drug prices like private insurance does), $50 billion in infrastructure improvement bank support to get the economy moving again (another of those conservative ideas that the Republicans are disavowing because it’s good policy and Obama supports it). The Republicans have said no, give us something we can live with, but we can’t tell you what that is. Since their constituents, corporations and the rich, are off limits; they;ll only accept things that hurt the poor and middle class, so they want Obama to propose it, so that even though he knows it’s horrible policy (and it is), the Republicans want to be able to blame him for it later. Remember the “Obama cut Medicare,” and “Death Panels” lies? The failure of leadership is not on the Democratic side!
Snce the Republicans want cuts to be made to social programs, the Dems aren’t going to offer to do it for them AGAIN.
The Dems remember what Romney/Ryan did during the campaign regarding the $716 billion cut to Medicare providers. They told the American people, loudly and clearly, that they would not do that (even though they were going to before they weren’t going to.)
“How soon we forget.. From January 2007 to December 2010. The Democrat Controlled House led by Ms. Nancy Pelosi failed to Pass a Budget.Where is the ire from Liberals over Democrats failing to pass a Budget from 2007 to 2010?”As usual, I remember differently.Budget items passed in the House were held up by filibusters in the Senate.
I cannot believe the total indifference from the right about what the American people want. Obama was reelected. The people chose HIS policies. The GOP, meanwhile, go blindly on without regard to the dangers ahead. They just don’t want the president getting credit for solving the problems they caused.
greenbird over 11 years ago
Well the two men took to fightin’And when they pulled them from the floorBoehner looked like a jigsaw puzzleWith a couple of pieces gone
Basqueian over 11 years ago
He’s still worried about his cushy job as speaker, not about what is good for the country. Just like all the Republicans, who care more about themselves than the country. Didn’t they used to call that “treason”? You can shout patriotism all you want, but it’s still treason to me. The germans insisted that that was patriotism back in the 30s, didn’t they?
ransomdstone over 11 years ago
Spilt milk.
Christopher Shea over 11 years ago
Well, if the Republicans would name a single cut they want to make or a loophole they want to close instead of demanding Obama do the work for them…
Doughfoot over 11 years ago
Don’t forget folks, the fiscal cliff was created by the GOP: it is entirely artificial. There is a long-term debt problem: there is no debt crisis except one made up for partisan purposes. No, we are not on the verge of “becoming Greece.” Simply a lie. Not to mention the fact that going over the cliff we have few immediate consequences. Going over it will be an expensive nuisance, but it will be easy enough to climb back up if it is done in a month or two. You want to make serious cuts spending? Okay! Where? Defense? Law Enforcement? Maintenance of infrastructure? Support for the elderly and sick? Abandoning our air and water and soil to contamination by people who can afford to live upwind? Cutting means suffering to somebody. Who do you want to suffer? It is no surprise that the GOP refuses to make any specific offers. They want the cuts to be made — but only if they can coerce the democrats into making them, so they can then blame the democrats for cutting the wrong things. Some folks say liberals are people who just want free stuff at other’s expense. Yet all the liberals I know are perfectly willing to get less and pay more if that’s what the country needs. I don’t hear many conservatives saying that, but perhaps they are out there. They’ll talk about hard choices and painful measures, but only for the other guy to suffer. Once again, my challenge to all deficit hawks: Tell us what spending or programs (or tax deductions or subsidies) THAT BENEFIT YOU PERSONALLY do you want to cut? Or do you only want this “terrible problem” to be solved if you don’t have to lose a dime solving it?
I’ll start. I’ll give up my itemized tax return in favor of the standard deduction. No more deductions for my mortgage interest or my charitable gifts. What I won’t give up are those things that support folks who aren’t as lucky as I have been. Your turn.
lafayetteann over 11 years ago
And from 2001 to 2008, President Bush squandered our money and ran up an immoral deficit. That’s where the ire is.
dannysixpack over 11 years ago
^ well said. you’re obviously a communist! (<— sarcasm).
i’d like to see government waste in defense cut, as well as the perpetual wars. It’s not right to make obscene profits on wars.
ARodney over 11 years ago
Um, Obama DID say he was willing to “make cuts in X, Y, and Z if you guys are willing to raise taxes on A, B, and C.” His original proposal, combined with the more than one trillion dollar cuts not balanced by ANY taxes in the original deal that set up the austerity bomb, contain a lot of detail, and the things in his new proposal are good economics as well. Top tax rates go up, dividends and interest taxed as normal income (none of that will affect the economy, since the rich will still invest), $400 billion in cuts to Medicare (you can do that without hurting benefits by just letting Medicare negotiate drug prices like private insurance does), $50 billion in infrastructure improvement bank support to get the economy moving again (another of those conservative ideas that the Republicans are disavowing because it’s good policy and Obama supports it). The Republicans have said no, give us something we can live with, but we can’t tell you what that is. Since their constituents, corporations and the rich, are off limits; they;ll only accept things that hurt the poor and middle class, so they want Obama to propose it, so that even though he knows it’s horrible policy (and it is), the Republicans want to be able to blame him for it later. Remember the “Obama cut Medicare,” and “Death Panels” lies? The failure of leadership is not on the Democratic side!
Marty Z over 11 years ago
Snce the Republicans want cuts to be made to social programs, the Dems aren’t going to offer to do it for them AGAIN.
The Dems remember what Romney/Ryan did during the campaign regarding the $716 billion cut to Medicare providers. They told the American people, loudly and clearly, that they would not do that (even though they were going to before they weren’t going to.)
Godfreydaniel over 11 years ago
Just in terms of the actual art in today’s cartoon, one of the best laugh-out-loud editorial cartoons I’ve seen in a few months.
cruzago over 11 years ago
Who Cares THE WORLD IS ENDING Dec 21. They who ever they are have only 7 days left.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rockngolfer over 11 years ago
“How soon we forget.. From January 2007 to December 2010. The Democrat Controlled House led by Ms. Nancy Pelosi failed to Pass a Budget.Where is the ire from Liberals over Democrats failing to pass a Budget from 2007 to 2010?”As usual, I remember differently.Budget items passed in the House were held up by filibusters in the Senate.
Rickapolis over 11 years ago
I cannot believe the total indifference from the right about what the American people want. Obama was reelected. The people chose HIS policies. The GOP, meanwhile, go blindly on without regard to the dangers ahead. They just don’t want the president getting credit for solving the problems they caused.