Debt Deal Fallout
The Debt Ceiling Fallout
Leading up to the last-minute debt ceiling bill, Democrat Chuck Schumer was saying that the only game in town is the Senate – that “The House can’t even tie their shoes.” That’s the bipartisan spirit, in keeping with Obama’s talking out of two sides of his mouth. And he accused House Republicans of just saying no. Not that Obama didn’t repeatedly say no to House proposals, never coming up with a concrete one of his own. The House Democrats were much less bipartisan than the Senate Republicans.
Reid & Obama say Republicans should act like adults! Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black! Obama said that “it’s not a time for politics as usual” If not, why did he insist on such a large increase so that the next debt ceiling vote will take place after the 2012 election (knowing it would hurt his reelection if before), rather than much smaller increase and earlier next vote, as was the case in almost every other case the ceiling was raised?
In the wake of the compromise bill that passed, with a raise in the ceiling and token spending cuts, Democrats are blaming the Tea Party for government cuts and calling them “terrorists,” “extortionists,” “jihadists,” etc. And Obama and others are calling the bill a “Satan sandwich.” Apparently that’s indeed what it was – as we’re starting to learn now after it passed, e.g., that thanks to the sly Senate Democrats, none of the committee members that will decide the next steps for budget balancing/cutting in Nov. can be anyone who voted against the bill – i.e., Tea Party stalwarts. And if there is no agreement reached in committee, there will be automatic equal cuts in defense & entitlements – ostensibly bitter to both parties.
But Dems could care less about defense, which still hasn’t recovered to the levels needed after Clinton’s draconian cuts. Our men are overstretched serving 3 and 4 tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, and we’re not replacing worn and destroyed equipment. They just want to unilaterally pull out and save those costs, regardless of the consequences, or future emerging threats like Iran, China, Russia, N. Korea... Whatever happened to the spirit of Kennedy, “We will bear any cost....in defense of freedom?”
On the other hand, opposite the already starving defense budget, which is at a lower percent now than in many decades, and much lower than WWII, the entitlement budgets have continued to steadily bloat, including Obamacare. So they’ve conveniently quickly ramped up entitlements as far as they could push (Pelosi on Obamacare – “we’ll pole vault in, or whatever it takes”), and slashed defense, and now want equal cuts to both as a fair and equitable solution to reduce deficits? Now THAT’s a Satan Sandwich, but not for the reason they say.
Defense is a proper role of federal government, ensuring all else we enjoy in such a dangerous world, and spreading the wealth and giving handout entitlements is not. And just as they know that they can kick Christians without consequences, they think they can take advantage of the self-sacrificing nature of our military. But if entitlements are ever cut, we’ll never hear the end of it, and will likely see rioting like Greece by self-serving knuckleheads who are so ignorant of how much better they have it here than any other country in the world, and still demand more. Again they ignore Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” They’ve clearly lost their idealism and values, and replaced them with narcissism, and beating dead horses to salve their consciences.
Remember Pelosi’s “we’ll have to pass the bill to see what’s in it?" Seems to be a recurring theme – they put off difficult, controversial decisions like the last budget bill until the last possible minute so that out of desperation to avoid a government shut-down (not the end of the world they claim), the bill the Senate (with a slightly larger Democrat plurality) comes up with is the only option and there’s no time to read or debate it – it’s thrust down our throats. They had the last year or two to consider and prepare for both the budget & debt ceiling deadlines, and they who control the White House & Senate did nothing but say no to the Republican plans, and not only ignore the election that “has consequences” in which they got a “shellacking,” but belittle it and the electorate by belittling the Tea Party. They simply cannot stand on any record of accomplishments, and can only win by demonizing their opponents – another typical leftist tactic.
And so the Dems were dragged kicking and screaming, giving up tax increases for lesser cuts and a debt ceiling increase. And now Obama, Kerry & Axelrod & others are blaming the historic S&P US credit rating downgrade on the Tea Party (as well as on S&P & Congress). And the “buck-passer-in-chief” is all too good at the blame game – still blaming Bush, as well. And he talks about Republicans needing to act like grown-ups??! Yes, denial will help our credit ratings – there are already indications of possible further downgrades, and that will wreak further havoc on our already hurting economy. Stereotypical liberal victim mentality. Maybe Obama & the Dems should take a lesson from Danish Olympic champion Lis Hartel, who after overcoming polio debilities cited the popular Danish saying, “Life is not simply holding a good hand, life is playing a poor hand well.”
Today Obama gave yet another speech. I’ve never seen a president in my lifetime give so many speeches to the nation, with so little of substance or leadership besides blame – all talk and no action. He really thinks his talking will solve problems – when will he realize it doesn’t? We’re no longer mesmerized with his charisma, intellect and power of persuasion, unlike the communities he organized, and emotional, unthinking, self-seeking minions he hitherto swayed. He acknowledged today that since he took office we’ve known of the deficit/debt problem. Then why did he nonetheless raise the deficit & debt by unprecedented amounts to historic heights, and he & the Democrat-controlled Congress do absolutely nothing to reduce them in all the time since?
The credit rating agencies warned that the only thing that could halt a downgrade would be significant (some 4 trillion) reductions in spending. And that is exactly what the Tea Party was pushing for, but the Democrats opposed – how can any person with a brain then blame the Tea Party for the downgrade? I guess that explains Obama, Kerry & Axelrod. It is only because of the Tea Party that cuts even became part of the political dialogue, and that any cuts at all were achieved – however inadequate, with the Democrats kicking and screaming (but now Obama adroitly says we knew all along of their seriousness).
What will it take for Obama to start to take any responsibility and leadership for this unduly long recession, deficits, debt and declining American financial status in the world? Americans voted him in to “transform America?” – they’re getting it, though maybe not the kind of transformation they had in mind. Yes, he’s taking America down a few notches, so that he will no longer have to apologize for our military & economic superpower status.
The Campaign Warms Up
There was some more early sniping among GOP candidates, with Palin (& Trump) attacking Romney for not speaking out more in advance on the debt ceiling issue (I guess they haven’t read his recent book, “No Apologies.” And as I predicted, there may be an evangelical champion and successor to Huckabee to counter Mormon Romney in the GOP primary – Gov. Perry of Texas. Interesting that it’s more than OK for Perry to conduct a big prayer event, but Romney hardly dare allude to anything religious for all the negative focus on his religion.
Moral Equivalency – Ad Nauseum
Interesting that the media is not reporting that the new Fort Hood terrorist (who was apprehended in time) is Muslim, but are tripping over themselves to say that Brevik in Norway is “Christian.” They’d be hard-pressed to find any Christian or minister who would vouch for his Christianity. Much easier to find a sizeable number of radical Imams and Muslims who’d be supportive of the Fort Hood (& other) terrorist. But we continue to hear ad nauseum of the moral equivalency.
Leading up to the last-minute debt ceiling bill, Democrat Chuck Schumer was saying that the only game in town is the Senate – that “The House can’t even tie their shoes.” That’s the bipartisan spirit, in keeping with Obama’s talking out of two sides of his mouth. And he accused House Republicans of just saying no. Not that Obama didn’t repeatedly say no to House proposals, never coming up with a concrete one of his own. The House Democrats were much less bipartisan than the Senate Republicans.
Reid & Obama say Republicans should act like adults! Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black! Obama said that “it’s not a time for politics as usual” If not, why did he insist on such a large increase so that the next debt ceiling vote will take place after the 2012 election (knowing it would hurt his reelection if before), rather than much smaller increase and earlier next vote, as was the case in almost every other case the ceiling was raised?
In the wake of the compromise bill that passed, with a raise in the ceiling and token spending cuts, Democrats are blaming the Tea Party for government cuts and calling them “terrorists,” “extortionists,” “jihadists,” etc. And Obama and others are calling the bill a “Satan sandwich.” Apparently that’s indeed what it was – as we’re starting to learn now after it passed, e.g., that thanks to the sly Senate Democrats, none of the committee members that will decide the next steps for budget balancing/cutting in Nov. can be anyone who voted against the bill – i.e., Tea Party stalwarts. And if there is no agreement reached in committee, there will be automatic equal cuts in defense & entitlements – ostensibly bitter to both parties.
But Dems could care less about defense, which still hasn’t recovered to the levels needed after Clinton’s draconian cuts. Our men are overstretched serving 3 and 4 tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, and we’re not replacing worn and destroyed equipment. They just want to unilaterally pull out and save those costs, regardless of the consequences, or future emerging threats like Iran, China, Russia, N. Korea... Whatever happened to the spirit of Kennedy, “We will bear any cost....in defense of freedom?”
On the other hand, opposite the already starving defense budget, which is at a lower percent now than in many decades, and much lower than WWII, the entitlement budgets have continued to steadily bloat, including Obamacare. So they’ve conveniently quickly ramped up entitlements as far as they could push (Pelosi on Obamacare – “we’ll pole vault in, or whatever it takes”), and slashed defense, and now want equal cuts to both as a fair and equitable solution to reduce deficits? Now THAT’s a Satan Sandwich, but not for the reason they say.
Defense is a proper role of federal government, ensuring all else we enjoy in such a dangerous world, and spreading the wealth and giving handout entitlements is not. And just as they know that they can kick Christians without consequences, they think they can take advantage of the self-sacrificing nature of our military. But if entitlements are ever cut, we’ll never hear the end of it, and will likely see rioting like Greece by self-serving knuckleheads who are so ignorant of how much better they have it here than any other country in the world, and still demand more. Again they ignore Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” They’ve clearly lost their idealism and values, and replaced them with narcissism, and beating dead horses to salve their consciences.
Remember Pelosi’s “we’ll have to pass the bill to see what’s in it?" Seems to be a recurring theme – they put off difficult, controversial decisions like the last budget bill until the last possible minute so that out of desperation to avoid a government shut-down (not the end of the world they claim), the bill the Senate (with a slightly larger Democrat plurality) comes up with is the only option and there’s no time to read or debate it – it’s thrust down our throats. They had the last year or two to consider and prepare for both the budget & debt ceiling deadlines, and they who control the White House & Senate did nothing but say no to the Republican plans, and not only ignore the election that “has consequences” in which they got a “shellacking,” but belittle it and the electorate by belittling the Tea Party. They simply cannot stand on any record of accomplishments, and can only win by demonizing their opponents – another typical leftist tactic.
And so the Dems were dragged kicking and screaming, giving up tax increases for lesser cuts and a debt ceiling increase. And now Obama, Kerry & Axelrod & others are blaming the historic S&P US credit rating downgrade on the Tea Party (as well as on S&P & Congress). And the “buck-passer-in-chief” is all too good at the blame game – still blaming Bush, as well. And he talks about Republicans needing to act like grown-ups??! Yes, denial will help our credit ratings – there are already indications of possible further downgrades, and that will wreak further havoc on our already hurting economy. Stereotypical liberal victim mentality. Maybe Obama & the Dems should take a lesson from Danish Olympic champion Lis Hartel, who after overcoming polio debilities cited the popular Danish saying, “Life is not simply holding a good hand, life is playing a poor hand well.”
Today Obama gave yet another speech. I’ve never seen a president in my lifetime give so many speeches to the nation, with so little of substance or leadership besides blame – all talk and no action. He really thinks his talking will solve problems – when will he realize it doesn’t? We’re no longer mesmerized with his charisma, intellect and power of persuasion, unlike the communities he organized, and emotional, unthinking, self-seeking minions he hitherto swayed. He acknowledged today that since he took office we’ve known of the deficit/debt problem. Then why did he nonetheless raise the deficit & debt by unprecedented amounts to historic heights, and he & the Democrat-controlled Congress do absolutely nothing to reduce them in all the time since?
The credit rating agencies warned that the only thing that could halt a downgrade would be significant (some 4 trillion) reductions in spending. And that is exactly what the Tea Party was pushing for, but the Democrats opposed – how can any person with a brain then blame the Tea Party for the downgrade? I guess that explains Obama, Kerry & Axelrod. It is only because of the Tea Party that cuts even became part of the political dialogue, and that any cuts at all were achieved – however inadequate, with the Democrats kicking and screaming (but now Obama adroitly says we knew all along of their seriousness).
What will it take for Obama to start to take any responsibility and leadership for this unduly long recession, deficits, debt and declining American financial status in the world? Americans voted him in to “transform America?” – they’re getting it, though maybe not the kind of transformation they had in mind. Yes, he’s taking America down a few notches, so that he will no longer have to apologize for our military & economic superpower status.
The Campaign Warms Up
There was some more early sniping among GOP candidates, with Palin (& Trump) attacking Romney for not speaking out more in advance on the debt ceiling issue (I guess they haven’t read his recent book, “No Apologies.” And as I predicted, there may be an evangelical champion and successor to Huckabee to counter Mormon Romney in the GOP primary – Gov. Perry of Texas. Interesting that it’s more than OK for Perry to conduct a big prayer event, but Romney hardly dare allude to anything religious for all the negative focus on his religion.
Moral Equivalency – Ad Nauseum
Interesting that the media is not reporting that the new Fort Hood terrorist (who was apprehended in time) is Muslim, but are tripping over themselves to say that Brevik in Norway is “Christian.” They’d be hard-pressed to find any Christian or minister who would vouch for his Christianity. Much easier to find a sizeable number of radical Imams and Muslims who’d be supportive of the Fort Hood (& other) terrorist. But we continue to hear ad nauseum of the moral equivalency.
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