Sequestration: Blame goes to GOP

[Procrustes Stretched]

I say most all of the blame lies squarely at the feet of the GOP.

"Obama has said he wants Congress to end tax loopholes enjoyed mainly by the wealthy to buy lawmakers enough time to pass a budget but Republicans are insisting on deeper spending cuts to reduce the $16 trillion national debt."

The PowerPoint That Proves It’s Not Obama’s Sequester After All

Close the loopholes for the wealthy elite.

Tell the GOP to stop shilling for the wealthy elites.

Democrats want Congress to come back and stop ‘sequester’

Pentagon issues furlough notice as ‘sequester’ budget cuts loom

Demand the GOP name the cuts they are holding America hostage for.

Telling the GOP to stop shilling for the wealthy elites is like telling a crack addict to just say no.

NANCY REAGAN: "Just say no"

 

[Wiseacre]

We can always reduce anything to politics, but it is the GOP Leadership and the Tea Party that have made denying Obama a plus at any cost, their main objective rather than governing. At some point the Congressional process has become broken. Since 2010/2011 it has been screwed. What brought about this change?

And you don't think Obama and the Dems main objective since Nov 7th and continuing to the next midterm elections is to win back the House rather than governing? I didn't see much cooperation from Obama when the Fiscal Cliff deal was struck. He says he wants a balanced approach, well how much balance was there in that deal?

You talk about the Congressional process being broken, well what about the Senate? Who's been in control of that over the past 4 years, how come they haven't passed a budget in all that time or basically done jack squat? Other presidents have been able to work with the opposition, how come Obama hasn't even tried?

No I don't think the Democrats think and act like the GOP, because of the right wingers in the GOP. The left (Kucinich, OWS, Code Pink, and all the usual left wing suspects) has no real power in the Democratic party. The right has a very powerful presence in the GOP leadership, forget about only in the party.

People like me leave the DNC over progressives and their power grabs, but the power in the Dem Congress is not with the left.

Well where is the power in the Dem Congress then? Noticed you didn't answer my questions big guy. Gotta say, it sure seems to me like Obama and the Dems spend a lot of time and effort pandering to their base, as of course the GOP does too. Was wondering who you think has the real power in the Democratic Party? Gotta be the unions, environmentalists, and minority groups among others that they have to satisfy.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

And you don't think Obama and the Dems main objective since Nov 7th and continuing to the next midterm elections is to win back the House rather than governing? I didn't see much cooperation from Obama when the Fiscal Cliff deal was struck. He says he wants a balanced approach, well how much balance was there in that deal?

You talk about the Congressional process being broken, well what about the Senate? Who's been in control of that over the past 4 years, how come they haven't passed a budget in all that time or basically done jack squat? Other presidents have been able to work with the opposition, how come Obama hasn't even tried?

No I don't think the Democrats think and act like the GOP, because of the right wingers in the GOP. The left (Kucinich, OWS, Code Pink, and all the usual left wing suspects) has no real power in the Democratic party. The right has a very powerful presence in the GOP leadership, forget about only in the party.

People like me leave the DNC over progressives and their power grabs, but the power in the Dem Congress is not with the left.

Well where is the power in the Dem Congress then? Noticed you didn't answer my questions big guy. Gotta say, it sure seems to me like Obama and the Dems spend a lot of time and effort pandering to their base, as of course the GOP does too. Was wondering who you think has the real power in the Democratic Party? Gotta be the unions, environmentalists, and minority groups among others that they have to satisfy.

The power in the party rests with individuals. The DNC is a big tent. Lots of interests form your post alone. Everyone has influence, but life being unfair, not all influence is equal. The GOP has a narrow base. Don't trust me on this, trust what GOP leaders have been finally admitting in public recently.

The Democrats want to save programs they believe in. Not all Democrats think each program is more sacred than the other. How could they with so many interests? So it's always a grand bargain in the DNC. Trust me, I was involved in Democratic politics and it can wear anyone down.

The GOP has always prided itself on being unlike the Democrats. That has now become their number one liability. and this explains the differing ways of viewing the sequester fight

 

[Wiseacre]

" The GOP has always prided itself on being unlike the Democrats. That has now become their number one liability. and this explains the differing ways of viewing the sequester fight. "


I'm not seeing the GOP as being all that divided on the sequester issue. Some really don't like the cuts to defense, but they aren't going to accept any more tax increases that the democrats are pushing for. Might be a deal done to allow the transfer of some cuts from one spending pot to another, as long as the overall total doesn't change. That's not an unreasonable deal from a better governance point of view, at least the president could take more money out of the less important spending areas and leave the more vital things untouched or lower cuts.

Question is whether Obama will take that deal if it's offered and gets through Congress.

 

[RoadVirus]

I say most all of the blame lies squarely at the feet of the GOP.

"Obama has said he wants Congress to end tax loopholes enjoyed mainly by the wealthy to buy lawmakers enough time to pass a budget but Republicans are insisting on deeper spending cuts to reduce the $16 trillion national debt."

Taxes were already raised a the beginning of the year. In return, Obama promised to significantly cut spending in the future.

Fast foward to the future: Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthy again....and no spending cuts....again. Obama lied, the GOP is calling him out on it by refusing his proposal.

If the automatic cuts go into effect, it will be Obama's fault for not holding up his end of the deal.

 

[RoadVirus]

Telling the GOP to stop shilling for the wealthy elites is like telling a crack addict to just say no.

The same thing with Obama/Democrats and spending.

 

[Oddball]

There are no cuts from a zero baseline, you liar.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

" The GOP has always prided itself on being unlike the Democrats. That has now become their number one liability. and this explains the differing ways of viewing the sequester fight. "


I'm not seeing the GOP as being all that divided on the sequester issue. Some really don't like the cuts to defense, but they aren't going to accept any more tax increases that the democrats are pushing for. Might be a deal done to allow the transfer of some cuts from one spending pot to another, as long as the overall total doesn't change. That's not an unreasonable deal from a better governance point of view, at least the president could take more money out of the less important spending areas and leave the more vital things untouched or lower cuts.

Question is whether Obama will take that deal if it's offered and gets through Congress.

yes. governing is a process. The President asked for meeting last I heard GOP refused again

 

[JimH52]

There is a great deal of talk about how Republican senators have gone off the rails in their opposition to the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense. And there have been some bizarre deviations, with senators making pronouncements based on internet rumors and unfounded speculation.

But none of the fantastical filibustering of the Hagel fight can compare with the delusional dialogue regarding the federal budget.

To hear the billionaire proponents of austerity tell it, America is teetering on the brink of economic ruin. America, we are told, is broke. And the only answer is to “Fix the Debt” with deep spending cuts followed by the radical reordering of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

But America is not broke.

America has broken priorities.

That’s what the billionaire proponents of cuts-at-any-cost economics won’t acknowledge as they advance a “Fix the Debt” agenda that imposes austerity on everyone else, while stacking the deck in their favor.

It is vital to understand that there is an economically and socially viable alternative to austerity cuts. It’s a growth agenda that addresses waste, fraud and abuse while finding new revenues to invest in job creation, education and expansion of access to healthcare.

The growth agenda, as proposed in the “Balancing Act” advanced by leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, asks billionaires to pay their fair share in order to expand employment and opportunities.

The austerity agenda asks everyone but the billionaires to pay: via cuts not just to benefits and services but to jobs.

The anticipated March 1 sequestration, which proposes across-the-board cuts, is an example of austerity.

It continues a two-year-long process of slashing federal programs that are of value to Americans.

But it demands nothing new of billionaires and corporations that are on the winning end of rapidly expanding income inequality.

Sequestration Sacrifices Jobs to Save Billionaire Tax Breaks | The Nation

The GOP would rather see the middle class out of work than to fix the tax loopholes fattening the wealthy. This is a very good point.

 

[nodoginnafight]

What was Mitt Romney's effective tax rate?
Wasn't it like 16 or 17% or something?

Hard to argue that we are "taxing the rich to death"

We all benefited from deficit spending - we should all bear the hardships that righting the ship will cause.

 

[Clementine]

Let's at least give credit for the talk of the sequester where it's due. And cut back on the koolaid, dude.

Obama using his own sequester to fear monger - don't buy into it

As usual, Obama is relying on his media bootlickers to sell the American public the idea that the sequester he created is not only dangerous, but a Republican construct. It's a tactic he's used repeatedly and to great effect: create a problem, pin it on the opposition, and wait for them panic. Eventually, the Republicans always cave because they're terrified of blame.
If they had any backbone GOP members would be out in droves, informing the American people that Obama invented this situation and fought for it repeatedly.
Republicans need to man up, get out in front of this, and remind people that, in the end, slowing the rate at which we grow our national debt is a good thing.

Politics: Obama using his own sequester to fear monger - don't buy into it | CainTV

 

[Clementine]

Obama using his own sequester to fear monger - don't buy into it

As usual, Obama is relying on his media bootlickers to sell the American public the idea that the sequester he created is not only dangerous, but a Republican construct. It's a tactic he's used repeatedly and to great effect: create a problem, pin it on the opposition, and wait for them panic. Eventually, the Republicans always cave because they're terrified of blame.
If they had any backbone GOP members would be out in droves, informing the American people that Obama invented this situation and fought for it repeatedly.
Republicans need to man up, get out in front of this, and remind people that, in the end, slowing the rate at which we grow our national debt is a good thing.

Politics: Obama using his own sequester to fear monger - don't buy into it | CainTV

 

[Wiseacre]

" The GOP has always prided itself on being unlike the Democrats. That has now become their number one liability. and this explains the differing ways of viewing the sequester fight. "


I'm not seeing the GOP as being all that divided on the sequester issue. Some really don't like the cuts to defense, but they aren't going to accept any more tax increases that the democrats are pushing for. Might be a deal done to allow the transfer of some cuts from one spending pot to another, as long as the overall total doesn't change. That's not an unreasonable deal from a better governance point of view, at least the president could take more money out of the less important spending areas and leave the more vital things untouched or lower cuts.

Question is whether Obama will take that deal if it's offered and gets through Congress.

yes. governing is a process. The President asked for meeting last I heard GOP refused again

I've heard or read no such thing about any meeting request. What I did read was the Obama called Boehner and McConnell after several weeks of no contact, but no progress was reported. Seriously dude, this one-sided attack on the repubs is getting old.

 

[Oddball]

What was Mitt Romney's effective tax rate?
Wasn't it like 16 or 17% or something?

Hard to argue that we are "taxing the rich to death"

We all benefited from deficit spending - we should all bear the hardships that righting the ship will cause.

No, we all didn't.

Regardless, there are no honest cuts in the sequester...Grow the hell up.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Obama using his own sequester to fear monger - don't buy into it

The GOP put the sequester into reality.

History
Main article: Sequestration (law)

As a legal term, sequestration is the seizing of property by an agent of the court, to prevent destruction or harm, while any dispute over said property is resolved in court.

Sequestration was first authorized by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (BBEDCA, Title II of P.L. 99-177). This is known as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act.[1]

In 2011, sequestration was used in the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA, P.L. 112-25) as a tool in federal budget control.[1] This 2011 act authorized an increase in the debt ceiling in exchange for $2.4 trillion in deficit reduction over the following ten years. This total included $1.2 trillion in spending cuts identified specifically in the legislation, with an additional $1.2 trillion in cuts that were to be determined by a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives known as the "Super Committee" or officially as the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. The Super Committee failed to reach an agreement. In that event, a trigger mechanism in the bill was activated to implement drastic across-the-board spending reductions known as "sequestration".[2]

On January 31, 2013, the Senate approved and the House passed debt limit bill (H.R. 325) known as No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 in a 64-to-34 vote.[3] The legislation extends the current borrowing cap of $16.4 trillion through at least May 18, 2013.[4] Budget sequestration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

" The GOP has always prided itself on being unlike the Democrats. That has now become their number one liability. and this explains the differing ways of viewing the sequester fight. "


I'm not seeing the GOP as being all that divided on the sequester issue. Some really don't like the cuts to defense, but they aren't going to accept any more tax increases that the democrats are pushing for. Might be a deal done to allow the transfer of some cuts from one spending pot to another, as long as the overall total doesn't change. That's not an unreasonable deal from a better governance point of view, at least the president could take more money out of the less important spending areas and leave the more vital things untouched or lower cuts.

Question is whether Obama will take that deal if it's offered and gets through Congress.

yes. governing is a process. The President asked for meeting last I heard GOP refused again

I've heard or read no such thing about any meeting request. What I did read was the Obama called Boehner and McConnell after several weeks of no contact, but no progress was reported. Seriously dude, this one-sided attack on the repubs is getting old.

If he didn't call them about meeting to fix things, maybe he was inviting them to play golf? (I listen to right wing radio sometimes)

The extreme right wing (tail) is wagging the GOP (dog) on this one. Daring any Republican to cut a deal under pains of primary challenges on a single issue...this one

 

[emptystep]

There is a great deal of talk about how Republican senators have gone off the rails in their opposition to the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense. And there have been some bizarre deviations, with senators making pronouncements based on internet rumors and unfounded speculation.

But none of the fantastical filibustering of the Hagel fight can compare with the delusional dialogue regarding the federal budget.

To hear the billionaire proponents of austerity tell it, America is teetering on the brink of economic ruin. America, we are told, is broke. And the only answer is to “Fix the Debt” with deep spending cuts followed by the radical reordering of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

But America is not broke.

America has broken priorities.

That’s what the billionaire proponents of cuts-at-any-cost economics won’t acknowledge as they advance a “Fix the Debt” agenda that imposes austerity on everyone else, while stacking the deck in their favor.

It is vital to understand that there is an economically and socially viable alternative to austerity cuts. It’s a growth agenda that addresses waste, fraud and abuse while finding new revenues to invest in job creation, education and expansion of access to healthcare.

The growth agenda, as proposed in the “Balancing Act” advanced by leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, asks billionaires to pay their fair share in order to expand employment and opportunities.

The austerity agenda asks everyone but the billionaires to pay: via cuts not just to benefits and services but to jobs.

The anticipated March 1 sequestration, which proposes across-the-board cuts, is an example of austerity.

It continues a two-year-long process of slashing federal programs that are of value to Americans.

But it demands nothing new of billionaires and corporations that are on the winning end of rapidly expanding income inequality.

Sequestration Sacrifices Jobs to Save Billionaire Tax Breaks | The Nation

Despite losing a national election on exactly this issue Paul Ryan will not go back and review his budget which 'fixes' the budget by pulling $5.2 trillion out of the system by reducing the top tax rate from 35% to 25%. Watching to 9 hours of House Budget Committee discuss it I was shocked beyond compare. The political talk about the Ryan budget being for the rich at the expense of the rest of the country does not even begin to explain that thing. And Tom Price had some really creative way of explain how education and many other discretionary spending item were irrelevant to America. They just gave that guy a promotion. Talk about doubling down. On the Senate side the most popular budget proposal with Republicans is Senator Toomey's budget which cuts the top tax rate from 35% to 28%.

The President's budget actually cuts spending just as fast as anything out there. And the House Republicans would not let a proposal by Rep. Hollen even get a vote in committee, let alone on the floor. Is that what Republicans mean with not having a plan? If they can kill it it doesn't exist?

 

[emptystep]

What was Mitt Romney's effective tax rate?
Wasn't it like 16 or 17% or something?

Hard to argue that we are "taxing the rich to death"

We all benefited from deficit spending - we should all bear the hardships that righting the ship will cause.

No, we all didn't.

Regardless, there are no honest cuts in the sequester...Grow the hell up.

You drive on a road anytime this week? You really don't get it. The rich get the spoils and the rest of use till the soil.

 

[Oddball]

What was Mitt Romney's effective tax rate?
Wasn't it like 16 or 17% or something?

Hard to argue that we are "taxing the rich to death"

We all benefited from deficit spending - we should all bear the hardships that righting the ship will cause.

No, we all didn't.

Regardless, there are no honest cuts in the sequester...Grow the hell up.

You drive on a road anytime this week? You really don't get it. The rich get the spoils and the rest of use till the soil.

Oh, blow your envy out your ass.

BTW, roads are paid for by fuel taxes, you simp.

 

[emptystep]

What was Mitt Romney's effective tax rate?
Wasn't it like 16 or 17% or something?

Hard to argue that we are "taxing the rich to death"

We all benefited from deficit spending - we should all bear the hardships that righting the ship will cause.

The only thing the rich are going to die from is laughing to death at how far they can drive the ignorant into the ground with their own government.

(Ignorant used as defined someone who is unaware of something, no negative context.)