It’s interesting to watch Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) speak before the Conservative Political Action Conference. He is making a passionate case for tax cuts for the rich (because someone told him ‘I ain’t never been hired by a poor man’). But he did this immediately after talking about the importance of balanced budgets. No one appears to question how those two things go together. Even if it were a consistent philosophy, it’s clear that the Republicans neither would or could make the kind of massive cuts in federal spending that would be required to keep the budget balanced if the current tax cuts for the rich are not allowed to sunset (let alone if they were cut even more).
And I really think this is a core issue in American politics. The Republicans do have principles that most people understand. But those principles are totally unrealistic. It’s as if the Democrats ran on a real socialist platform (say, nationalizing the energy sector and providing a single-payer 100% government-run health care system) and then made no effort to enact it. And, then, once thrown out of power for doing the opposite of what they said they were going to do, they just went back to making the exact same promises they made before. And, then, they repeated their betrayal and made the same promises all over again. At what point do the Republicans lose credibility?
To use one example, the president just used his executive power to impanel a commission to address our structural deficits. Why did he do that? Because the Democrats can never agree to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits and the Republicans can never agree to raise taxes. (I might add, that neither of them seem willing to cut military spending). So, a commission is needed to provide some political cover to politicians that are afraid to take on their bases. Why is this relevant? Because it’s the same reason that elected Republicans never make the kind of budget cuts needed to match their tax cuts. Cutting taxes is the easiest vote you can cast. But cutting funding for popular programs is unpopular. That’s why you know the Republicans will never keep their promises to balance the budget. Only a party that is willing to tax at an adequate level to finance their operations can possibly balance the budget.
It was jarring to see Dick Cheney get a welcome response at the CPAC conference when he is the one who said deficits don’t matter:
[Treasury Secretary Paul] O’Neill, fired in a shakeup of Bush’s economic team in December 2002, raised objections to a new round of tax cuts and said the president balked at his more aggressive plan to combat corporate crime after a string of accounting scandals because of opposition from “the corporate crowd,” a key constituency.
O’Neill said he tried to warn Vice President Dick Cheney that growing budget deficits-expected to top $500 billion this fiscal year alone-posed a threat to the economy. Cheney cut him off. “You know, Paul, Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” he said, according to excerpts. Cheney continued: “We won the midterms (congressional elections). This is our due.” A month later, Cheney told the Treasury secretary he was fired.
Notice that it was Ronald Reagan who proved that deficits don’t matter. If that is what Dick Cheney thinks Ronald Reagan stood for then why would Reagan-worshipping deficit hawks cheer Dick Cheney? Is it because they’re fucking stupid or they just don’t care?
Quickest way to end the deficit — cut Defense spending by one half. End the wars overseas.
Will the GOP go there? Of course not. They’d rather turn our Social Security taxes over to the casino bosses on Wall Street. They’d rather end Medicare. They’d rather see us fall into the hole in which California resides.
What they fail to realize is that we cannot have true national security when our military is killing thousands of people each year and ruining the lives of millions of others in a foolish vain attempt to dominate the globe.
Steven, maybe what you fail to realize is that they don’t care about national security. They care about security for “their kind”. They know that any chaos and decline they foment simply brings the day closer when nonproductive business models like freedom and democracy no longer interfere with their dream of a total oligarchic security state.
It’s because he satisfies their hard-on for torturing brown people.
I’m not so sure they have principles. Some of their base might think they do, but nothing in the behavior of their elected governments (especially the sainted Reagan) says they follow them. The deficit crap is simply a cover for cutting support to the Unworthy — the ones who have not devoted their lives to money and power, who for whatever reason just chose to live as “ordinary” people.
The GOP is single-mindedly devoted to protecting large assets. Period. The sad thing is all the people they call “losers” in private who passionately support them and froth with murderous hate for anything that challenges them.
The other sad thing is that we really do need deficit/budget hawks in the government. Waste is never good. When the GOP co-opts the real concern with spending and turns it into a phony talking point about how we need to destroy the social safety net, they sabotage any rational discussion about taxes and spending. Like the religious fundies, they destroy the very thing they claim to care so deeply about.
So yes, they’re fucking stupid. And yes, they don’t care about anything/anybody but themselves. They are sociopathy turned into a tribal culture.
It’s easy: Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter politically (for republicans). He’s not talking about good governance or the dangers of deficits, as if Republicans care about those things! And now they think that the issue works for them politically. Judging by our media, it does. And I wouldn’t be so sure about their inability to cut spending. The fact that their pretend budget calls for such cuts, that corporate vampires like Armey are slithering around pimping medicare cuts, suggests that elements of the right/establishment are seriously considering laying the groundwork long-term for genuine cuts to social programs.
Also Booman, what’s with the potty mouth? If I’m being moderated for language, fine, but then don’t do it yourself.
you’re not being moderated for language. The only rule is not to be a prick, which is aimed at other users. You can be a prick to me if you want.
I’ve never been a big believer in flaming website owners I don’t like LOL.
of course they are that fucking stupid. They are even stupider.
They’re the “Four legs good, two legs better” sheep out of Animal Farm, except that they lack the instinctive common sense of a barnyard animal.
But Americans are the same way. You’ve seen the polls, people don’t want to pay more taxes but don’t want to cut any services for them.
they’re not stupid, but they believe that a large enough portion of the voters are that it continues to be their rallying call. given the political history of the past 30 years, l’d posit that mencken’s bon mot…Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.…is alive and well.
one need look no farther than the latest actions of minnesota gov. pawlwnty to see where they’re headed. to wit:
General Assistance would end, and some low-income workers would lose MinnesotaCare health coverage.
then on the eve of his appearance at cpac he vetoes this:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty turns down an extension of medical coverage for the poor, even after it passed the Legislature with overwhelming support.
but like his chief of human services said:
but as a rising star in the party of gNop, with aspirations of a presidential run in 2012 swirling in his head, he’s now a deficit hawk, embracing a balanced budget amendment as a panacea…a position that bruce bartlett eviscerated rather effectively in this piece back on feb 01, Tim Pawlenty: Not Ready for Prime Time:
it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where they’re going with this. with the defense and security budgets off limits, and the debt payment non-negotiable, they will continue their assault on the social programs and safety net issues.
and you know what’s worse, given level of stupid in the electorate, plus the ineptitude of the democRATs, they’ll probably be relatively successful.
Deficits are a means to an end. The don’t matter when Republicans are in government running them up because, like I said, they are a means to an end.
The do matter when Democrats try to make government work because being a deficit peacock is a way to restrict what Democrats can do, frustrate the electorate, and pave the way for getting Republicans back in power.
Republican principles, my ass.
that may (at least in my observation) be incorrect….
You’re assuming the Conservatives approach their pet issues rationally and logically (as you do)….
At least for the TeaBaggers, this assumption is fundamentally flawed. From what I’ve seen they approach Public policy the same ways as they approach Religious Doctrine. those issue cannot be discussed rationally or logically, since they’re note understood, and so are approached as ‘dogma’….mysteries that must be accepted on Faith, not reason.
Dogma cannot be discussed….it leads to Schism and Jihad(the Holy-War definition of Jihad)
The balanced budget is like the gold standard. Nice to talk about and rail about the good old days, but utterly impractical.