Here’s what freaking Fred Hiatt has to say about Paul Ryan’s dangerous, intentionally vague budget plan:
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said Mr. Ryan’s plan would reduce revenues by an eye-popping $4.6 trilllion — and that’s on top of the $5.4 trillion cost of making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Moreover, no matter what deductions are curtailed, the benefit of the lower rates would flow overwhelmingly to the wealthiest Americans, while Mr. Ryan would take a machete to programs that help the least fortunate.
Witness the insanity of Republicans saying that $10 trillion in lost revenue isn’t good enough:
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), a conservative member of Ryan’s Budget Committee, said he would vote against the plan, saying it broke the GOP’s “Pledge to America” and did not cut spending deeply enough. Huelskamp voted for the Ryan budget in 2011.
“It’s not good enough,” he said during an appearance with six other conservatives at an event sponsored by the Heritage Foundation.
Huelskamp said he was troubled by a lack of specificity on tax reform and the budget’s failure, in his view, to hold to spending levels that will be lower because of $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts set to take effect next year.
The half-dozen other members of the Heritage panel said they were undecided on the budget resolution.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) criticized the proposal for not cutting spending at the levels promised in the 2010 Pledge to America.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to vote for it or not,” Gohmert said. “I appreciate so much the great work of Paul Ryan, but we took a pledge a year and a half ago, and we said we would cut more than is being cut. So that’s my struggle.”
Paul Ryan wants to increase defense spending while chopping $10 trillion out of the budget. And he says that this will help balance the budget. And that’s not good enough. That violates the pledge the tea partiers took. That’s what we’re dealing with from a reality standpoint.
The GOP cannot die quickly enough.
This would be a good question for the amateur historians of these parts: any memory of any previous generation of Republican lawmakers ever putting forth any kind of government plan even close to as radical as Ryan’s?
Certainly not even the Contract for America. Or even the flat tax brigade. I guess Ron Paul’s goldbuggery is an equivalent craziness, but he’s always been little more than a lone operator.
November 7th is gonna be a goddamn mess.
Boo:
Given that, shouldn’t we be asking why the DCCC is giving Eddie Munster a pass?
huh? WTF are you talking about?
Blue America challenges the DCCC
Republicans could drag your own mothers onto the House floor and murder and dismember them on live tv, and you and Calvin (and Digby) would still find cause to bitch at Democrats, wouldn’t you?
At Democrats? Not necessarily. At the DCCC? Yeah, usually there’s always a legitimate criticism to be made there.
And anyway, he asked what Calvin was talking about, so I pointed him there.
And Democrats could do the same, and you and Joe from Lowell would find a reason to defend them. So?
Calvin and digby’s criticism appears to be that the DCCC is not making a serious effort to challenge Ryan even though he’s in a purple district (and in a state where Democrats are highly mobilized). I don’t know anything about it, so I don’t know if it’s a fair criticism. But ad hominem attacks just make me think they’re on to something.
Why would you want to remove Walking Propaganda Man? He’s god’s greatest gift to Democrats. Every time he releases a new plan to destroy medicare, Congress’ ratings go down another five points.
It’s not my problem that you guys don’t actually understand politics. Or the historic greatness of this administration and its likeminded partisans in congress.
Although, honestly, I think you do understand it, all too well. And it makes you feel small. So you just keep on wanking, while right before your eyes Republicans criminalize womanhood in this country and plot to impoverish tens of millions of people instead.
I love how idiots like you think you understand politics. I understand it a lot better than you. You don’t seem to understand that it’s good to have people on the left flank calling the President a sellout and closet Republican(maybe not that language, but the purpose is still the same). What purpose do you think Paul Ryan and the Teahadists serve the right? To drag this nation’s politics rightward, despite it not being what the people overall want. And why do we give GOP leaders a pass? The GOP leaders don’t give Democratic leaders a pass. Did you know that Ryan comes(at least before redistricting .. if that’s gone to into effect) from a swing district? That in fact Obama won in ’08? Do you know what else I know? I knew that the deficit fetishism of the President was howling in the wind. People want good jobs. Besides, carping about the deficit is hypocritical GOP’ers looking to destroy what is left of The New Deal.
Calvin has a point — when the rightwing nutters call Obama a Marxist, Calvin and the others can say “that’s no Marxist; here’s your Marxists, over here!” That does serve a useful purpose.
On the other hand, there is a big difference between flanking the president on the left in a supportive way, and what many on the left are actually doing. For instance, arguing that the ACA was a step in the right direction that didn’t go far enough, as opposed to saying that the ACA is a piece of shit. Or saying that Obama’s policies are centrist but a big improvement over Bush, as opposed to saying there is no difference between him and Bush.
Not saying that you are that negative Calvin, but there’re plenty who are.
thanks!! that’s what I was talking about it. And to prove what a further joke the DCCC is. Someone posted that link to Steve Israel’s Congressional FB page. It was taken down by one of Israel’s lackeys with in 10 minutes.
Are they trying to set Ryan up as the centrist, right in the middle of the Democratic position and the far right?
A party doesn’t just curl up and die.
Maybe you are right and they will get their chance, some time, to do their worst.
It has happened in South America, as Naomi Klein related in her book.
The tragic truth is that voters are stupid.
They will recoil only after they see the actual devastation.
Between 1852 and 1854, the Whig Party curled up and died. And the Republican Party was born. Maybe it’s reaching the end of its lifespan. It does appear to be senile.
this is who they are. crazy
Slightly, but only slightly, OT: Latest Gallup poll has Obama job approval at 49, disapprove 44.
Fox, approve 47, disapprove 45
Bloomberg, approve 48, disapprove 47
Rasmussen, approve 49, disapprove 50, but a few days ago it was the other way around
Daily Kos/SEIU/PPP, approve 46,disapprove 50.
Latest PPP has Elizabeth Warren leading Scott Brown 46/41. (But within the 3.2 m/o)
Republicans: The economy for everyone will run so great when we take trillions from the bottom 80%. See, if more money goes to the job creators, their spiraling capitol worth will magically benefit the sacred principles of democracy which apply to everyone else lucky enough to be guided by such captains of industry.