False assumptions made in the Ryan/Murray budget deal. Long-term unemployed are screwed.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Wed Dec 11, 2013, 11:29 PM - Edit history (1)

Robert Borosage made some good points in his coverage of the new deal struck by Patty Murray and Paul Ryan. It's like neither party can get away from these repeated talking points and faux ideas.

The Budget Misdeal: An Agreement That Solves Nothing

He says that "business as usual" is not a virtue when it does not address what needs to be done. He says that "it punts on any of the pressing challenges this country faces, a failure that only adds to the hole we are in."

1. It assumes that deficits are still America’s fundamental problem. Wrong. Our fundamental problem is that Americans are struggling to find decent work.

2. The deal refuses to repeal the mindless sequester cuts that were designed to be abhorrent. Instead it “pays for” alleviating less than half of them over the next two years.

3. The deal accepts the bizarre Republican position that no billionaire’s tax rate can be raised, no multinational’s tax dodge shut down to provide resources for investments vital to our future.

4. The deal accepts the risible Republican position that the rich have too little money and workers too much. So new federal workers will pay more for their pensions and military retirees will get a cut in their pensions. But none of the global corporations that ship jobs and report profits abroad to evade taxes will pay a penny more.

Number 5 addresses one of the cruelest parts...not addressing the needs of the long-term unemployed.

Seems to me our side could do more to take charge of the messaging. Borosage says that Democrats have negotiated from a position of weakness, not strength.

I agree with that. I think the Republican Noise Machine truly does exist, and the very strength of it allows the right wing to control the messaging.

We can do something about that.

[Vincardog]

1. The weakness you identified is that the TOP Democratic elected officials have sold out to the monied

elite. That is the only explanation for all the financial parasites in the administration as well as
those advising our leading candidates. As long as we allow candidates to campaign as populist Democrats and govern like GOP lite we are doomed to face the listed failures.

And we will be exposed to "How could have seen it coming" fund raising pitches.

[madfloridian]

7. We supported so many "progressive" candidates with money and effort.

Most of them did an about turn when they got to DC. Been fooled so many times.

[Vincardog]

23. Exactly why we have to insist on real liberal candidates and platform policies. A true populist

party would sweep the whole government.

[msongs]

2. so murray aids and abets the repubs. what else is new? nt

[Pretzel_Warrior]

3. both sides had their reasons for at least getting rid of this for the next year

GOP cannot stand to be seen as authors of another government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis.

Dems and Obama have received unequivocal opinions from business leaders that a major drag on economy and companies deciding to invest in expanding operations/adding jobs has been fiscal uncertainty for the past 2 or 3 years. Having this out of the way is not THE ANSWER. But it certainly has a chance of helping Joe and Jane Public by virtue of letting government get out of the way and by restoring some of the spending that had been cut out of our economic engine.

[madfloridian]

5. Congress leaves Friday....Borosage points out harm done to millions.

From the link:

5. The deal accepts the Republican refusal to include renewal of unemployment benefits, insuring that over a million unemployed workers and their families will be cut off at the end of the year. And it excludes any pledge to sustain funding for food stamps, even as the right is pushing for harsh cuts in the farm bill. This is a deal that shelters the wealthy and exposes the vulnerable.

Will they get that done by Friday?

[Heather MC]

4. I called the deal Shitty yesterday on DU, I was told I am over reactting, but it seems the Dems

have forgotten the strength they got from the shut down, and have returned to their wimpy dog pissed on carpet position, we know and HATE

[madfloridian]

6. I have often been told the same.

Very often.

[MannyGoldstein]

9. Wrong. It's all good.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4160184

[Heather MC]

13. Well that settles it, nothing to see here folks, hey do we have any Miley Cyrus twerking a homeless

guy photos?


I guess we are just suppose to be grateful they only came for Federal Worker and Military Retirees. I am in the DC this Directly effects me Military, we dream of retiring in 8 years. I guess I better keep my resume' up to date for that Walmart Greeters Job

[RC]

27. Federal Worker and Military Retirees are all that are left.

They pretty well took care of the future of the private general population already.

[Egalitarian Thug]

17. I was going to reference your thread, now I can just give you a +1.

Exactly when did the crumbs falling off a pile of shit become something to rally around?

[NuclearDem]

8. It's an utter joke of a deal.

Any Dem that votes for this thing is going to feel it in 2014.

[blkmusclmachine]

10. ,

,

[GoCubsGo]

11. It's just more "austerity" bullshit in the name of cutting an already declining deficit.

I can't believe Patty Murray would be involved in such a steaming pile of shit. I am hearing that there are at least some on both sides of the aisle who are not happy with it, and I hope it's enough to sink this thing.

[madfloridian]

20. Enough of the austerity.

The DLC/Third Way influence on the party is still showing strongly. The talk of deficit cutting and austerity needs to stop.

[TheKentuckian]

12. Here are our priorities as a nation.

[madfloridian]

14. Ryan gloats they got what they wanted. From a USA Today puff piece on Ryan.

"I have every reason to expect great support from our caucus because we are keeping our principles," Ryan said in announcing the deal. "The key here is nobody had to sacrifice their core principles. Our principles are: Don't raise taxes, reduce the deficit."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/12/11/paul-ryan-dealmaker/3990651/

[raging moderate]

15. You guys, we all have to do something.

I am sitting in Northern Illinois, where at this moment we have two-three inches of snow on the ground, and the thermometer on the leeward side of the house says 0 degrees. And we have about 10 days before the official start of winter. This is going to be a bad winter. These people will start dying. I suspect that is the secret aim of the Republican psychopaths: to sort of accidentally on purpose mass murder a lot of the "surplus population." That is what they mean by "taking the country back." That is what happened in the bad old days.

What happened? I thought Joe Biden had helped to work out a deal to get us all through the winter, anyway. I remember I sent an email to the White House telling them to ask the Republicons, "What part of ten degrees below zero do you fail to comprehend?" And, of course, there are parts of the country that will get much colder. Maybe even mine, with the winter starting with a bang this way. Years ago, I saw a musical Christmas card that asked, "Oh cannibals, oh cannibals, who will you eat for Christmas?" Maybe we should start asking these jokers that question. Maybe we should ask it publicly. God knows they don't care who they hurt or how much, but maybe some normal people will wake up.

Meanwhile, I guess we have to give a lot more to food banks, and so on. Think of what we can do without, and give that money to save lives. Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to be the real grownups.

[SCVDem]

16. The best defense is a good offense

I demand our legislators put forward a bill legalizing suicide. We will not accept a slow death.

This puts congress on the record one way or the other to fulfill their oath to work in the best interests of America or to show their true colors.

If I am to die, I prefer a rapid doctor assisted method, which of course they will refuse to do.

By voting against a rapid death, the republicans put themselves on the world stage as the party supporting attrocities equal to the worst dictators in history. Starvation and exposure are terrible ways to die. What would the world media say?

Kill us or help us. What's it going to be?

Just stop preaching your damned religious and financial hypocrisy!

[madfloridian]

18. Yes, a good offense. Please.

Call them out on the war they are waging on the poor instead of parroting the same phrases.

Amen to that.

[xchrom]

19. du rec.

[madfloridian]

21. House Budget Vote Nears as Tensions Rise. Vote coming later today.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303293604579254091118767268

WASHINGTON—The House was set to vote later Thursday on a two-year budget deal, as opposition in both parties appeared to fall short of threatening passage and Speaker John Boehner doubled down on his criticism of outside conservative groups.

"It's not everything that we wanted, but it advances conservative policy and moves us in the right direction," said Mr. Boehner at his weekly news conference Thursday morning.

Few lawmakers have expressed enthusiasm for the narrowly focused agreement reached by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) and his Senate counterpart, Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D., Wash.), to ease the effect of across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester.

But lawmakers from both parties predicted that bipartisan desire to call a cease-fire in Congress's budget wars would carry the bill through the House on Thursday and into the Senate next week.

[Laelth]

22. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[upi402]

24. The media will be silent

No wonder we elect people who claim to be Democrats that do the bidding of corporations.

[Mc Mike]

25. Thanks Mad. Rec. nt

[stuartsdesk1]

26. Where Does POTUS Stand on the Budget "Deal" ?

The Ryan-Murray budget "deal" is sounding less and less like a fair deal.

My hero, Obama, has been largely or completely silent on this issue.
Where does POTUS stand?

How can he ignore the long term unemployed? How can he agree not to close a single tax
loophole?

Maybe "no deal" would be better than a bad deal?

Hopefully Obama will surprise all of us and refuse to sign the bill after it passes
both houses without any provision to extend unemployment benefits.

I hope so.

[RC]

28. Our leaders on both sides of the aisle, are on the same page.

The difference being, the leaders of the two parties are on different places on that page.
The Republicans are closer to the bottom than the Democrats are. You can take that sentence however you want.

[daleanime]

29. K&R....