Reid Bitch-Slaps Frist on Budget Deficit Celebration

[Bob Geiger]

It didn’t take Senate Majority Leader Bill "Lock-Step" Frist (R-TN) long after the Senate opened for business yesterday to leap into Republican bizarro world and start saying what good news it is for Americans that the fiscal 2006 deficit will only be $300 billion. Harry Reid (D-NV), who had not planned on using his regular Minority Leader's time to speak, jumped to the microphone.

"I was not planning on speaking today, but I must respond to the distinguished majority leader's comments about what is happening to our economy," said Reid.

Reid then went on to extemporaneously slap Frist silly over his ridiculous comments about how well the Bush economic team is performing, the alleged healthy state of the economy and how far we've lowered the bar on what constitutes good news since Bill Clinton was president. An excerpt:

"The administration's estimate was widely derided at the time; budget experts said aides to President Bush were overestimating the red ink so they could claim credit later when the actual figures came in below forecast. This is what they did. Earlier in the year, they talked about how big the deficit would be, and they planned that because everyone knew the deficit would be smaller than

"Smaller? Mr. President, $300 billion--is that anything to brag about? I think not.

"Our economy is not in good shape. The distinguished majority leader brags about 5.5 million jobs having been created. During the administration of President Clinton, 23 million jobs were created. We went months during this administration when no new jobs were created. During the years of President Clinton, 23 million new jobs were created, and they were high-quality jobs.

"During the last 3 years of the Clinton administration, we didn't have a $300 billion deficit that people are bragging about today on the Senate floor. We paid down the debt. We spent less money than we were taking in. We brought down the national debt by about a half trillion dollars.

"So, please, let's not boast about a $300 billion deficit. Any statistic one looks at recognizes the rich in America are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is being squeezed. I hope some reality will come to the situation we find now on the Senate floor where the majority leader is bragging about how great it is that we have a $300 billion deficit. I don't think that is good news. I think it is bad news."

While we can always find something to criticize in any Senate leader, Reid deserves credit for the way he is constantly in Frist's face and how he almost never lets nonsensical GOP rhetoric go without a rapid reply.

You can reach Bob Geiger at [e-mail].

[wtmusic]

1. Reid needs to bring up Clinton's budget surplus

paying DOWN the federal debt. How interest on the debt is the second biggest federal expenditure after defense.

And Frist needs to STFU.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Obviously

frist and all the rest of the republicans must absolutely worship Clinton's economy if they think a 300 billion dollar deficit is a good thing. I am a little confused by a seemngly mixed message from the gop. Cheney said deficits don't matter, reagan proved it. If deficits don't matter why is a lower one a good thing? Please would a "conservative" jump in here and explain it to me; and also share your love of the Clinton economy, in other words, come out of the closet.

[kentuck]

3. Is a $300 billion dollar deficit good or bad ?

A simple question. If it is bad, why are the Republicans standing up and applauding? A simple question...

[spooky3]

4. the head of the Govt Acct Ofc made a similar commentary on

NPR last week. It was excellent. He said, If you're nearsighted, the economy may look good to you (supporting stats). But if you're farsighted, it does not (followed by a lot of very scary, to the point stats).

The GAO is NOT a political unit. When will Joe and Mary Taxpayer get outraged?