NY Times - "Ideology Trumps Economics" - Democrats Exposing Republican Hypocrisy

[TomCADem]

This has been noted by some folks that Democrats so-called lurch to the center was largely a gamble that Republicans are completely full of shit. Kudos to those folks on this Board who called out the fact that Republicans would never agree to the big deal, because they aren't really interested in debt reduction. Instead, they are interested in a fairy tale ideological crusdade to make Government "smaller" while propping up big business. Thus, it is becoming tougher for the corporate media to cover up for Republicans as Democrats dare them to agree to a 4 trillion deal to cut the deficit.

Oh, the corporate media will try, but the fact of the matters is that Republicans walked away from what seemed like an ideal opportunity to cut the deficit they care so much about. Why? Because Republicans need a huge, structural deficit to justify their existence, and the last thing they want is a government that is actually in the black. Remember Grover Norquist repeating the adage that they want to starve the beast? Well, this current fiasco amply demonstrates that Republicans simply are not serious about the deficit, and the only way to expose this was to dare the Republicans to put their money where their mouth is, and the Republicans blinked.

The fact of the matter is that we probably will go into default, because it was not savy negotiating on the part of Republicans, but a complete lack of leadership and vision. They simply are not fit to govern. They are now boxed in by their own talking points, and because of their dysfunction, the U.S. headed to first ever default.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/opinion/12tue1.html?_r=1&hp

There is a huge gap in logic at the heart of the Republican intransigence on a debt-ceiling deal, and President Obama helped to illuminate it on Monday.

The party claims, as an article of faith, if not evidence, that the government’s growing debt is the reason for persistent unemployment and economic stagnation. And yet Republicans are spurning the president’s compromise offers to reduce that debt by trillions over the next decade because he is sensibly insisting that any deal include some increase in tax revenue.

“Where are they?” Mr. Obama asked at his news conference. “I mean, this is what they claim would be the single biggest boost to business certainty and confidence. So what’s the holdup?”

The holdup, of course, is that Republicans are far more committed to the ideological goals of cutting government and taxes than they are committed to cutting the deficit. They rejected several compromise offers by the White House, even though any revenue increases would be far outweighed by spending cuts.

[KittyWampus]

1. Exactly, the Republicans just walked away from the sweetest deal that was basically what they asked

for. They look like unreasonable freaks.

They will either default on the debt making the consequences 100% their own (which is what I think will happen) or they will just vote to raise the ceiling.

[TomCADem]

4. Right, Starve the Beast! Not make it solvent!

Some folks on DU were calling BS, as others went ballistic as President Obama suddenly dared the Republicans to cut the long term deficit by double the amount they were demanding. As some on DU noted, Republicans want to see government fail, because it justifies their ideology. They don't want to cut Medicare or Social Security, they want kill it and privitize it! Bush tried to privitize social security and Ryan wants to privitize Medicare.

This is why mere "cuts" to Medicare and Social Security that actually make it solvent are not acceptable. The Republicans need Medicare and Social Security to bleed red ink so they can kill these programs. Some folks on DU called this, which is why I read this board.

[mzmolly]

2. K and R.

:kick:

[DBoon]

3. It's not hypocrisy

it is pure nihilism