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Debt Ceiling Debate exposes GOP Hypocrisy
For many years the GOP has denounced entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security and pushed to make cuts in those services. Until yesterday, I thought they were serious. Now I know it's all been a lie.
I also felt the GOP had brilliantly maneuvered the media message to make it sound like "we don't want to raise the debt ceiling, it's those darn Democrats who want to!" Even though that's a complete lie. The Congress passed a budget that requires raising the debt ceiling. Read that again:
Congress already voted to raise the debt ceiling when they passed this year's budget which required raising the debt ceiling. Even Paul Ryan's budget plan, which the GOP presented and voted for, would have required raising the debt ceiling.
This week, the GOP leaders in the House and Senate (Boehner and McConnell) made a public offer to authorize the President to raise the debt ceiling with no demands for spending cuts attached. Obama came to the table and offered FOUR TRILLION dollars in spending cuts to entitlements over the next 10 years. The GOP should be thrilled by this, right? They FINALLY get to cut those cash cows they've hated all these years.
Their response?
"Eh.. how about we raise the debt ceiling and you don't have to cut anything?"
It immediately became clear to my that I was wrong all these years. I thought the GOP was sincere in their desire to reduce entitlement programs. They only want to SAY PUBLICLY they want to cut entitlement programs, but when it comes down to it they know their constituencies rely on those programs. The voters in their districts and states receive those checks from Social Security. They want to SOUND like they are fiscally responsible but they clearly don't want to be responsible... fiscally.
They had a chance to reduce those programs they hate so much and passed it up, instead giving the President a blank check to raise the debt ceiling. That doesn't really match up with their rhetoric, does it? Of course, this also leaves them the freedom to whine and complain during next year's election that they didn't raise the debt ceiling... it was all Obama's fault!
I think they bluffed Obama and demanded cuts to entitlements.. and when he offered them, they had no idea what to do.
I also felt the GOP had brilliantly maneuvered the media message to make it sound like "we don't want to raise the debt ceiling, it's those darn Democrats who want to!" Even though that's a complete lie. The Congress passed a budget that requires raising the debt ceiling. Read that again:
Congress already voted to raise the debt ceiling when they passed this year's budget which required raising the debt ceiling. Even Paul Ryan's budget plan, which the GOP presented and voted for, would have required raising the debt ceiling.
This week, the GOP leaders in the House and Senate (Boehner and McConnell) made a public offer to authorize the President to raise the debt ceiling with no demands for spending cuts attached. Obama came to the table and offered FOUR TRILLION dollars in spending cuts to entitlements over the next 10 years. The GOP should be thrilled by this, right? They FINALLY get to cut those cash cows they've hated all these years.
Their response?
"Eh.. how about we raise the debt ceiling and you don't have to cut anything?"
It immediately became clear to my that I was wrong all these years. I thought the GOP was sincere in their desire to reduce entitlement programs. They only want to SAY PUBLICLY they want to cut entitlement programs, but when it comes down to it they know their constituencies rely on those programs. The voters in their districts and states receive those checks from Social Security. They want to SOUND like they are fiscally responsible but they clearly don't want to be responsible... fiscally.
They had a chance to reduce those programs they hate so much and passed it up, instead giving the President a blank check to raise the debt ceiling. That doesn't really match up with their rhetoric, does it? Of course, this also leaves them the freedom to whine and complain during next year's election that they didn't raise the debt ceiling... it was all Obama's fault!
I think they bluffed Obama and demanded cuts to entitlements.. and when he offered them, they had no idea what to do.
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