Posted on 07/21/2011 11:13:45 AM PDT by markomalley
The debt reduction proposal issued Thursday by the group of three Democratic and three Republican senators — known as the “Gang of Six” — won guarded optimism from some conservatives, but damnation from others.
In a statement to The Daily Caller, ForAmerica Chairman Brent Bozell promised retribution against any Republican who supports the deal, which would allow for an increase to the country’s debt limit.
“Conservatives will stand together to say the Gang of Six plan is dead on arrival and so is any effort to pass a short-term extension that only kicks the can down the road and does nothing to solve the problem,” Bozell said.
Bozell continued: “Should the Gang of Six plan pass, those fake ‘conservatives’ who supported it will walk the plank. That’s a promise.”
While Bozell emphasized the need for a long-term solution, other conservatives opposed to the proposal cite cuts to the defense budget and “tax hikes” by virtue of allowing Bush-era reductions to expire.
The Heritage Foundation cited House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon’s concern that “the Gang of Six proposal will cut almost $900 billion in national security spending over a decade and implies that the national security accounts will absorb nearly half of all federal budget discretionary cuts.”
Former Bush speechwriter Marc A. Thiessen argued that the proposal includes a massive tax increase. By allowing previous tax cuts to expire, Thiessen said that taxes will increase $4.5 trillion, and will be offset by only $1.5 trillion in new cuts. In a Washington Post op-ed he dismissed the notion that the Gang of Six “calls it a tax cut.”
Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union said in an email to TheDC, “The limited details could be read as providing an even worse deal for taxpayers than the deficit reduction commission’s report from late last year.”
Sepp said that “the Gang of Six document could be christened, ‘Duck, Dodge, and Weave.’”
CNBC host Larry Kudlow and anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, on the other hand, have cautioned against knee-jerk opposition to the proposal. Norquist surprised many on Thursday by saying that allowing tax cuts to expire wouldn’t necessarily equate to a tax increase.
I’d be happy to prod Chambliss from GA to jump off the end of that plank. He’s really selling out his constituents in GA. I hope he doesn’t have any future plans to remain in the Senate.
Does anyone know which (if any) of the three RINOs is up for reelection in 2012?
Keelhaul ‘em first.
If Bonehead and McConnell “The Gobbler” think Americans will forget about this, they are WRONG.
2012 will be a political bloodbath compared to 2010.
I won’t be depressed, I won’t make any more phone calls to DC,
I will simply vote for any credible Tea Party candidate that runs for anything in my state. I believe millions will do the same.
And if the tea party’s smart they’ll start looking for conservatives to run in ‘Rat primaries, too.
“Does anyone know which (if any) of the three RINOs is up for reelection in 2012?”t
Coburn is not up until 2016, but has pledged this to be his last term anyway. Others that I talk to here in Oklahoma are very disappointed in him. When I first head that he had rejoined the gang of 6 and their plan, I was dumbfounded. Only the day before he had announced his own plan which included 9 trillion in cuts.
How can anyone be in favor of raising the debt ceiling without major cuts in spending?
Its like charging your credit card to the max, borrowing on your house and car pawning everything you own and then trying to borrow more.
It has to stop.It cannot go on.
I can understand the Democrats on the gang of six. They are Democrats nuff said, but those 3 republicans have lost their friggin minds.Worse yet it is starting to spread.
Chambliss should be dumped ASAP. Coburn is a sad failure and should likewise be dumped. Alexander should follow him out the door. Ye Gads, there are so many pathetic Republican senators!
Kay Bailey Hutchison, and John Kyl are not seeking re election anyway.
Disappointed? Oklahomans did not know Coburn was a member of the gang of old rich white guys who got rich being career politicians and seek to perpetuate the family wealth by gaming the crony-capitalist system through elective politics? Seriously?
Shifty Chambliss’ fulltime job is selling out the GA republican voters. He is a card carrying moron who never saw a Libtard piece of legislation he didn’t like. We are going to get rid of that POS in the next election if I have to run again’st him myself.
Actually Coburn could hardly be called a career politician. When he ran for the house he said he would only serve 2 terms an he keep that promise. He said the same when he ran for the Senate and this is his second term. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of government waste. But I fear he has been taken in on this one.
Only the day before the announcement he had announced his own plan which included 9 trillion in specific cuts.
Actually Coburn could hardly be called a career politician. When he ran for the house he said he would only serve 2 terms an he keep that promise. He said the same when he ran for the Senate and this is his second term. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of government waste. But I fear he has been taken in on this one.
Only the day before the announcement he had announced his own plan which included 9 trillion in specific cuts.
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