Nail in the Coffin: Stern to Vote No On Deficit Commission

ABC News ^ | 12/2/10 | Arlette Saenz

[Nachum]

ABC News has learned Andrew Stern will vote no on the deficit commission’s plan to reduce the national deficit by nearly $4 trillion. Mr. Stern, the former president of the SEIU, has informed co-chairmen Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson that he will be the fifth member voting no, ending the commission’s hopes of officially passing the plan to Congress. The commission needed votes from 14 of the 18 members in order to pass the plan to Congress.

Mr. Stern joins Sen. Max Baucus and Reps. Dave Camp, Paul Ryan and Jan Schakowsky in voting against the plan. He is also the only non-elected official to vote against the plan.

At Wednesday’s deficit commission meeting, Mr. Stern voiced concerns with the plan’s approach to addressing the tax system, health care, and future investments.

“I think the problem in Washington, too often, is that we're historians and not futurists. And unfortunately, as I said in the first meeting, we are at a very different moment of economic history,” Mr. Stern said in Wednesday’s meeting. “We are now witnessing what a global economy is and having to act in ways that we're not familiar with in our country to make strong, swift, decisive and fast decisions.”

[Rembrandt]

Beware the Bravo Sierra; remember Bubba and his tricks!

[Minn]

If trash like this is against it, can it really be such a bad thing?

[Minn]

Howard Stern’s opinion would hold more weight.

[Milton Miteybad]

“I think the problem in Washington, too often, is that we're historians and not futurists. And unfortunately, as I said in the first meeting, we are at a very different moment of economic history,” Mr. Stern said in Wednesday’s meeting. “We are now witnessing what a global economy is and having to act in ways that we're not familiar with in our country to make strong, swift, decisive and fast decisions.”


As opposed to indecisive decisions, I guess. ;-)

[Major Matt Mason]

I don't mind this phony commission dying, but why was this turd Stern even included in the proceedings? Oh, right, he's Obama's darling litte socialist thug.

[Bullish]

I guess there wasn’t enough $$ in it for him.

[tcrlaf]

DEMOCRATS (And Socialists) Vote Down Obama’s Own Commissions reccomendations.

Obama’s inexperience and incompetence strike again

[Recovering_Democrat]

The commission is an extra-constitutional waste of time. I heard some local radio guy, a conservative, give kudos to OBAMA for putting the thing togeter. I wanted to jump through the airwaves and show him my pocket Constitution!

The CONGRESS is responsible for tax and budget of the federal government. The PRESIDENT has the power of recommendation.

NOWHERE in the Constitution is there a mention of some bipartisan, non-binding, committee.

Hussein was packaged by Axeldork, Plouffe, and the rest of Democrat party as an economic and social wunderkind—but he has been an utter failure...a teleprompter dependent Marxist.

Hussein can’t help the economy, he can only hurt it. And the existence of this commission, that is, his unwillingness to practice the Constitution, shows the truth.

[Kellis91789]

“The PRESIDENT has the power of recommendation.”

I’d rather any President seek advice from people who have the time and experience to really study a problem, rather than simply make recommendations off the top of his head.

This panel was at least an attempt to address spending and tax policy together. The result was far too timid in both areas, but there were some good ideas.

[Common Sense 101]

“The PRESIDENT has the power of recommendation...”

While that may be true, the pResident does not have the ability.

[Ann Archy]

WTF is that COMMUNIST MARXIST doing on a DEBT COMMISSION when it’s the UNIONS that are BREAKING THIS COUNTRY!!!

[Recovering_Democrat]

Did Reagan ever have to put together a commission with no power to write legislation? OR did he get together with people in power (e.g. Tip O’Neill) and make some important decisions?

He did the latter. Hussein just doesn’t want to take responsibility...so he appoints a commission he can blame when the tough s*** hits the fan. He is a wimp.

There are any number of think tanks that produce good suggestions for cutting government waste EVERY MONTH. Why waste the public’s time and money putting together another commission? Hell, Hussein can use a Blackberry, right? Tell him to go to the Heritage Foundation or the CATO Institute. He’ll find SCADS of research telling him how to cut spending.

But he doesn’t really WANT to do that. He wants to push the decision off on someone else who can take the blame.

[Kellis91789]

“Tell him to go to the Heritage Foundation or the CATO Institute.”

That makes sense to us, but to a liberal, those organizations are right wing extremists. Instead, they would go to Brookings or someplace like that. The people that insist government spending is the best way to get the economy growing. A President can’t use existing organizations that are obviously not “bipartisan”. Facts don’t matter in politics as much as the appearance of bipartisanship to share the blame for bad news.