Posted on 08/08/2011 7:02:27 PM PDT by dragnet2
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., and his son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., both blasted Tea Party critics on Monday for suggesting that the conservative movement with which they're both linked may have had something to do with America's recent credit downgrade by the ratings agency Standard & Poor's.
The elder Paul, a longtime lawmaker, staunch libertarian, and presidential candidate, decried the allegations as an "attempt to scapegoat" Tea Party lawmakers. He pinned the downgrade on the Washington establishment.
"This attempt to scapegoat folks who recognize that our debt is out of control and that we must change course should not be tolerated," he said in a Monday statement. "They are simply demanding that Washington do its job."
He continued: "We were downgraded because of years of reckless spending, not because concerned Americans demanded we get our finances in order.
The Washington establishment has spent us into near default and now a downgrade, and here they are again trying to escape responsibility for their negligence in handling the economy."
In a Sunday appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod pinned responsibility for America's recent downgrade - arguing that the group's political "brinksmanship" during debt ceiling negotiations "brought us to the brink of a default."
"The fact of the matter is that this is essentially a Tea Party downgrade," Axelrod declared.
Former presidential candidate Howard Dean, also speaking on "Face the Nation," argued that the "radical right" had essentially scared mainstream Republicans off of voting for a debt limit package that could have included tax increases - and staved off the ratings dip.
Dean said the American people are there, the Democrats are there, a lot of reasonable Republicans are there, but they are terrified of these right wing splinter groups, the radical right, because they are so powerful in the primaries."
Rand Paul, the first-term Kentucky Senator who was elected in 2010 with the support of the Tea Party, argued that blaming the movement for America's economic woes was like "blaming the fireman for fires "he said in a statement. "The Tea Party has been fighting for a serious solution that would rescue our finances through immediate spending cuts, spending caps and most importantly, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution."
"While Democrats would like to lay blame on the Tea Party for the current economic failure, it is their President who has failed in leadership, failed to lower unemployment, failed to rescue our economy, failed to prevent a downgrade of our debt, and failed to control spending," he added.
The Dow Jones industrial fell 634.76 points on Monday, as anxiety plagued Wall Street on the first trading day since Standard & Poor's downgraded American debt. The drop is the sixth worst point decline for the Dow in the last 112 years. Every stock in the S&P's 500 index declined Monday.
I take it you don’t get out much, do you?
Are you really that slow?
I didn't see anyone imply or suggest that here.
Why all the wild baseless accusations?
True, but those pics still made me LOL.
Cordially,
;-)
Well, I’m glad you’re easily amused!
Why are you attempting to make this article about me, and now others? You've spent your entire time on this thread doing this.
What's up with that?
I don’t know dude - your either suffering from decompensation, or projection, or some other form of mental illness. They do have medication for this.
And, as for “others”, I didn’t invite “others” into the discussion. Did you?
You’re still attempting to make this article about me.
And now you’re suggesting I’m mentally ill?
Hmmm.
Your even more dense than the other guy. R-U-N Paul talks the talk, but hardly walks the walk when it comes to fiscal responsibility. Tell me about all the pork he brought to his district. By the way, R-U-N Paul is NOT the Tea Party, and I’m not attacking the Tea Party. But, I wouldn’t expect you to have gleaned onto that fact.
Forest Gump surely must have had you in mind when he uttered those famous words! Your narcissism is becoming extreme.
Really, what ever happened to Obama’s scalpel, consolidation and elimination of ineffective programs anyway?
Those drooling in cups bought it, and are probably looking for their retirements about now.
BTW, I tend to agree with your comment.
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