Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 31 July 2011

Various driveby media television networks ^ | 31 July 2011 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[Cboldt]

-- Speaking of which, did anyone watch the coverage of the House debate last night? --

I walked the dog, cooked some burgers and corn, and practiced guitar. Much quicker to scan the Congressional Record later, if anything "fun" is reported. The Rubio/Kerry exchange, and assorted other remarks can be found from the Senate link below; and action in the House from the House link.

As always, pay attention to what they do, because they speak with forked-tongue.

Senate - July 30, 2011
House - July 30, 2011

Senator Enzi invoked Dilbert. Funny stuff.

[leadpencil1]

What a hack questioning McConnel on CNN. Nothing new.

[Miss Marple]

The increasing emotionalism on this board and on others, such as Ace of Spades (not known for being a stopping-off-place for liberals) gives me great concern.

Either the emotionalism of the liberals has infected all public discourse, or the left is infiltrating and playing disruption.

We need to think about these things calmly and rationally. When emotions override everything, giant mistakes get made (example: the funding for Katrina relief).

[Girlene]

David Plouffe on ABC - “smart” entitlement reform and tax reform is needed to cut defecit, long term.

George reminds Plouffe this last week should make it clear that there is no interest in the House to support tax reform. Plouffe seems to think they don’t represent average Republicans.

Christiane asks what will be paid/what won’t if debt ceiling isn’t raised - Plouffe won’t answer - focussed on solving the problem.

Capitol Hill was beseiged with tweets/ calls asking for compromise.

[Diogenesis]

FOX NEWS SUNDAY has a replacement host
Bret Baier (nice tie, reads well) asks Gene Sperling, director
National Economic Council, what is the cause of the economic problem?
Sperling blames everyone but Obama.
Causes are alleged to be Bush (the pRes_ _ent 'inherited'
everything, and the rest results from the GOP's present "threat of default"
Sperling should go back to running the Hair Club.

Bret Baier: "You said, 'The USA is on a good trajectory' Is it?"
Gene Sperling says growth will be 3.5% and every
problem is from the GOP's cause of the "default".

The printing presses are melting they are running so hard,
but HE blames the American public who is FED UP.

[Alas Babylon!]

Silently? Not this morning, babe!

I do disagree with your analysis of Speaker Boehner and the bills the House passed. I certainly think he supported CCB or he wouldn't have let it be voted on and sent out to the Senate.

In my opinion, everyone is missing the point.

The point is that we cannot win the POLITICAL war. The dems won't have it and they have the whip hand. That's just the plain reality. What we are winning is the war for hearts and minds. The drivebys and dems are fighting this battle in an effort to win reelection. They do not care if the country loses.

So let us LET THEM win this fight. The fight has gone on several weeks now and focused the public on the economic issues facing this nation.

They will see a “win” for the president as Obama owning a huge chunk of the economy that NOW he CANNOT blame on Bush. If things don't get better.....

Aye, and there's the rub...

Things WILL NOT get better.

Set, match, game.

[Girlene]

Graham on ABC - We’re going in the wrong direction, but at a slower pace now, with the debt deal. 3 Trillion package that will become 7 Trillion in 10 years.

Graham seems to be “reaching out” to Tea Party with his words this morning.

[upchuck]

BUMP to the Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread^TM

[rodguy911]

Brilliant cacth here MM and that’s exactly what happens over and over. The dems are so slick the reinvent every word,lie about it all and then leave it to us to straighten the mess up.

[rodguy911]

Thanks Tom.

Hence the phrase leading from behind.

[Alas Babylon!]

Bingo. And that’s what I’m saying.

It is a tragedy that we have to go through this. But I think every generation people need to be reminded that elections have consequences.

It took Carter to get us Reagan.

One thing not mentioned in all of this, and one thing I’m particularly grateful for, as the host of this thread, is what this all does to the driveby media in the eyes of the public. Their absolutely tarnished reputation is taking yet another nosedive.

They’ve chosen their side, and it is with the losers. Discrediting the Left starts with discrediting them. And it has started. Every day, older people who always watch the national news and trusts the media are dying off, as younger ones (and even some of us middle agers and older ones) see them as propagandists, and even better—they are enemies of our collective fortunes, because the democrat way is what is sinking our economy and people are learning this. The hard way, sadly, but it is an objective truth.

[maica]

debt ceiling = credit limit

So true. Our use of language is pitiful compared to how the statists use it to their advantage.

I hate the word trillion. It should be shunned like other unspeakable "hurtful" and "offensive" words.

Politicians and pundits should be forced to say thousand-billion instead. "Trillion" sounds like just a bit more than a billion to most people. I have heard talk show hosts, not just callers, confuse the two. If they can't wrap their heads around the difference, how can we expect the general public to do so?

Fourteen thousand-billion sounds a lot scarier than fourteen trillion. It really is hard to imagine twelve zeros, but thousand-billion drags it out to make more emphasis.

Part of the reason why people believe that American "millionaires and billionaires" can solve the problem by paying more taxes is a result of this math illiteracy.

[Girlene]

Geoge Will on ABC - not having tax increases in this deal is a win for Republicans.

Paul Krugman says we shouldn’t be talking about spending cuts AT ALL. This will increase unemployment. Says the average Republican voter thinks the debt deal should include tax increases.

George Will lists all the programs we’ve tried - TARP, stimulus, cash for clunkers, dollars for dishwashers (I think he made that one up), the entire range of stimulus packages simply have not worked.

[Son House]

Durbin forgets last years Senate Democrat count and weasels by not answering why Democrats haven’t passed a budget for 3 years?

[maica]

Bret Baier just asked Durbin why the Senate hasn’t passed a budget, and Durbin replied “sixty votes.”

Translation: it’s still the Republicans’ fault!!

[Roccus]

...dollars for dishwashers (I think he made that one up)

He did NOT.... Tax credits for "energy star" appliances.

[kabar]

In my opinion, the democrats and Obama still do not get it. They cannot fix the economy UNTIL they really cut spending. All rhetoric aside, their ideas will NOT get the country back on its feet. The single biggest thing of course is Obamacare. Businesses are not growing because they expect one whale of a hit when that monstrosity starts.

I think the Dems and Obama get it. What we are witnessing is the implosion of the welfare state, which is unsustainable. The Dems understand that their political power rests on keeping the welfare state going. The battle will be over the allocation of funding and raising revenue. In a broader sense, it will be about the role of government.

Medicare is really the cost driver now of our budget deficit. It must be reformed or it will consume our entire budget. Obamacare will add to the deficit and make matters far worse.

The irony of all of this is that if we increase job growth, which then increases tax revenue, the Dems will try to use the increased revenue to keep the welfare state afloat.

[altura]

Is Plouffe a name or a comment? Sounds like something Nero Wolfe would say to dismiss something ridiculous.

[Son House]

Now Durbin is blaming the Afghan war spending on conservatives in the house wanting it, guess he doesn’t know who is in charge of that

[Cboldt]

-- What you say looks logical until you consider a poll from CNN that shows over 50% blame us for the debt ceiling deal not going through. --

The way I see it, neither the majority of the American public nor the Congress are "logical," in the sense of having a sense of independent responsibility. The focus is on the here and now, and on short term gratification. If "doing what is right" limits the gratification, then "doing what is right" becomes a casualty.

Someday, the piper will be paid. The debt will come due, the consequences will be inescapable.