Saxby Chambliss, a line-drawing junkyard dog
Based on what he told reporters in a conference call this morning, I guess Saxby Chambliss is taking talk of a primary challenge seriously:
“My message to you, Mister President, is you’d better strap on your chin strap very tight because this junkyard dog is going to address spending cuts and entitlement reform in the debt-ceiling debate, and that’s going to be a line in the sand for us Republicans and conservatives.”
Junkyard dogs wearing helmets and chin straps while drawing lines in the sand?
Look, I understand the political pressures that drive such statements. But I just don’t think that Chambliss and his Republican colleagues have thought this debt-ceiling strategy through very well. They’re picking bad ground on which to fight, and once it’s all over, they’re likely to end up even more embarrassed and politically vulnerable than they are today.
And I’m not alone in that thinking. As columnist Kimberley Strassel puts it in the Wall Street Journal:
“In the non-abstract, failure to raise government borrowing limits means U.S. default — and with it potential credit downgrades, market panic and resulting economic distress. Is the GOP willing to inflict that on the economy?”
The WSJ editorial board also seems quite skeptical of the strategy, advocating instead a much more measured, “small-ball” approach to the next two years:
“We’ll support efforts to cut spending and reform entitlements, but the political result will be far worse if Republicans start this fight only to cave in the end. You can’t take a hostage you aren’t prepared to shoot. Do the two GOP leaders have a better strategy today than they did in 2011, and do they have the backbench support to execute it?”
You can’t take a hostage that you aren’t prepared to shoot. Are you REALLY prepared to shoot, Sen. Chambliss? Are you really ready to do to the U.S. economy what William Tecumseh Sherman did to Atlanta? And if not, what happens when your bluff is called?
Maybe I’m wrong here, but when the WSJ editorial board is warning that maybe, just maybe, you’ve gotten a bit radical and need to dial it back, you might want to reconsider all this junk-yard dog stuff.
Even Newt Gingrich, a man not known for political caution, thinks this confrontational approach is doomed to major failure:
As Gingrich put it:
“They’ve got to find, in the House, a totally new strategy. Everybody’s now talking about, ‘Oh, here comes the debt ceiling.’ I think that’s, frankly, a dead loser. Because in the end, you know, it’s gonna happen. The whole national financial system is going to come in to Washington and on television and say: ‘Oh my God, this will be a gigantic heart attack, the entire economy of the world will collapse. You guys will be held responsible.’ And they’ll cave.”
Again, when some of your most dogmatic, aggressive supporters are already questioning the wisdom of your approach, with crunch time still a couple of months away, maybe just maybe you ought to reconsider.
Because once you shoot your hostage, you know what happens next?
– Jay Bookman
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519 comments Add your comment
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
January 4th, 2013
2:14 pm
With these two, you can see why the AJC is on the ropes.
The AJC is doing just fine.
Print circulation is down but it is everywhere.
There is a little thing called the internet these days.
JamVet
January 4th, 2013
2:17 pm
So Benji joins the long list of cons who have committed blog suicide.
It never ceases to crack me up.
If you cannot comport, you should self-deport.
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
January 4th, 2013
2:17 pm
With these two, you can see why the AJC is on the ropes.
The AJC is doing just fine.
Print circulation is down but it is everywhere.
There is a little thing called the internet these days.
BTW This is a lie Bill Orielly uses all the time on his dim audience.
He will point to circulation of some “liberal” paper and exclaim .. See See the “folks” are rejecting them blah blah blah.
What he wont tell you is people just dont get the paper anymore. Heck you cant even get a Sunday Atlanta paper south of Newnan Georgia.
Who cares. Its all on the net anyway.
MANGLER
January 4th, 2013
2:17 pm
“…and that’s going to be a line in the sand for us Republicans and conservatives.”.
Am I the only one who noticed that he differentiates between the two?
UNCLE SAMANTHA
January 4th, 2013
2:18 pm
ajc profits are down…………………..
will be bought by Al Jazerra Corp very soon………..
Cox Media makes more money from AUTOTRADER
Jm
January 4th, 2013
2:18 pm
“Its all on the net anyway.”
Um. No.
It’s apparent the AJC has a specific strategy of keeping some of their original content off the internet in order to sell more print.
Lynnie Gal
January 4th, 2013
2:19 pm
Obama said he will not play this game of chicken with Republicans threatening to blow the place up again. He’s got to take that stand and not negotiate with those economic terrorists. He can use the 14th Amendment to justify raising the debt ceiling by himself since the whole faith and credit of the US is on the line. He should do that. It’ll be a case that’ll make it to SCOTUS, and if the “justices” know anything about the 14th amendment, they will have to go along. That’ll take the explosive vest off the GOP once and for all.
Nunna Yobinnes
January 4th, 2013
2:19 pm
“noneya,
We have some new women in the Senate that you might want to give them a chance.”
Hope you’re right. It would be a rarity in this day and age.
Nero
January 4th, 2013
2:20 pm
Robert Lee,
Hell I remember the old 300 baud modem adventures with my Commodore 64.
Thulsa Doom
January 4th, 2013
2:21 pm
“I think some of you guys spend too much time here and not enough with current events. Maybe you should watch something beside MSNBC and read other than the hard left pubs.”
That’ll be a cold day in hell.
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
January 4th, 2013
2:21 pm
It’s apparent the AJC has a specific strategy of keeping some of their original content off the internet in order to sell more print.
I dont know what in the world that would be.
The point still stands however. Circulation is down not because everyone is rejecting the “liberal” AJC.
Its because of the internet.
There can be no dispute on that.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
January 4th, 2013
2:22 pm
cynthia and the old gang just didn’t leave……… they were purged in a cost cutting effort…………
ad revenue is way down……….. and not even online ad revenue will save it
local newspapers will be swallowed up or sold to larger media companies who will use the local site to segway into their NATIONAL SITE
I.E. NYT or WSJ may end up owning the AJC soon………… will use it for local news only and use their content for the national stuff
Regnad Kcin
January 4th, 2013
2:22 pm
“Hell I remember the old 300 baud modem adventures with my Commodore 64″
Yup – I have fond memories of the old Prodigy bulletin board @ 1200 baud…
Nunna Yobinnes
January 4th, 2013
2:23 pm
There they go again. Talking about SCOTUS. Men’s lower anatomy should not be discussed in polite society.
tm
January 4th, 2013
2:23 pm
The Senate is doing judt fine for us. Remember when Obama started this dance he wanted 1.6 trillion in revenue. The repub in the house offered 800 million and the final Senate bill only gave the dems 600 million. I am not complaining job well done by the party in the minority same the tax payers 1 tillion dollars.
Erwin's cat
January 4th, 2013
2:23 pm
get – Duh, the defense department built the network and the Internet caught on under Clinton.
there’s a lot of debate there, the first backbone was between UCLA and Stanford…DOD wasn’t involved until DARPA when TCP/IP was standardized in 1982….Reagan had more to do with it’s development than Gore or Clinton
Regnad Kcin
January 4th, 2013
2:24 pm
“local newspapers will be swallowed up or sold to larger media companies who will use the local site to segway into their NATIONAL SITE”
cool – I LOVE segways!
Thulsa Doom
January 4th, 2013
2:24 pm
“..and if the “justices” know anything about the 14th amendment, they will have to go along.”
I dunno if they do know about the 14th amendment. Maybe Lynnie Gal and other blog livlibs can impart their vast constitutional widom on the scotus.
Robert Lee - Cogito ergo zoom
January 4th, 2013
2:24 pm
Nero, I got a late start, had to run around central american for a few years for Reagan. I didn’t get into them until I was in school after.
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
2:27 pm
It’ll be a case that’ll make it to SCOTUS
oh, screw that. Just mint the damn coin. Mint several if you need to, Mr. President.
And sign the damn petition, everyone.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/direct-united-states-mint-make-single-platinum-trillion-dollar-coin/8hvJbLl6
I’m beyond tired of this crap.
Steve
January 4th, 2013
2:29 pm
I’m a lib and I can’t remember the last time I watched MSNBC. But I suppose you conservatives think we are like you and only get our news from one source…
Nunna Yobinnes
January 4th, 2013
2:30 pm
“And a couple trillion for those cool white plastic suits and helmets…”
I never could figure that out. All it took was one blaster shot, and those imperial troops were toast. Sue the manufacturer!
Nero
January 4th, 2013
2:31 pm
Speaking of Junkyard Dog, I fondly remember watching him wrestle back in the early 80s. His feud with Michael P.S. Hayes of the Fabulous Freebirds was always a favorite.
R.I.P.
Cheesy Grits is gone but not forgotten
January 4th, 2013
2:32 pm
DOD wasn’t involved until DARPA when TCP/IP was standardized in 1982….Reagan had more to do with it’s development than Gore or Clinton
LOL. There is no level of nonsense you guys will believe.
Its simply unbelievable.
Now Ronald Regan invented the internet.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET
Nero
January 4th, 2013
2:32 pm
Robert Lee,
Better late than never .
Steve
January 4th, 2013
2:33 pm
Well said:
“…what if the conservative Republicans are really that crazy? What if they are so committed to their agenda and dismissive of their constituents that they will allow unemployment to rise, interest rates to skyrocket, government services to disappear, seniors to lose their Social Security checks and other catastrophic consequences of debt defaults and government shutdowns?
If that is the case, however unlikely, than we will only have to survive until the next election, at which point the Republicans will discover that suicide bombings produce only one guaranteed casualty: the bomber himself.”
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/opinion/wolraich-gop-strategy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
AmericaShrugged
January 4th, 2013
2:35 pm
Actually it was the rich investing their Regan tax cuts that led to the prosperity and balanced budget of the Clinton era. Just like we’re now beginning to see the economy rebound thanks to the Bush tax cuts that even the enlighthed one was smart enough to leave in place for four years.
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
2:36 pm
All government checks are entitlements if entitlement means a
benefit prescribed by law. Some entitlements are direct tax funded
such as OASDI, Medicare, or Income tax refunds. Putting everything
on the table for cutting expenditures would include all of these but
that is not what the republicans have in mind, the want to cherry pick
the entitlements for cuts that enhance the chances of conserving
the status of the wealthy.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 4th, 2013
2:38 pm
…Regan tax cuts…
Debunked here countless times.
Jm
January 4th, 2013
2:38 pm
“F.D.A. Offers Sweeping Rules to Stop Food Contamination”
Predictable. The regulatory tsunami was held off until after the election. But here it comes….
Erwin's cat
January 4th, 2013
2:40 pm
Grits – there was an internet before packet switching
ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990
Welcome to the Occupation
January 4th, 2013
2:41 pm
And with that line, Ben exits the blog showing all the class that he demonstrated throughout his time here.
Awww. Sniffle sniffle. Wiping tear.
Bye bye Bennie Boy!
TBS
January 4th, 2013
2:41 pm
“The regulatory tsunami was held off until after the election. But here it comes….”
Might even be like all those foreclosures they held back……. Is that tsunami hitting yet?
Adam
January 4th, 2013
2:43 pm
Towncrier: http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/01/new-study-suggests-u-s-fiscal-stimulus-generates-less-than-1-in-gdp-growth-for-every-1-spent/
No way! It can’t be!!!
Um, what stimulus? There’s no stimulus in it at all.
Jm
January 4th, 2013
2:44 pm
TBS doesn’t believe in the NY Times. Until they say something he supports.
meh, no surprise
UNCLE SAMANTHA
January 4th, 2013
2:44 pm
THE ROAD AHEAD
Justice Roberts has opened the flood gates
NOW BOTH PARTIES CAN IMPLEMENT THEIR SOCIAL AGENDA IF THEY GET CONTROL OF THE CONGRESS AND WHITE HOUSE
democrats can REDUCE gun ownership by TAXING guns, ammo, licensing, etc………. and if you make the taxes high enough you reduce them
republicans can REDUCE abortions by TAXING them………. $2000 each one……..
JUSTICE ROBERTS has made it clear…….. IF CONGRESS CREATES A TAX……. ITS CONSTITUTIONAL
AmericaShrugged
January 4th, 2013
2:45 pm
Kam – debunked here several times. Yes, you have been. 1) Reagan changes only result in a net tax increase when you count SS as a tax. 2) Even including SS tax the rich paid less and the middle class paid more. So there was a net tax increase but the rich got a huge tax decrease and they’re the ones whose investments led to the dot.com bubble. Clinton got credit for the glory days of the bubble and Bush had to deal with the bubble bursting and the resulting recession.
Towncrier
January 4th, 2013
2:45 pm
“Obama said he will not play this game of chicken with Republicans threatening to blow the place up again.”
It is very hard to play “chicken” when you are not driving the limousine you are riding in. So you are probably right.
“He’s got to take that stand and not negotiate with those economic terrorists.”
I hear some of those Tea Party folks are armed with AK-47s, claymore mines, plastic explosives and the like. Obama had better be careful. But perhaps he learned something from what happened at the Libya Consulate.
“He can use the 14th Amendment to justify raising the debt ceiling by himself since the whole faith and credit of the US is on the line. He should do that.”
Give him a call and give him your sage counsel. He may be very appreciative.
“It’ll be a case that’ll make it to SCOTUS, and if the “justices” know anything about the 14th amendment, they will have to go along.”
It is to be wondered if any of the august justices know anything about any of the amendments, let alone the preamble and original articles. But here’s hoping that they do!
“That’ll take the explosive vest off the GOP once and for all.”
The GOP terrorists are NOT suicidal as you suppose. They are more like the IRA.
TBS
January 4th, 2013
2:45 pm
Jm
It was your assertion about foreclosures. Were you lying, did you get bad information or what? You have never backed it up with anything more than your mouth
“meh, no surprise”
If the info is out there great. Post it.
JamVet
January 4th, 2013
2:46 pm
TrickleDownShrugged, you need some new post-Reagan material.
Jm likes food poisoning?
Wow…
alex
January 4th, 2013
2:46 pm
Kamchak-intelligent conversation-debunked here everyday….
DannyX
January 4th, 2013
2:46 pm
“Actually it was the rich investing their Regan tax cuts that led to the prosperity and balanced budget of the Clinton era.”
If I may borrow some of that ridiculous Republican logic, Reagan was just lucky he lost the Republican nomination the year Carter won. Yep, Reagan was lucky he didn’t inherit the Nixon Ford mess.
Also, it’s a shame that Ford’s WIN buttons never got a chance to work.
Granny Godzilla
January 4th, 2013
2:46 pm
JM
Headlines JM wants to see??
“FDA gives up…..eat all the contaminated hamburger, peanuts, spinach, raspberries, etc you want.”
“FDA supports botulism toppings on ice cream”
“FDA calls for more lead in your food”
“FDA promotes National Explosive Diarrhea day”
F. Sinkwich
January 4th, 2013
2:46 pm
Here’s some more info, Jm:
“The federal government posted 61 new regulations in the Federal Register on Friday, including the Department of Interior’s 500-page document outlining a new rule to protect the southwestern willow flycatcher’s “critical habitat” in six states. That small insect-eating bird’s habitat covers 1,227 miles of streams and 208,973 acres in California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico, on “federal, state, tribal and private lands.””
We’re doomed. O’bozo has indeed fundamentally transformed America.
RIP USA 1776-2012
Erwin's cat
January 4th, 2013
2:47 pm
GRITS – from your wiki link…and as I stated above
The first message on the ARPANET was sent by UCLA student programmer Charley Kline, at 10:30 pm on 29 October 1969, from Boelter Hall 3420.[16] Kline transmitted from the university’s SDS Sigma 7 Host computer to the Stanford Research Institute’s SDS 940 Host computer. The message text was the word login; the l and the o letters were transmitted, but the system then crashed. Hence, the literal first message over the ARPANET was lo. About an hour later, having recovered from the crash, the SDS Sigma 7 computer effected a full login. The first permanent ARPANET link was established on 21 November 1969, between the IMP at UCLA and the IMP at the Stanford Research Institute. By 5 December 1969, the entire four-node network was established.
yeah it was Gore alright
Jhunt163
January 4th, 2013
2:48 pm
“Um, what stimulus? There’s no stimulus in it at all.”
Um, if we run a trillion dollar deficit, isn’t there a trillion dollar stimulus? Which btw, should also be subtracted from GDP growth to determine real growth.
TBS
January 4th, 2013
2:48 pm
Jam
Supply Side Singapore: What do you expect?
The other half of your brain.
January 4th, 2013
2:48 pm
getalife
January 4th, 2013
2:10 pm
noneya,
We have some new women in the Senate that you might want to give them a chance.
Get, Well when there are no Women on Obamas staff meetings I wouldn’t hold out much hope.
DebbieDoRight - Conned And Confused
January 4th, 2013
2:48 pm
Is America shrugged a parody or a parrot? Its getting harder and harder to tell.
===============
Frog: All government checks are entitlements if entitlement means a
benefit prescribed by law
SSI shouldn’t be. Millions of us below 50, have been paying into a system since we’ve had our first job at 15 working part time at McDonald’s.
We’ve paid money in and now they’re saying they want to CUT benefits? Are they going to cut our monetary input INTO the system.
We’ve funded everyone else’s retirement, it’s OUR turn now. SSI should not be touched. Defund these gas companies — take away their subsidies. They unlike a vast majority of Americans,don’t need them.
==================
JM: Predictable. The regulatory tsunami was held off until after the election. But here it comes….
Sometimes, JM, I think you’re boderline insane. You don’t regulations? Then you don’t have to live with them. No one is MAKING YOU buy food from the grocery stores or go to a resterant — you can stay home, catch, grow, raise, slaughter, your own food. And then you can just Damn those pesky “rules” on cleanliness.
Towncrier
January 4th, 2013
2:50 pm
“Um, what stimulus? There’s no stimulus in it at all.”
Why don’t you see what a “fiscal multiplier” is first before making such a comment:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_multiplier
Steve
January 4th, 2013
2:50 pm
Reagan caused the dot com bubble 10 years after his 2 terms????? CRAY-CRAY~~!~!
DannyX
January 4th, 2013
2:51 pm
Republicans sure hate the ’socialist’ Earned Income Tax Credit expansion Reagan signed into law, calling it “the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress.”
How much has that added to today’s debt?
How about it Republicans, is it the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress?
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
2:52 pm
rule to protect the southwestern willow flycatcher
Ok, FS, I will bite.
What is it about this particular species that makes you feel it is expendable?
Adam
January 4th, 2013
2:52 pm
not enough with current events. Maybe you should watch something beside MSNBC
Please explain how this is not keeping up with “current events.” I assume you define it differently than I do.
For the record, I do not just watch MSNBC or just spend time here. And I read a lot of articles, probably all of which are defined as “hard left” by the hard right, so hard-left is a completely useless point to make. It’s meaningless as it applies to damn near everything from a rightie’s point of view.
The other half of your brain.
January 4th, 2013
2:52 pm
democrats can REDUCE gun ownership by TAXING guns, ammo, licensing, etc………. and if you make the taxes high enough you reduce them
Sam, It may slow them down but will not reduce them. Only turning them in will reduce them.
Jm
January 4th, 2013
2:52 pm
To the liberal cabal here:
Where did I say I object to regulations? I don’t. We need some.
To think you can pile on hundreds of thousands of regulations to solve the world’s problems is foolish though. Short of putting the food biz out of biz, you won’t stop food contamination. Which has the unfortunate side effect of starving the very people you were hoping to protect.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 4th, 2013
2:53 pm
Reagan caused the dot com bubble 10 years after his 2 terms?????
Yep, the mere mentioning of his name can cure eczema, seborrhea and the heartbreak of psoriasis.
Can also be used as a floorwax.
Brosephus™
January 4th, 2013
2:54 pm
Off topic question….
Has anybody seen Heyward since his favorite Frenchy turned Soviet commie?
Granny Godzilla
January 4th, 2013
2:54 pm
RIP F SINKWICHS PATRIOTISM ????-2012
DannyX
January 4th, 2013
2:54 pm
Lol at the conservatives bragging about ‘liberal’ institutions inventing the internet!
All hail liberal Stanford!
Cherokee
January 4th, 2013
2:55 pm
““F.D.A. Offers Sweeping Rules to Stop Food Contamination”
Predictable. The regulatory tsunami was held off until after the election. But here it comes….”
Horrible. “Cause being able to eat without dying of food poisoning is obviously a socialist plot….
godless heathen
January 4th, 2013
2:55 pm
Checking with the Bookman denizens before heading to the big city. My FNM will be with the lovely and talented Elizabeth Cook and the incomparable Todd Snider at the Variety Playhouse. Yup, going to drop some coin ITP.
So raise a toast to me at the FNM party and I’ll catch up tomorrow.
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
2:55 pm
We’ve paid money in and now they’re saying they want to CUT benefits?
Actually Jay is saying this too. I disagree with him. I consider any cuts to SS (including how inflation is indexed) or Medicare benefits (including any chicken-manure means-testing) completely unacceptable.
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
2:55 pm
DDR
SSI is Supplemental Security Income and is funded from the
general fund and administered by the social security administration.
OASDI generally known as Social Security is funded by direct taxes
as is medicare . The Republicans who want to protect their grandchildren
plan to do it by reducing the benefits their grandchildren will receive.
Thanks Grandpa.
Adam
January 4th, 2013
2:55 pm
Jhunt: Um, if we run a trillion dollar deficit, isn’t there a trillion dollar stimulus? Which btw, should also be subtracted from GDP growth to determine real growth.
What are you talking about? Just because we have a deficit doesn’t mean it’s all stimulus. That’s a pretty deliberately warped view from what I assume must be a dig at Keynes, from not understanding what he was talking about.
TBS
January 4th, 2013
2:57 pm
godless
Be safe and enjoy the show. Have a cold one or two at the Yacht Club.
Adam
January 4th, 2013
2:57 pm
Jm: Where did I say I object to regulations? I don’t. We need some.
Jm endorses the Democratic position.
Seriously, Jm, Democrats are for reasonable regulation, not piling on a number as though they have a quota. Nor are Democrats going to accept that you must set the bar at a certain number of regulations and not cross it. If the regulations are reasonable, the amount of them doesn’t matter.
If you agree with this, you have endorsed the Democratic position.
Towncrier
January 4th, 2013
2:57 pm
“If that is the case, however unlikely, than we will only have to survive until the next election, at which point the Republicans will discover that suicide bombings produce only one guaranteed casualty: the bomber himself.”
Wait…I thought Republicans were racists and nazis, but now you’re saying they’re terrorists? Which is it? Oh…I get it…you’re making stuff up. You had me there for a bit.
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
2:57 pm
Elizabeth Cook and the incomparable Todd Snider at the Variety Playhouse
Don’t go smokin’ that wacky tobacky while you’re there, y’hear?
Granny Godzilla
January 4th, 2013
2:58 pm
JM
you sound kinda wishy washy on regs.
which regs are good and which are bad?
does your gastrointestinal system get to be the decider?
harvey
January 4th, 2013
2:59 pm
I gave up this country the day after the election. It is peopled now by people to stupid to live.
Native bird
January 4th, 2013
3:00 pm
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is and will go down in history as the man who cratered this country, the standard of living of most of our children’s future. By unconscionably changing the actual text of duly legislated Law, gave unbridled, unchecked power to a new Socialist King that will indeed anoint a new Cast-based society and future, based on race, and enslave all opposition in the name of retribution and righteousness. Mark these words: the next casualty of the Constitution? 2 presidential terms.
indigo
January 4th, 2013
3:00 pm
Chambliss will “address spending cuts and entitlement reform” on orders of his Big Business sponsors, who are furious at the increase of taxes on the rich.
For Chambliss and other Republican pols, it’s a hair-raising balancing act between keeping his sponsors and electorate happy.
This is getting harder and harder as greed obsessed Big Business sternly ORDERS “no more compromise”, while increasingly savvy Repubican voters(who would have ever thought that) are demanding accomodation with the Democrats, or else.
You get what you pay for and election crazy Republicans, who decided to do anything to get elected, are finding the tab is now due.
HDB
January 4th, 2013
3:00 pm
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
2:27 pm
Thanks for the heads-up, SfD….just signed it……..
AmericaShrugged
January 4th, 2013
3:00 pm
Steve – Going over the fiscal cliff was presumed to be disastrous for the economy because the higher taxes and lower government spending would slow down the economy. Higher taxes would slow down the economy.
If you take $700B and immediately create or keep jobs with the money, like Obama’s stimulus, you get a very quick impact. But when you’re talking capital investment and R&D stuff the impact takes a lot longer to materialize.
Granny Godzilla
January 4th, 2013
3:01 pm
harvey
did you give up our roads too?
Adam
January 4th, 2013
3:01 pm
Towncrier: Wait…I thought Republicans were racists and nazis, but now you’re saying they’re terrorists? Which is it? Oh…I get it…you’re making stuff up.
Technically he’s making an analogy, which should not be easily dismissed in ridicule as an attempt to make it seem as though said analogy is invalid. If you think the analogy of “suicide bomber” is not accurate, state your reasoning. Are they NOT threatening to blow up an economy upon which they and their constituents depend?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 4th, 2013
3:01 pm
It is peopled now by people to[sic] stupid to live.
Oh, the irony.
Erwin's cat
January 4th, 2013
3:02 pm
Adam – If the regulations are reasonable, the amount of them doesn’t matter.
If you agree with this you have endorsed the Democratic position
cite? I’ve looked and can’t find this as a Democratic position
JamVet
January 4th, 2013
3:02 pm
harvey, Air Iran is ready when you are!
You’ll be really happy – they’ve got LOTS of fellow Uncle Sam haters there!
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
3:02 pm
Harvey
I gave up this country the day after the election. It is peopled now by people to stupid to live.
………………………………………………………………………
please. call 911 there is help available for those contemplating suicide
unless it is blog suicide..
Seriously Folk
January 4th, 2013
3:02 pm
I find it humorous that those who say they are conservative want “cuts, cuts, cuts” but do not realize that unless we as a COUNTRY are going to move forward, we need the “invisible hand” of government in the “free market.” Want to know why companies are moving their R&D facilities overseas? Because the governments of India and China INVEST and underwrite R&D. And not to belabor the point about “the internet and who gets credit” but the internet was COMMERCIALIZED in 1995..in other words the advent of all the technology and advancements GREW from a government supported (see invest in R&D) program, and then was shed to the “free market” to launch unprecedented growth….So for you “conservatives” holding your breath for the next wave of “private sector” investment in R&D, if you get your way, dont blame me when you faint….and if you think for a minute that your little pill you take in the morning does not have HUGE amounts of “wasted tax dollars” through R&D, I have a bridge to sell you!
TBS
January 4th, 2013
3:04 pm
“It is peopled now by people to stupid to live.”
harvey: don’t do anything drastic. Living is a great option.
Seek medical and or psychological help if needed
Joe Hussein Mama
January 4th, 2013
3:04 pm
Towncrier — “Why don’t you see what a “fiscal multiplier” is first before making such a comment:”
The headline that AEI chose to run the article under is misleading. The headline specifically calls out “stimulus” spending, yet the article itself examines the ’stimulative’ effect of *any* government spending.
Besides that, to apply your own standards from yesterday, AEI is partisan and can’t be trusted. Plus, you’re engaging in scientism by placing any faith whatsoever in ‘research’ done into those gosh-darn soft sciences.
Towncrier
January 4th, 2013
3:06 pm
“Seriously, Jm, Democrats are for reasonable regulation, not piling on a number as though they have a quota. Nor are Democrats going to accept that you must set the bar at a certain number of regulations and not cross it. If the regulations are reasonable, the amount of them doesn’t matter. If you agree with this, you have endorsed the Democratic position.”
There is little doubt that Democrats are for regulation, but there is more than a little doubt that they are for “reasonable regulation” – and therein lies the rub (and, in fairness, I think the same charge may be fairly leveled at some Republicans as well). Here’s one article to counter you (can I say?) almost glib statement:
http://www.economist.com/node/21547789
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 4th, 2013
3:08 pm
Besides that, to apply your own standards from yesterday, AEI is partisan and can’t be trusted.
Oh, snap!
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
3:08 pm
Seriously Folk
Many European nations subsidize also but as you point out
so do we. But generally I agree.
Adam
January 4th, 2013
3:09 pm
Erwin: cite? I’ve looked and can’t find this as a Democratic position
Now you’re just being silly.
You could have just said it’s also the Republican position, at which point I could counter you by showing the number of Republicans who specifically state that the NUMBER of the regulations is the problem.
But since you need some evidence, I’ll give you some.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/09/kony-abortion-and-reasonable-gun-regulations-whats-democratic-platform/56490/
“We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms.”
Despite the article spin, that is straight from the 2012 party platform.
And then there’s this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/09/04/democratic-platform-celebrates-the-low-number-of-regulations-obama-has-approved/
In their 2012 platform, Democrats celebrate new regulations they’ve put in place to protect consumers, children and workers.
….
“That there’s no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly…” the platform says.
(To be fair, the part I cut out is about the number of regulations being low, which shows the Democrats want to try to cater to those who believe low numbers is what needs to be achieved. It’s a bad argument to make IMO)
Now fire back with “But you said _______ which is not the same as ______” so that you can show that you know what I actually meant, but you’re just trying to argue semantics.
…
Here’s another semantic rabbit hole: Assault Weapon. Semantic Nazis! GO!
Steve
January 4th, 2013
3:11 pm
Kamchak you beat me “too” it.
deegee
January 4th, 2013
3:11 pm
I like it when the conservative tea party folks get on the radio and say stuff like, “I can’t run my household finances like this, why should the government?” Boy, that’s really telling them. If they had to sit through one hour of a macroeconomics discussion their eyes would glaze over.
Dekalb comments
January 4th, 2013
3:12 pm
@ guy at 2:12
As long as we continue to run deficits there will be a need to raise the debt ceiling. No reasonably sane person thinks we will have a balanced budget or be in surplus anytime soon. There may be some that fantasize about this but they aren’t being practical or realistic.
The debt ceiling MUST be raised to fund expenditures the U.S. Congress and President have jointly already approved The debt ceiling date is triggered by the speed with which approved spending actually occurs, i.e. when we need to have authorization to borrow more money to pay for the expenditures we have just incurred or will incur. You don’t want to be raising the debt ceiling every month so there is some debt planning that is a factor in what is requested during a debt ceiling approval.
As we bring down the debt there will be less need for increasing the debt ceiling. But until then it is essential to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its EXISTING debt. A default would dramatically increase the cost of the borrowing we would still have to do and take the economy into a dangerous downward spiral. We are seeing growth in the economy, albeit slow. A default would almost assuredly reverse that and hurl us back into recession.
getalife
January 4th, 2013
3:13 pm
Reid backs our President for ignoring the gop on the debt limit.
Called their bluff.
Surrender.
Georgia
January 4th, 2013
3:13 pm
All predictions of the GOP caving in on the debt ceiling after their credibility rappelled down the cliff are based on Obama not negotiating on entitlement spending. If that’s so, then we’ll be spending the money reserved for the two bush wars on ourselves. Is that okay with everyone? Can we actually spend money on America? And F the Iraqis? Can we rebuild our crumbling infrastructure? But what about the Iraqi infrastructure? Provide healthcare to our sick? But what about the sick in Iraq? and wont Bush complain if we stop pouring billions into that hole he made in the sand in the desert in Iraq? What about the honor of the bush family? Aw, come on, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually means there’s a catch. What could the catch be if America spends money on America?
stands for decibels
January 4th, 2013
3:14 pm
this junkyard dog is going to address spending cuts and entitlement reform in the debt-ceiling debate
“Address”? I was going to ask, “what does that even mean?”
And then I remembered this important lesson from Ed Norton, which provides the answer.
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
3:14 pm
deegee
If they had to sit through one hour of a macroeconomics discussion their eyes would glaze over.
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their eyes would probably glaze over in one hour of home economics discussion
getalife
January 4th, 2013
3:16 pm
“What could the catch be if America spends money on America?”
Peace and prosperity.
Adam
January 4th, 2013
3:17 pm
Towncrier: Here’s one article to counter you (can I say?) almost glib statement:
Actually that article doesn’t counter my statement about the Democratic position. It merely attempts to make complexity and numbers arguments (too many regulations, too many pages, complex is bad, etc). It only attempts to address what is reasonable but doesn’t quite get there, preferring to do this:
America has a lot of regulations
Some of these regulations have many pages
Many pages means necessarily complex
Many regulations have many pages
Many regulations is too many
Therefore, America is over-regulated
It’s a piece of logical fallacy after logical fallacy.
Jm
January 4th, 2013
3:17 pm
“Democrats are for reasonable regulation”
Paul, that is certainly not the case. There are tens of thousands of archaic, and conflicting regulations. And the Democrats haven’t shown the slightest interest in getting rid of them.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 4th, 2013
3:18 pm
Nothing succeeds like persistence – unless you’re Orly Taitz.
The 52-year-old lawyer-dentist-real estate agent from Laguna Niguel brought her years-long battle to oust Barack Obama from the presidency to a federal courtroom Thursday in Sacramento.
Her appearance was part of a last-minute bid to stop the counting of electoral college votes in Washington, D.C., that will pave the way for the president’s second inauguration Jan. 21.
She failed. Again.
Birthers.
barking frog
January 4th, 2013
3:19 pm
Georgia
What could the catch be if America spends money on America?
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moochers getting more free stuff