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Sen. McConnells Shutdown Promise
http://news.yahoo.com/mcconnell-shutdown-cruz-gop-153325664.html
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who co-sponsored the bipartisan Senate bill that led to the end of the 16-day government shutdown, says the GOP will do anything to get rid of President Barack Obama's signature health care law — except shutting down the government.
"There won't be another government shutdown," McConnell said on CBS' "Face The Nation" Sunday. "You can count on that."
“Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy," McConnell continued. "I don't think a two-week paid vacation for federal employees is conservative policy. A number of us were saying in July that this strategy could not and would not work, and of course it didn't."
Instead, the Senate Minority Leader said his party is focused on securing more congressional seats in the 2014 midterm elections — and the big seat in the White House in 2016 — to thwart the Affordable Care Act.
“Obamacare is the worst piece of legislation passed in the last half century, the single biggest step in the direction of Europeanizing our country," McConnell said. "We need to get rid of it. If the American people will give us a majority in the Senate and a new president, that's exactly what we're going to do."
McConnell, who was criticized for the inclusion of a $2.9 billion provision in the bill for a dam project in his home state, said he supported the effort in the past, but denied he inserted the line that secured the funding.
Over on "Meet The Press," Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer suggested that to avoid another government shutdown, lawmakers ought to "implement the McConnell Rule, which says that Congress must disapprove, rather than approve, increases in the debt ceiling. If we were to do that, the chances of going up to the brink again, the chances of this kind of debacle, would decrease."
On ABC's "This Week," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, said Republicans have to follow McConnell's lead and agree that "a shutdown was a bad thing all around."
"Everybody looks bad when something like this happens," Pelosi said. "I agree with the president. There are no winners in this. ... So either the Republicans didn't know or didn't care about those consequences. I believe they do care.
She added: "We have to have common sense as we go forward. We have to go to the table understanding that we cannot shut down and we cannot place in doubt the full faith and credit of the United States of America. But we do have to recognize that among those on the Republican side are those who are anti-government ideologues and they cannot wag this dog. And they cannot wag this dog. They cannot wag this dog."
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who co-sponsored the bipartisan Senate bill that led to the end of the 16-day government shutdown, says the GOP will do anything to get rid of President Barack Obama's signature health care law — except shutting down the government.
"There won't be another government shutdown," McConnell said on CBS' "Face The Nation" Sunday. "You can count on that."
“Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy," McConnell continued. "I don't think a two-week paid vacation for federal employees is conservative policy. A number of us were saying in July that this strategy could not and would not work, and of course it didn't."
Instead, the Senate Minority Leader said his party is focused on securing more congressional seats in the 2014 midterm elections — and the big seat in the White House in 2016 — to thwart the Affordable Care Act.
“Obamacare is the worst piece of legislation passed in the last half century, the single biggest step in the direction of Europeanizing our country," McConnell said. "We need to get rid of it. If the American people will give us a majority in the Senate and a new president, that's exactly what we're going to do."
McConnell, who was criticized for the inclusion of a $2.9 billion provision in the bill for a dam project in his home state, said he supported the effort in the past, but denied he inserted the line that secured the funding.
Over on "Meet The Press," Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer suggested that to avoid another government shutdown, lawmakers ought to "implement the McConnell Rule, which says that Congress must disapprove, rather than approve, increases in the debt ceiling. If we were to do that, the chances of going up to the brink again, the chances of this kind of debacle, would decrease."
On ABC's "This Week," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, said Republicans have to follow McConnell's lead and agree that "a shutdown was a bad thing all around."
"Everybody looks bad when something like this happens," Pelosi said. "I agree with the president. There are no winners in this. ... So either the Republicans didn't know or didn't care about those consequences. I believe they do care.
She added: "We have to have common sense as we go forward. We have to go to the table understanding that we cannot shut down and we cannot place in doubt the full faith and credit of the United States of America. But we do have to recognize that among those on the Republican side are those who are anti-government ideologues and they cannot wag this dog. And they cannot wag this dog. They cannot wag this dog."
When the tea party idea was hatched, I was almost all in. There were a few things that I couldn't get a grip on and it is those things that ballooned like a mushroom cloud that makes the group unappealing to me these days. They kept going more right and then more right all the while complaining about the constraints of government but at the same time making constraints of their own.
And, when they came out saying "you are either with us or against us", they lost me right there.
Even whats her name (blond republican conservative) basically came out against them saying that "even a run of the mill republican is better than a democrat". (I know that doesn't sound much like a compliment to anyone, but she said it in defiance of the tea party.) It obviously was anti democrat but I think it said a lot. There are more ways to get something done rather than just being a tea party member.
Less rigidity and more flexibility.... When these people set themselves up with a "my way or the high way" attitude, they are going to lose the interest of a lot of people. Almost everyone is open to a compromise. Not them.
And, when they came out saying "you are either with us or against us", they lost me right there.
Even whats her name (blond republican conservative) basically came out against them saying that "even a run of the mill republican is better than a democrat". (I know that doesn't sound much like a compliment to anyone, but she said it in defiance of the tea party.) It obviously was anti democrat but I think it said a lot. There are more ways to get something done rather than just being a tea party member.
Less rigidity and more flexibility.... When these people set themselves up with a "my way or the high way" attitude, they are going to lose the interest of a lot of people. Almost everyone is open to a compromise. Not them.
I agree. I understand they have primaried McConnel, putting someone to the right to run against him and have had two big entities endorse this other. While I dont care for McConnell, this is nothing more than a political stunt to take him down as payment for ending the shutdown. While I dont want to see a party rule on either side of the isle, if the established republicans are not going to fight for their party, I hope the dems win these state elections in order to stop teaparty idgits, and unfortunately, since the established pubs cannot seem to control their party, cannot trust them either at this time. The teaparty got their foothold in 2010 while we were asleep at the wheel, but we must stop them from getting a stronger foothold now, or we are all sunk. Its all about big money and koch agenda with these teapartiers. imo
If they were to get away with that, there are just enough republicans right now that would jump **** and guarantee democrat landslide wins. The majority of this country wants nothing to do with them.
I was watching Chris Matthews last night. His guest was the leader of Freedom Works (Koch brothers?). He said that it is their intention to take over the republican party and replace them with more like Cruz, who will stand for their principles. He said those who voted to raise the debt ceiling and end the shutdown will be primaried by the right as promised if they did not stand with them.
So there ya have it! Straight from the horses mouth, they are in a power grab and want to sabatoge the party and take it over and their goal is to tear down government and obama as well as his obamacare.
I could not believe he was so blunt about it. This is why you have those like palin and cruz dissing the rest of the gop....To anyone who had any doubt about the civil war within? There ya go. They want to establish their teapartiers in the states and go from there.
So there ya have it! Straight from the horses mouth, they are in a power grab and want to sabatoge the party and take it over and their goal is to tear down government and obama as well as his obamacare.
I could not believe he was so blunt about it. This is why you have those like palin and cruz dissing the rest of the gop....To anyone who had any doubt about the civil war within? There ya go. They want to establish their teapartiers in the states and go from there.
Good read! Thanks...
Despite Setback, GOP Has Impressive Budgetary Wins
WASHINGTON October 21, 2013 (AP)
By CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press
Associated Press
Democrats who gloat over Republicans' bad week in Congress might pause to recall that conservatives still own major victories from past budget showdowns. And these wins may again thwart Democrats' hopes of changing tax-and-spend policies in two-party talks beginning anew in the Capitol.
Chief among them is Republicans' unified stand against tax increases, even in the name of deficit reduction.
President Barack Obama wants more revenue from corporations and the wealthy for two goals: investing in areas such as education and infrastructure and enticing congressional Democrats to start curbing the growth of Social Security, Medicare and other "entitlement" programs.
Congressional Republicans' adamant stand against revenue hikes, perhaps more than any other factor, has shaped budget negotiations over the past three years. That's why Republicans have a stronger record than many might suspect, especially given their pell-mell retreat last week on the government shutdown and debt ceiling.
Prodded by tea party activists who deplored deficit spending under Republican President George W. Bush, today's GOP lawmakers repeatedly call for budget cuts. By that measure, they've had a respectable run.
The mandatory spending cuts known as the "sequester," which emerged from earlier budget stalemates, will total about $1 trillion through 2021, unless changed. That's in addition to $1.5 trillion in spending cuts agreed to in 2011, in yet another debt-ceiling showdown.
To be sure, the GOP's anti-tax stand isn't bullet proof. Obama and Democratic lawmakers extracted $620 billion in tax hikes over 10 years in last December's "fiscal cliff" showdown.
Some liberals complain, however, that Obama could have — and should have — gotten more while he had the chance. Obama campaigned on raising income taxes on all couples earning more than $250,000. But he ultimately settled for a $450,000 cutoff. Aides said he thought Republicans would agree to other revenue hikes later.
Republicans instead chose to swallow the sequester cuts, even for programs they like. That's one reason discretionary spending — which excludes entitlements and accounts for about 40 percent of the federal budget — is projected to reach historic lows in the years ahead.
Anti-tax champions are crowing.
"Republicans have the high ground," said Grover Norquist, author of a "no new taxes" pledge reviled by many in Washington and signed by most Republicans in Congress.
In the upcoming round of bipartisan talks, he said, Democrats will have little leverage to seek new revenues.
Some Republicans say closing tax loopholes might generate a bit more revenue. But anything categorized as a "tax increase" is "a nonstarter," Norquist said, "because Republicans are not going to raise taxes."
Republicans weren't always so adamant about not raising taxes, and Democrats weren't always so resigned to that stand. Bush's big tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 were deeply controversial. Countless interest groups denounced them, and most Democrats and a few Senate Republicans opposed them.
Over time, however, Republicans strongly supported their full continuation, beyond their 10-year expiration date. And Democrats, including Obama, agreed to make permanent the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone except couples making more than $450,000.
Since Republicans took over the House in 2011, the combination of spending cuts and tax hikes is projected to reduce deficits by nearly $4 trillion over 10 years. The formula calls for about $1 in new revenue for every $4 in spending cuts, a ratio that dismays liberals.
The agreements have barely dented Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Officials say these automatically expanding programs will consume ever-larger portions of government spending if not modified.
Democrats, conceding they can't overcome the Republicans' no-new-taxes stand, suggest the renewed bipartisan talks are unlikely to yield significant changes to entitlement growth.
That's too bad, says Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy aide to President Ronald Reagan and a Treasury official under President George H. W. Bush. "Small changes now would compound into meaningful dollars saved decades down the road," he said.
Bartlett said Obama and congressional Democrats could have pushed harder this month to reduce the sequester cuts, when Republicans recognized the growing public hostility toward the government shutdown and default threat.
Instead, Bartlett said, Democrats "kind of went in there saying 'Let's just keep the government going and raise the debt limit.'"
Obama's 20-minute White House statement Thursday underscored the sensitivity of discussing tax increases. He called for "a balanced approach to a responsible budget," code for a mix of spending cuts and new revenues.
Aside from saying immigrants living here illegally should pay back taxes, the only time Obama mentioned taxes was when he advocated closing "corporate tax loopholes that don't help create jobs."
As for the just-ended congressional battle over the debt ceiling and government shutdown, the president said, "there are no winners here."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/setback-gop-impressive-budgetary-wins-20630706?singlePage=true
WASHINGTON October 21, 2013 (AP)
By CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press
Associated Press
Democrats who gloat over Republicans' bad week in Congress might pause to recall that conservatives still own major victories from past budget showdowns. And these wins may again thwart Democrats' hopes of changing tax-and-spend policies in two-party talks beginning anew in the Capitol.
Chief among them is Republicans' unified stand against tax increases, even in the name of deficit reduction.
President Barack Obama wants more revenue from corporations and the wealthy for two goals: investing in areas such as education and infrastructure and enticing congressional Democrats to start curbing the growth of Social Security, Medicare and other "entitlement" programs.
Congressional Republicans' adamant stand against revenue hikes, perhaps more than any other factor, has shaped budget negotiations over the past three years. That's why Republicans have a stronger record than many might suspect, especially given their pell-mell retreat last week on the government shutdown and debt ceiling.
Prodded by tea party activists who deplored deficit spending under Republican President George W. Bush, today's GOP lawmakers repeatedly call for budget cuts. By that measure, they've had a respectable run.
The mandatory spending cuts known as the "sequester," which emerged from earlier budget stalemates, will total about $1 trillion through 2021, unless changed. That's in addition to $1.5 trillion in spending cuts agreed to in 2011, in yet another debt-ceiling showdown.
To be sure, the GOP's anti-tax stand isn't bullet proof. Obama and Democratic lawmakers extracted $620 billion in tax hikes over 10 years in last December's "fiscal cliff" showdown.
Some liberals complain, however, that Obama could have — and should have — gotten more while he had the chance. Obama campaigned on raising income taxes on all couples earning more than $250,000. But he ultimately settled for a $450,000 cutoff. Aides said he thought Republicans would agree to other revenue hikes later.
Republicans instead chose to swallow the sequester cuts, even for programs they like. That's one reason discretionary spending — which excludes entitlements and accounts for about 40 percent of the federal budget — is projected to reach historic lows in the years ahead.
Anti-tax champions are crowing.
"Republicans have the high ground," said Grover Norquist, author of a "no new taxes" pledge reviled by many in Washington and signed by most Republicans in Congress.
In the upcoming round of bipartisan talks, he said, Democrats will have little leverage to seek new revenues.
Some Republicans say closing tax loopholes might generate a bit more revenue. But anything categorized as a "tax increase" is "a nonstarter," Norquist said, "because Republicans are not going to raise taxes."
Republicans weren't always so adamant about not raising taxes, and Democrats weren't always so resigned to that stand. Bush's big tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 were deeply controversial. Countless interest groups denounced them, and most Democrats and a few Senate Republicans opposed them.
Over time, however, Republicans strongly supported their full continuation, beyond their 10-year expiration date. And Democrats, including Obama, agreed to make permanent the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone except couples making more than $450,000.
Since Republicans took over the House in 2011, the combination of spending cuts and tax hikes is projected to reduce deficits by nearly $4 trillion over 10 years. The formula calls for about $1 in new revenue for every $4 in spending cuts, a ratio that dismays liberals.
The agreements have barely dented Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Officials say these automatically expanding programs will consume ever-larger portions of government spending if not modified.
Democrats, conceding they can't overcome the Republicans' no-new-taxes stand, suggest the renewed bipartisan talks are unlikely to yield significant changes to entitlement growth.
That's too bad, says Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy aide to President Ronald Reagan and a Treasury official under President George H. W. Bush. "Small changes now would compound into meaningful dollars saved decades down the road," he said.
Bartlett said Obama and congressional Democrats could have pushed harder this month to reduce the sequester cuts, when Republicans recognized the growing public hostility toward the government shutdown and default threat.
Instead, Bartlett said, Democrats "kind of went in there saying 'Let's just keep the government going and raise the debt limit.'"
Obama's 20-minute White House statement Thursday underscored the sensitivity of discussing tax increases. He called for "a balanced approach to a responsible budget," code for a mix of spending cuts and new revenues.
Aside from saying immigrants living here illegally should pay back taxes, the only time Obama mentioned taxes was when he advocated closing "corporate tax loopholes that don't help create jobs."
As for the just-ended congressional battle over the debt ceiling and government shutdown, the president said, "there are no winners here."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/setback-gop-impressive-budgetary-wins-20630706?singlePage=true
Its no ones policy yet, it had to be backed and approved by himself and Boehner.....Im not falling for the passing the buck, nor am I taking them at their word either. Boehner said the shutdown was not going to happen before, remember? Yet, he changed his mind didnt he.
Respectfully, I only read the first couple of paragraphs but it was all I needed to make this comment about Mitch McConnell's statement about the shutdown.
“Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy," McConnell continued. "I don't think a two-week paid vacation for federal employees is conservative policy. A number of us were saying in July that this strategy could not and would not work, and of course it didn't."
Then why in all of your infinite wisdom didn't you do something more to avoid it? You're a dolt McConnell and even Glenn Beck is calling for career politicians like you to hit the road.
“Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy," McConnell continued. "I don't think a two-week paid vacation for federal employees is conservative policy. A number of us were saying in July that this strategy could not and would not work, and of course it didn't."
Then why in all of your infinite wisdom didn't you do something more to avoid it? You're a dolt McConnell and even Glenn Beck is calling for career politicians like you to hit the road.
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