Budget Restraint Emerges as G.O.P. Theme for 2008

[WePurrsevere]

<snip>

MEMPHIS, March 12 — As prospective Republican presidential candidates search for themes to distinguish their prospective campaigns, and distance themselves from the embattled incumbent in the White House, they appear to be in agreement on what one central issue should be in 2008: Curbing the federal spending that has soared under President Bush.

For two days before an audience of Southern Republicans here, the party's potential candidates for 2008 called for cutting or slowing federal spending across the board and retooling bedrock entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — that have become a drain on the federal treasury.

They called for a presidential line-item veto and a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. And with varying nuance, they attacked earmarking, the budget tactic some members of Congress use to channel money to favorite projects, outside scrutiny of the normal budget process.

"Yes, these last five years, we've been hit with unexpected challenges: a recession, 9/11, homeland security, the war on terror, Katrina," said Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, who is preparing to run in 2008. "But they're not justification for a one-way ticket down a wayward path of wasteful Washington spending."

<snip>

More here... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/13/politics/13repubs.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[WePurrsevere]

1. And just who "gave this kid [BuSh*] the keys to the candy store" and

kept giving him whatever he wanted like a parent spoiling their bratty child?

You can't spend the country into massive deficits, play "reverse Robin Hood" giving tax cuts to the rich and doling out corp welfare and then claim to be the party of fiscal responsibilty... geesh and you RePIGlicans say Dems are bad... we look like Conservatives next to this bunch of neo-CONS.

I must admit that the above headline itself actually gave me my first laugh of the day... good grief, talk about big ole brassy ones.

[salin]

2. Those ringing this bell, who are in congress

are setting themselves up - esp folks like Frist who are in leadership. There is plenty that they can do *now* - and they don't. Bafoons.

[Uben]

3. 9/11, Katrina, war on terror

Which one of these facilitated the need for a $500 million dollar bridge to nowhere? Sorry, but these lying sacks of excrement pumped more earmarks into every bill than any congress ever has. Too late for mea culpas. Time to pay the price for your misdeeds.

"Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice.....uh.....you can't fool me again."

Do they really think anyone believes they will change their ways? The republilcans abused their majority status flagrantly. They lied.

[WePurrsevere]

6. "More earmarks,,, " - In 1994 there were 1,300 by 2005........ 14,000

From PBS show NOW aired 2/17/06:
In 1994, when the Republicans took over Congress there were 1,300 earmarks in appropriations bills. Last year,that number had jumped to 14,000. The total cost to taxpayers? $27 billion dollars.

BTW - if you did not see that show I'd highly suggest reading the whole transcript... every time I read it I get :grr: all over again... example snip:On countless votes in the last several years, the Republican majority has deliberately forced through legislation, so that no one had time to read it. Now they might give you a token hour or two to read a 600-page bill, but no one is able to do that. They want you to find out the 'bad stuff', the controversial stuff, when it's too late, when you can't do anything about it.

[gasperc]

12. 1300 to 14000, sounds like a perfect Democratic ad

let's get to work

[mia]

4. Budget restraint and tax cuts don't go together.

Medicare and Medicaid are already tight, and touching SS will sink them.
The dog ate their homework too.

They'll let Bush to do the dirty work with the line-item veto.

[badgervan]

5. Nr. 1 Priority....

Just say "NO" to any extension of tax cuts. This would enable so many things to be fixed, and at least stop the destruction of needed social/government programs.

[Ian David]

7. "I'll Stop Raping You" Emerges as Marriage Counseling Theme for Couple n/t

[AndyA]

8. Budget restraint? Republicans?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Republicans and taxpayer money are like whores with a new box of condoms, they just go crazy !

[tanyev]

9. Oh, the talk about a balanced-budget amendment is back, is it?

Remember when they trotted that topic out all the time as a weapon against the Democrats? Now they're using it as a weapon against themselves. Circular firing squad--ready, aim, fire!

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Ever notice all of their issues are about money?

It's never about people.

[leesa]

11. And the fools in the Republican Party will fall for it again

[MindPilot]

13. "They've been acting like Democrats..."

One of the repuke contenders for Cunningham's seat is using that talking point in his tv ads. "Conservatives have lost touch with their roots, spending out of control; they've been acting like Democrats."

[adigal]

14. What hypocrisy - the last 6 years of mostly

republican rule, and they want to pull this crap??

Let them - the American people are in tune with this nonsense, and it will sink them ever further.

[Toots]

15. Republican bumper sticker, "We need to get us some of that thar Reform"

:shrug:

[Critters2]

23. LOL!

:rofl:

We can't get no reform! We're the incumbent!!

[depakid]

16. I didn't even need to click on the link to know that Adam Nagourney

Wrote that laughable piece.

The fact that he's not relegated to the editorial page is testimony to just how far the Times has fallen. Doesn't look like they're interested in getting their credibility back any time soon.

[Brooklyn Michael]

17. GOP: "Vote for us. Only WE can save you from ourselves!"

"Oh, lawdy, peaople! Those horrible Democrats just MADE us spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and spend. But NOW we're going to fiscally prudent....

We promise."

[AX10]

18. The pundits have actually said that, seriously.

They said that there is a "rebellion" within the GOP and that the GOP will save itself. That's right, multimillionaire pundits, we don't need those Democrats to clean things up. <sarcasm off>

[Brooklyn Michael]

24. Hmmmm....

:wow:

Just goes to show that you couldn't possibly make up stuff this twisted that the GOP and the media haven't already used as an actual talking point.

[warrens]

19. "Restraint" = cutting all social services

This is what their plan was all along. Set the economy on fire, explode the deficit, then try to blame it on the Dems and gut the entire social services network. They just hate poor people, and want them as helpless and subservient as possible. They stepped it up a notch, and now they're trying to crush the middle class too.

[n2doc]

20. And even if they did cut them all

They would STILL have a deficit because of the BLOATED military budget and pork barrel projects. Somebody should do a claculation of just how much of the non-military discresionary budget would have to be cut to balance the budget. I would bet people would be appalled.

At some point I hope the old Ross Perot tactic of using charts to illustrate points makes a comeback. If some of the dems could point out just how much of our budget goes to warmaking and pork it might open people's eyes. Especially if someone could point out all of the un-needed cold war era programs like the advanced fighters and destroyers that are superfluous in today's world (and in fact, always were-the old soviet military was big on heavy, easy to find and destroy weapons that weren't state of the art by any gauge).

[triguy46]

21. MENDACITY!!! Unmitigated gall !!!!

Oh please, let us hope that the masses home some shred of memory still remaining...

[oscar111]

22. 109 Trillion is US wealth.. Fed Budget a tiny 2point 7 Trillion

see Demopedia, page Capital, for link to fed reserve source.

When they say "we cant afford that", just think about this stat.

Hunger, homelessness, no free doctors, no free college, no fat ss pensions... all totally unnecessary

For budget tinkering with the real numbers, see my sig link.

PS to up the GDP, harness the currently unharnessed labor of the Jobless. Do it via Jobs For All site,.. see sig. Site has advisors Galbraith of harvard, Clinton Sec. of Labor R. Reich, two Nobel prizewinners, the archbishop of Milwaukee, and dozens of professors. A serious site indeed.
End job shortage via new WPA, share the work , co-ops.

================
Ps for those with time... wealth returns ten percent from stocks, over time on average. Now consider the Fed Budget, which is less than three percent of national wealth. If by analogy, your spending was less than three percent of your wealth, when stocks were giving you ten percent on your wealth, ... you would be spending only a fourth of your income. That is far, far , far from excessive spending.

If you were spending only a fourth of your income, and also going hungry and homeless, with no competent doctor, no decent pension.... you would be judged insane. That is the real way to look at the current Fed Budget and our citizens' suffering today.

Real budget numbers give a refreshingly new picture of things. A picture vastly different from the GOP lies. A picture full of realistic hope for a better nation. Free of suffering.

All possible overnight, after the dems get control. Virtually overnight, not some "five year plan to end hunger", as i so often see. January, say, .. dems control congress...Pass new laws... allow two months to set up the details, and hunger is ended.

[PBass]

25. Like a call for Chastity from Larry Flynt

The GOP plan seems to be massive spending and bloating the federal budget, to the crisis point.

At that point, the public will be so outraged, that all social programs are considered 'on the table' and susceptible to cuts. There's no need to cut some of these so called "entitlement" (or as we Dems say, "social safety net") programs, until there is a budget crisis... even if the crisis is a manufactured one.

[NuttyFluffers]

26. "to make a long story short..." "too late!"

:eyes:

no really! the republicans will be good this time! they promised! :rofl: well, gee, they think people are all sorts of stupid, now don't they?

[VegasWolf]

27. Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge, I'll sell it to you att a price you won't

believe!!!!!!