Here are the choices the “pro-life” Republicans are making for America:
The latest Republican plan to reconcile the budget and preserve defense spending extracts even deeper cuts from programs to help the poor and Americans still reeling from the recession.
Although spending levels for the budget were set in the Budget Control Act passed last summer in the deal to raise the nation’s debt limit, Republicans are pushing ahead with another plan that cuts more while trying to prevent the beginning of $600 billion in cuts over 10 years to the growth of the defense budget.
They are doing so because the Super Committee, which was supposed to find $1.2 trillion in cuts on which everyone could agree, failed, leaving the slashing up to a pre-agreed sequestration plan that extracts half the savings from the military.
***In a memo sent to members Wednesday instructing them how to write their reconciliation bill, Republicans picked a number of targets, including extracting $80 billion from federal workers and $44 billion from health care. In all, it identifies $78 billion to cut in 2013, and details around $300 billion over 10 years.
But the memo spends the most time targeting the exploding cost of food stamps, on which more Americans rely than ever, at greater expense to the government than ever before.
Why don’t all those people on food stamps just borrow money from their parents like Mitt?
Spaghetti Lee
That quote was stupid even for Romney. I’m picturing one of those viral marketing campaigns where a bunch of college-age kids go up to their parents and say “Mom, Dad, can I borrow $50,000?”
“What? No, are you crazy?”
“But Mitt Romney said I should!”
BGinCHI
Could someone list Boehner’s successes as Speaker of the House for me?
And no, pounding his podium over the “fake” war on women doesn’t count.
He’s probably hoping they lose the House in November so that he can go back to being the opposition. Much, much easier.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
And yet again, I come back to Carlin, who was too goddamned prescient…that or we just keep mis-learning the lessons of history.
AkaDad
Why don’t food stamp recipients get all bootstrappy and cut back to just one meal a day?
Brachiator
Wow, these goons really are in a death spiral. I could understand it if the GOP agreed to some defense cuts along with other reductions.
Instead, they live in a fantasy land in which defense spending is somehow not government spending.
Keith
Or like John Ensign
cmorenc
Among the key lessons from this GOP congressional plan is that there no longer are any GOP leaders in the house who are either trustworthy or powerful enough to make any sort of reliable agreements or bargains with. Even if Boehner wanted to deal in good faith, he has Cantor scheming to undercut him every step of the way and a huge portion of his caucus comprised of radical teahadist members who refuse to be bound by anything even slightly contrary to their hard-right ideological views. No honorable or binding deals are possible with such people who refuse to recognize the legitimacy of anyone with views different than their own.
Randy P
Aren’t many of those food stamp recipients poor white 27-percenters?
Skerry
Some of those food stamp recipients are military.
Yutsano
Why do you hate the troops JC? You know this is how this will get sold. Never mind the fact one of the biggest users of SNAP aid is military families.
Yutsano
Why do you hate the troops JC? You know this is how this will get sold. Never mind the fact one of the biggest users of SNAP aid is military families.
Kolohe
To be fair, we probably should replenish the Tomahawk stash of the hundred or so used last year eventually.
Baud
This episode of “Watch the GOP Squirm” is brought to you by the deal in which Obama sold us out by giving Boehner 98% of what he wanted.
Hill Dweller
@Brachiator:The debt deal Obama got those short-sighted buffoons to sign is looking better by the day.
I suspect they knew the Republicans would be loathe to touch any defense spending and/or raise taxes, which left medicare, medicaid, unemployment insurance and food stamps(all popular). Once they started targeting those programs, the campaign ads write themselves.
dmsilev
@cmorenc:
Yeah, this. It’s been pretty clear for a while that Boehner has very little influence over the maniacs in his caucus (which is to say, very little influence over the majority of his caucus), and hence anything that he says should be treated as a mere suggestion.
General Stuck
It’s only a matter of time till they come for the puppies
Maude
@General Stuck:
Mittens already did.
John Weiss
@The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik: Whaddya mean we can’t make good cars? Your buddy is nuts.
yopd1
@Skerry: There was a story that food stamp usage was up 70% in base commissaries last fall.
opie jeanne
@Spaghetti Lee: Being the parent of a 43-yo “kid” who has had his hours cut and now qualifies for food stamps even though he’s working, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read this crap from Mitt.
We do not have $50k to lend him if he wanted to start his own business; heck, we can’t even lend him the $17k he needs for medical costs above what his insurance covers.
smith
There was an article in my local rag today with Romney stating that if he becomes President he will give more money to defense spending. Where will he get the money since he says he won’t raise taxes? Why, cutting federal programs of course – “popular ones” Romney said, although he didn’t specify which programs those would be. But I’m sure we can all guess what the usual “suspects” would be.
Even the libertarian CATO Institute called Romney out on this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/promises-promises-questions-about-romney-vows-to-cut-taxes-expand-military-balance-budget/2012/04/28/gIQA6k70mT_story.html
Comrade Dread
Well, you know, if we cut one single dollar from the defense department, the Islamic hordes will all rush in and somehow overwhelm the existing military industrial complex and every American citizen who’s packing heat and make us all pray to Allah or some stupid shit.
Though, once the rest of the government is drown in a bathtub, I’ll expect the GOP will eventually turn on the military and push to privatize our wars out entirely to mercenary units like Blackwater.
pluege
Why don’t all those people on food stamps just borrow money from their parents like Mitt?
they should always sell some stock out of their portfolios before going to Mums and Dad for a handout – its what Jesus would do.
Yutsano
@efgoldman: I tell you what though: my 2011 Malibu is one sweet ride. And I haven’t had issue one with it yet, knock on wood.
Villago Delenda Est
@Brachiator:
Well, that explains right there how my years as a soldier didn’t count as the government creating a job for me.
Professor
@Baud: I loved it when the emoprogs and Professional Left were all fainting on the couch screaming ‘Obama Caved’. Now the eleven dimensional strategy is coming home to roost!
Corner Stone
People here are deluding themselves if they think either side of the aisle will allow cuts to defense spending.
Maybe the Snoopy dancing is a little premature.
General Stuck
@Corner Stone:
Well, Obama has issued a formal veto threat if the wingnuts don’t stick by their agreement on the debt ceiling deal. So if the dems and repubs want to over ride that veto, then they can. But that’s 2/3 majority in both chambers. I kind of doubt they can pull that off, but it’s possible
Corner Stone
@General Stuck: Naive, as usual. They will put a bill before Obama and he will sign it. Cuts to defense will never happen.
Of course, lots of people will categorize any bill as a triumph. But no cuts to defense.
General Stuck
@Corner Stone:
“no cuts to defense”? Well then, we’ll just have to save this thread for later review. Pol Science Perfessor Corner Stone has spoken.
Corner Stone
You haven’t been right about a political outcome in the too many years I’ve seen you spew your virulent ignorance.
Not worried about my interpretation.
General Stuck
@Corner Stone:
LOL, Sounds like you’ve come down with a raging case of Stuck Derangement Syndrome. Take two Greenwalds, and call me in the morning. Nick nick nick, Indians!!
Corner Stone
@General Stuck: Things happen, and I surspect, that when they don’t it’s due to yeelow poplars blooming early. My took on that is if they need to have apple butter then batteries charged and all that. Some helicopters have fat pygmies but others oink to a 400 degree oven. And I soospect it will always be that way, humma lumma shamma lamma.
General Stuck
@Corner Stone:
more lulz. Better up that to three Greenwalds, with an electric drool cup.
FlipYrWhig
@Corner Stone: I dunno. It’s actually a somewhat favorable moment for considering such a thing, what with such thin support for the Afghanistan war and with a mood that The Government needs to “tighten its belt,” “live within its means,” etc. it’d be nice to think that fewer people would be primed to fall for the sky-is-falling approach the Republicans always take when it comes to defense, especially because Romney is a much worse messenger for American military might than someone like John McCain would be. We had a golden opportunity to roll back defense spending at the end of the Cold War, and maybe it’s long enough since 9/11 and the concept of grand heroic warrior conflict to remake the world has less of a pull on the restless middle of the country. But this argument has seemed eminently logical before and hasn’t come to pass, so, who knows.
John Weiss
@efgoldman: True enough. GC didn’t live long enough to eat those particular words.
The Other Chuck
@BGinCHI:
He’s been instrumental in screwing everything up. In case you haven’t noticed, that’s the republican agenda.