President says he was left at altar. Major Garrett: hey he didn’t even have a friendship ring
When the President is trying to sway public opinion he will generally use metaphors that speak clearly. Well last night Obama likened Boehner cutting off talks to being “left at the altar”. Hey, who can’t sympathize with that one? Except, says National Journal’s Major Garrett … it’s not exactly … well … ummm …. true.
Just a little lightheartedness for your weekend. Major Garrett may be playing for a new team and a new fav of MSNBC … but when the President characterized the break as being left at the altar … here ..
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZwrLiDOKJ4
Garrett is quick to point out there was never a deal … no promise … no shower … no nothing.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi9_zgmgOv0
Somehow I think the President needs to come up with a better metaphor, like say, “He just walked out and never gave me his number.” Or maybe “You mean that’s it. You’re not calling me again.?’
16 Comments
The website's content and articles were migrated to a new framework in October 2023. You may see [shortcodes in brackets] that do not make any sense. Please ignore that stuff. We may fix it at some point, but we do not have the time now.
You'll also note comments migrated over may have misplaced question marks and missing spaces. All comments were migrated, but trackbacks may not show.
The site is not broken.
If the US goes into default, nobody will be laughing, not even on this blog.
We spend too much all year long, trillions upon trillions of debt…?? So we have one opportunity here to eat our peas and try to live within our means- and all you want is to raise the debt limit?? The longer we keep spending out of control, the harder we’re going to fall when we do go into default.
Still don’t get it! Oh, well…………
I bet that if there were a surplus the cry would be to get a tax refund, not to pay down the debt.
January 1835 was the last time there was a real treasury surplus.? The surplus, indeed nearly all Federal income, was from tariffs and import duties.? The surplus was a source of embarrassment to a nation striving to become a factor in world trade and influence.? That surplus was distributed to the various debtor states, presumably to reduce their debt.? There was no income tax at the time, so there was no call for tax breaks for the citizens.
Debt was incurred only to pay for wars until the 1960s.? LBJ’s great society and the social engineering that has followed have driven the national debt to its current level so eloquently predicted by Margarete Thacher.? We are out of other people’s money.
When did we have an “unreal” surplus? When we get a tax rebate or get a tax cut that results in a deficit, are we getting back borrowed money?
Tax cuts and tax rebates do NOT create a deficit!? Too much spending creates a deficit.? Oh well, still don’t get it, huh?
?
If congress over the decades had not dug their greedy hands into the Social Security trust fund and the Medicare trust fund, both funds would be fully functional and viable and generating revenue on their own without increases in FICA and Medicare withholding.? But, overspending by congress (and, I don’t care by whom, R or D) and borrowing against these funds, which should never, ever, been allowed has resulted in a hole of debt, now an abyss.
?
And, you think that an ever-increasing rise of a false debt ceiling will cure the problem?? The debt ceiling is actually not the issue, the DEBT is.? $45,000 per individual in the country.? Add to the unfunded obligations and it’s about $400,000/person.? ($114,000,000,000,000)
?
When do we say, “Uncle, uncle”?
Keep it simple, stupid.? Cut.? Up.? The.? Credit.? Cards.
That’s a novel idea: let’s become a cash only society. No more credit, no more borrowing. Buy homes/cars etc. for cash only. Next move: bartering only.
Fastest growing economy in the world at present is the cash (under the table) business.? I guess the move is already on, Sam.
In other words, NH-Jim, let’s cheat and let somebody else ferry the load (just like in Greece). Now that IS American exceptionalism! Is this what Jim, Rush and the other Tea Party people are advocating?
– Jim V and especially the T.E.A. Party?advocate responsible fiscal prudence.? (Rush is a bit Dem vs Rep blind to agree with the common sense American fiscal prudence.)?
sammy22, I think you are saying the same thing.? Only spend the cash when you have it available,? honor the debt payments you have incurred and save for a sound fiscal future.
– NH-Jim MAYBE took it the wrong way.? But the ugly truth is that the under the table economy is happening.??And it is a function of the world monetary distress.??People have to find ways to put food on their tables.? Under the table is wrong, but less wrong than sticking a gun in someone’s face and stealing.?
– It is also logical?to?consider NOT giving money to those (all?elected officials)? whom have proven themselves irresponsible with it.?How to do so ethically is a bit tough (for me)?to puzzle out.???
– We fought against “taxation without representation” long ago.? We are now fighting “taxation with misrepresentation”.??
– What our elected officials have done in the last 40 years is embarassing.? And going by the last few weeks, nothing is?different.?Just fear mongering from both sides.
This is not “Hope and change” or ” A thousand points of light”.?
They can’t…
They can’t and won’t.
They are too busy spending our money and being Repubs and Dems to be the Americans they need to be.
It is up to us Americans to fix it.? And how we do it will set a new standard.? We have the Constitution and its amendments as a pretty high standard to go by.? It has worked for over 200 years.? Back to the basics.
What say you?
You said “let?s cheat and let somebody else ferry the load (just like in Greece)”.? You have hit on the crux of the problem: too many in this country are doing exactly that.? We have too many hangers-on, as exemplified by the fact that almost half the country doesn’t even pay taxes and most of those folks are leeching off the government teat (or several) in some other way.? The mortgage crisis is a case in point: easy, subsidized money with no background checks (thanks to the Democrat’s “Community Reinvestment Act”), and an ?bama subsidized bailout for the errant mortgagees, a la the auto companies.? Bankruptcy and restructuring/reorganizing is a good thing when all else fails.? Propping up the failed system only perpetuates it.
?
American exceptionalism is not defined as being exceptional at becoming socialists, running up debt, and spending money we don’t have, which is the demonstrated goal of the Democrats and far too many Republicans.
I agree w/ PatRiot. Dims, as usual, skipped over the point I made and went into bashing mode. The events of the last decade or more are not an endorsement of any American exceptionalism.
Plainvillian gave a great historical perspective. But I was fascinated by NH Jim’s take on the under the table economy. in Jr. High, I was obsessed with the Soviet Union. They had a revolution to throw off the Tsars. But there was no true revolution. They were still serfs and slaves to the Politbureau. A huge under the table economy grew, the Black Market. It became acceptable. I guess we have just exchanged places with them.