Debt Deal Emerges
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-08-02/debt-deal-emerges
It’s August 2nd, and lawmakers and the president have until midnight to raise the debt ceiling, or risk default. They’re on track to do so. The House passed the debt limit deal last night. The Senate votes this afternoon. The legislation will enact spending cuts immediately. And a bipartisan commission will consider tax reform and revenue adjustments over the long term. But just because the deal is on track doesn’t mean it’s popular. It faces opposition from both the left and the right, for different reasons. We hear reaction to the emerging debt deal and take a close-up look at its details.
Guests
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
David Winston
republican strategist and president of the Winston Group, and CBS News consultant. Served as a strategic adviser to House and Senate Republican Leadership for the past 12 years.
Matt Kibbe
president and CEO of FreedomWorks and co-author with former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of the book, "Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto."
Katrina vanden Heuvel
editor and publisher of The Nation, writes a weekly column for The Washington Post.
Comments
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Ms. Rhems to you!
Looks like our Reps have made a deal which will stop a debt default. But they have allowed the messy process to come to a cliff with a screeching halt. Both sides have allowed Wall Street Bankers to continue to privatize their profits, socialize their losses, borrow billions with little to no interest rates while these same bankers invest overseas. And this deal still protects those fat cats
Now how do our elected leaders stop the bleeding in the American public's confidence default in them or
Mike Seargeant wrote:
"Grady should not have played the racist card"
Then let's hear him say it.
"but your continual beating that horse only damages your credibility, not his."
No, I don't think so. Grady Lee Coward shoots off his mouth and then runs away like a little girl. For once he can man-up and admit what he said was untrue. (We could use more of that).
Perhaps you don't take the charge seriously. Some of us do.
The previous Dianne Rehm show was telling us that we have to dramatically shrink the economy to cut climate change and now I'm hearing how it is imperative that we grow the economy to shrink the debt. It is complexity that kills civilizations and I think I detect people hitting the limits of their abilities to absorb and handle complexity.
sane wrote:
"Our Oligarchs should adopt "Let them eat cake" motto."
-----------------------------------------------
Marie Antoinette never uttered those words. It was a myth made up by Rousseau, who was the Michael Moore of his day.
Grady Lee Howard wrote:
"So your name really is eggyon face, and you are a bully as well as a racist. Why else would you throw such a baby fit? My email is beretco.op@hotmail.com and I live openly in Edison, NJ. I am a humanist and a neo-Abolitionist, unashamed."
----------------------------------------------------
You are not ashamed about living in Jersey? OK. Your posts are proving that the home of the Wizard of Menlo Park is currently the home of dim bulbs.
The Republican talking point on uncertainty being the cause of non-investment by corporations seems dubious. A large part of the problem is low demand, which can be linked to consumers not having enough money. I think a cogent argument can be made that increased progressive taxation boosts demand, since it both encourages business investment to avoid those taxes, and because it moves money away from the wealthy, who tend to just sit on it, to the lower and middle classes, who tend to spend it. There is also a persuasive argument to be made linking taxation to our collective welfare, and our civic society in general, a case that FDR made persuasively. Obama's approach concedes the point from the start, which I think is a very large mistake.
I listen to Diane Rehm daily and regularly read these comments. Today has been a particularly bad comment day.--Let's be civil, okay?
lol. hey diane. u were off last week. dont know where u went or what u did but whatever it was it looks like ur up to ur old bull crap opinions again. u made comments yesterday that have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING AN IMPARTIAL JOURNALIST. telling people to march on washington and that more people need to turn out to vote. lol. ur a joke sometimes u know that. see i remember a few months back when u made a comment saying, "only 12 months until we get to take our government back". and i referred to u as an old crypt keeper squaking on the radio about ur own personal agendas. ur show on yesterday was total bull. ur comments i thought were completely out of line old woman. y dont u just go open up a radio station and call it republican radio brought to u by diane 10,000 year old rehm. y dont u just do that. most of ur shows r good shows until u begin to interject ur own old woman republican bull crap. get ur self together and try to leave ur stupid disgusting opinions to ur self. because no one cares what u think.
speedway baby,
I came to this site for "intelligent", thoughtful discussion of topics of interest. I expect divergent views and disagreements concerning the topics covered. But you add nothing of value, defend or advance no relevant point of view, you only make denigrating statements about the shows host. If you have nothing to add but this, you need to find another venue for your foolishness, yahoo perhaps.
The reason that "small business" keep getting brought up when discussing issues like tax policy, regulation, et cetera is that they're purposely - and mendaciously - used by arch-free marketeers to act as insulators (hostages?) against large, multi-national concerns with millions or billions of revenues/profits.
It's similar to disengenuous arguments used about taxes on the individual; conservative opinionists have frequently broadened the "top X% of taxpayers" target until they get to figures starting as low as $75K (a local op-ed "guest columnist" actually drilled down to 64K a few years ago) - as if someone making 3X that is even remotely in the same financial "boat" as multi-millionaires and billionaires.
Add to that the economic aspirational (even when it's delusional) mentality of most conservatives, and you can get a lot of people on the lower-middle steps of a many-runged economic "ladder" to believe they have more in common with people standing many steps above than on the ones just below.
Furthermore, they'll spend their time/energy looking down - literally and figuratively - on those lower-rung occupants, so fixated that they're oblivious to many of those on high wishing to be relieved of any significant responsibility for the well-being of the "ladder" as a whole, no matter how little impact it will have on their personal lives of luxury.
If addressing this dishonest, shameless tactic is engaging in "class warfare" - consider me enlisted.
Ladder excellent analogy(we think but that class cancelled).
With rising waters and disconnected rot at your feet- I mean the olde and new poor- ALL you have to do is cut off the section below that is no longer profitable.
Repeat process until left to your own two feet. You will still be as tall standing a top the corpses.
Greece, how horrible, that they get SIX WEEKS paid vaction AND healthcare and retirement in 50's NOT 70's! No wonder they are rioting.
US may take another cut of $5 per day for food BUT other than those Soylent Green Meals Read to Eat(SGMRE) being rescinded there IS nothing LEFT to march to Washington for...
Besides have obligation for foreclosure court tomorrow.
Self-emoliation after. No film at 11. GLAD Congress 'acted'.
National warning. Individuals spotted within DR show blog bearing sharpened points. Somehow they slipped through security...
Say is Blackwater, we mean Z, er- Z Services, or whatever the lawyers changed their name to lately still being paid to train internal US police forces?
We say if it worked in Iraq should be a bang here as well.
Who says Congress has no forethought?
The plan is working but you all do not have access to the plan.
We would tell you but then need to kill you AND we do not work for free(anymore). However the involuntary killings triggered by being unable to afford medicine may be a 'can' kicked down the road.
Technically NOT paranoid when IT appears to actually be after US. And they are closing... like the minds, hopes, and aspirations of a once great land.
Still great people- taste just like chicken BUT with all that savory marbling...
America is in shape and the shape chosen is a pear.
A past ripe pear AND who is going to clean up THAT mess.
Job creation(!) and we thought they had no plans...
How is Congress similar to herpess?
Both widespread secret shame?
They never go away?
Cause headaches, unsightly blemishes, and naseua?
Both contain SS?
Difficult to live with?
Ignore them and they eventually fade away- BUT always cost something?
I miss Mrs Floyd and lil' Pinkie too. Still 'interviewing' for that S. Green project.
Just when you thought TDRS couldn't get a more strident liberal panelist than David Corn in steps Katrina vanden Heuvel.
"Framing the fight against terror as a war was a conscious decision made by President Bush, Karl Rove and others in those first days after Sept. 11 - a decision that destroyed the unity President Obama reminded us of in his address." Katrina vanden Heuvel
Kat believes that Bush 43 and his puppet-master weren't after the Islamic extremists who killed 3,000 American, but were out to deliberately destroy American unity. Had SEAL teams killed OBL during the Bush 43 Administration, Kat would be screaming that OBL was not given his Miranda rights.
Richmva wrote:
meangreen you are so right about Government waste!
But let's not just villify the poor. How about
Tax breaks for Big Oil - the most profitable companies in the history of the world?(Will that bring cheaper prices at the pump?)
Full price presriptiol comprescription drugs for Medicare and Medicade?
(I believe that Medicare and Medicaid get special prices because they buy in bulk)
Spending for weapons programs even the military doesn't want?
( I believe the Tea Party voted against that new fighter jet the AF wanted)
Nearly Free Fed loans and bailouts for Wall Street?
(I am with you there but lets not provide mortgages for people that cannot afford them, no matter how poor they are)
15% tax rates for billionaire hedge fund managers?
( I believe that when you have stock transaction and do not hold for a year, trades are taxed at 50% which hedge funds usaually do)
Unchecked cost overruns for Halliburton and other contractors?
( Overuns happen with Government Contracts "Big Dig" in Boston)
Bribes and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan?
(Katrinia & New Orleans aftermath. Fed relief, Contractors made out like bandits)
But, who cares? As long as we keep that person from buying a shrimp cocktail with his food stamps??
(Better yet a person who lives on unemployment benefits but has an all cash job on the side)
Saved by the secret cabal of Congress again where they will be secretly forced to ruin whatever may be left- or right.
Telegraph me when the Depression is over. We may find someone able to read IT to US.
Barney and Betty clones lonely so will go visit them.
Love them secret negotiations... cannot wait to see the intercepts published. Heard Murdoch/FOX all over IT.
The Anarchy Party is running candidates again. Long Live Organized Anarchy(amd our educational excellence- we meet or beat almost half the world's children and olde folks we beat even more(ITs phun)).
Have to go late for our Procrastination Rally. First one there loses- just like political decision- making cycle today.
Any sign of 'Hope' guy? I miss the guy who felt our pain, had sex with several women, but NOT with entire country...
Both sides spinning so hard they're a Blurrrr. THAT must be what is making US ill, quesy, and throwing up(hands in disgust of course).
"Bryan Chitwood wrote:
The so-called Tea Party is yet another compromised group of extremists being manipulated by by the same forces that use the "Pro Life" movement and other extreme right-wing conservatives to advance their extreme anti-regulation, anti federal government agenda. How do I know? These people are willing to axe programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid without ever touching corporate welfare."
Bryan:
I guess there are lots of them extremists in this good ole US out there. Being that they got 40 congressional seats out of 63 this last November.
Check how much BP contributed to Obama in comparison to McCain.
Darrren M wrote:
"Furthermore surveys show people want tax increases and do not want spending cuts by very large margins (64 to 34.)"
What is your source?
"Grace Billlings wrote:
When President Clinton left office, the country had a surplus. President Bush got us into this mess by his tax cuts and two unfunded wars. President Obama inherited a disaster and continues to take the blame for what is going on now."
And rightly so Grace.
"Mary Novello wrote:
Companies are making money because employees are doing their old jobs plus the work of the people who have been laid off, and for lower wages and longer hours"
Technology sure has helped Mary. Remember the good old days when we had secretaries, number crunchers, etc. All that is now done by a laptop. Heck I can even make my travel reservations without a travel agent.
"sane wrote:
When we vote we should remember this:
Clinton in 8 years raised taxes and created more jobs than Reagan and G H W Bush and G W Bush in combined 20 years as presidents..
Obama in his first 2 years created more jobs than GW Bush in 8"
Insane:
I don't believe Obama has created any jobs. If anything he is losing in job creation that why he has such a low poll rating.
Hey Semi-Anonymous:
You ought to put all that on paper. You'd make a great rapper.
Hope it is nice and cool in the Library.
I enjoy the Diane Rehm Show very much, finding the format, most guests and the host all most useful to get some handle on what is happening in the US and world.
Today, I found many of Katrina vanden Heuve's ideas compelling and added her column to my reading list. (I hope Ms. Rehm does not penalize her too harshly for coming close to the forbidden line of speaking while another is also.)
The reason I post today is that I want to try to shift the conversation a bit: Where is the 'adult' many, many posters seem to be asking? Aren't we that 'adult?' How can we - the adult - step back into the picture and stay there? (now, not next year)
Can Ms. Rehm ask future guests about this? (I did do what the President suggested: contact elected officials. It didn't work.)
I enjoy the Diane Rehm Show very much, finding the format, most guests and the host all most useful to get some handle on what is happening in the US and world.
Today, I found many of Katrina vanden Heuve's ideas compelling and added her column to my reading list. (I hope Ms. Rehm does not penalize her too harshly for coming close to the forbidden line of speaking while another is also.)
The reason I post today is that I want to try to shift the conversation a bit: Where is the 'adult' many, many posters seem to be asking? Aren't we that 'adult?' How can we - the adult - step back into the picture and stay there? (now, not next year)
Can Ms. Rehm ask future guests about this? (I did do what the President suggested: contact elected officials. It didn't work.)