Implications of a Deficit Supercommittee Failure
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-11-22/implications-deficit-supercommittee-failure
The congressional supercommittee on the deficit announced yesterday it had failed. The bipartisan panel was charged with crafting a deficit-reduction plan by Thanksgiving - a plan both sides could agree on. Many observers said the supercommittee was doomed from the start. In today's divided Congress, with six Democrats and six Republicans on the panel, there was little chance for an agreement. Others say it was possible and rue a wasted opportunity to benefit the nation. What the deadlock means for the economy and American families - and what the Obama administration could do about it.
Guests
Norman Ornstein
resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and coauthor of "The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track."
Naftali Bendavid
national correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Robert Walker
former U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania (1977-97); chairman of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen
Democrat of Maryland, member of the 12-person Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
Comments
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Grover Norquist was recently invited to leave the United States and move to Somalia. He said that he wasn’t interested because Somalia doesn’t have a government! Rich ain't it?
He elaborated that and evidently doesn’t like the notion of competing governments, clans, where people shoot each other. He said that they have a series of governments that claim complete control over your property and your life. "There are a whole bunch of governments, people acting like governments, people with a legal monopoly on force and they compete with each other. Not compete to provide better services, compete to be in charge of pushing you around". Sound familiar?
I’d say, well Grover, welcome to the country you are helping to construct with your insane philosophy. Taking care of one another and providing for the "common good" is the reason why we formed a democracy. But to people like Grover, they assume that the Assault and Battery laws that we have here in America, were enacted to prevent the rest of us from beating people like them to death.
I agree with monte in this case. We get the Government we deserve. If the voters are making their decisions on who runs this country based on 30 second TV/radio ads or the number of yard signs they see on the way to the voting booth, then we have the Government we deserve.
I don't have a solution to educating the electorate to turn off "Jersey Shore", close "Angry Birds" and dig deeper into the candidates and their proposed policies, but this seems to me to be the place to start to fix this country not at the top.
I am having a difficult time even listening to this. If I cannot compromise with my co-workers, I will be fired. If your children cannot compromise, they are sent to their rooms. Why does Congress get a free pass?
Democrats proposed tax increases now and spending cuts which were nothing more slight adjustments in spending growth in the future. NO cuts. Thank goodness for Grover Norquist.
One would think, tarponsteve, that Grover Norquist would not longer be an issue with a 9% approval rating. If only 9% approve of what you are doing, then I don't care how loyal you are to a non-binding oath, you are still going to lose. Really since when has a politician kept his word. This is news to me.
Two related questions: How can it be said that the Republican members of the super committee went into negotiations in good faith, when they promised BEFOREHAND that taxes were off the table? And given this, why did the committee even bother to try to come up with a proposal? It would be like trying to negotiate desegregation with Governor George Wallace in the 1960s after he proclaimed "Segregation now, Segregation tomorrow, Segregation forever."
Seriously they couldnt agree on even one thing? Its like we have bunch of spoiled little children running this government. Honestly its incredibly sad and disheartening.
Your guest from PA, in using the term, "the beast" for the U.S. government says more about his fundamental lack of respect for our country than anything I've heard in a long time....He may be wearing the "chastity belt" but he's just another promiscuous republican.
There has been an ongoing discussion of whether Democrats or Republicans or both have been stonewalling all major legislation for the past three years and the last year in particular.
I believe the distinction is found in the following two statements:
1) I will not compromise on my major positions unless you compromise on your major positions.
2) I will not compromise in any way on any of my major positions whatsoever. I will compromise on your major positions, so long as the result benefits me.
I claim that statement 1) represents the only means by which the developed world has made any progress in the last 50 years. I want that approach to continue because I believe that no other approach will allow humans to improve our life on earth. Examples: the work of NATO; civil rights legislation; the conduct of the Cold War; and tax reform during the Reagan administration.
I claim that statement 2) represents the means by which humanity resolved issues prior to the past 50 years. One party forced its will upon another party. If force was successful, no other resolution was required. One party won everything; the other lost everything. Examples: Rome vs. Carthage; Turkey vs. Armenia; Stalin vs. the people of Russia; Germany vs. Poland (1939); and Mao vs. the people of China.
Because everyone knows that US elections aren't won/lost by approval ratings. They are won/lost in accordance with the amount of cash spent on attack ads by 527s and by teams sitting in back rooms generating thousands of mass emails stating "He's not one of us. He's a muslim. He's a communist". Another indicator of the political smarts of the electorate.
the grover norquist tax pledge is a badge of shame, or should be. This idiocy should receive the full scrutiny of the american public and the media's undivided attention.
The Super Committee's efforts were pathetic, embarrassing to me as a citizen of the United States, and selfish!!!
What is happening to our country? I am angry, frightened, and disallusioned!
Please, lets be open and clear: The american people are FULLY aware that the republican party has killed this process. While neither party is great BOTH are NOT to blame!
How can we take Congressional discussion of deficit reduction seriously? These folks seem to lack any understanding of economics. Current discussion includes reports that the failure to reach a deal will mean an increase in payroll taxes.
Yes, but when they were decreased, what a year ago? did Congress immediately reduce future social security payments by an amount equal to the reduction in taxes? I think not. How did government get into the pension business? And, how can they play with the pension fund so recklessly?
Government is doing just what MF Global is accused of doing, using clients funds for its own benefit.
Government must, as each of us, live within its means. We don’t need a tax increase right now, we must limit expenditures to within means. That is only tough because we have developed this give me, give me, give me mentality. This has to stop.
And a comment on the words of former Representative Walker: why is he consistently replaying past failures of the budget process to rationalize the current failure of the super committee? I truly don't care whether we failed before or not. I want us to succeed now.
What is the Republican Party doing to encourage success? By limiting their options to spending cuts alone, they have short-circuited the process.
We have a deficit in tax revenue in the same way that we have excess in spending. In the past 10 years tax receipts have only reached 18% of GDP (the long-term average) twice. The other 8 years have been dramatically lower. How can one believe that we can compensate for those losses by cutting taxes?
The elephant in the room is the pledge the republicans have taken to do all it can to cause Obama and the democrats to fail. There appears to be evidence to that effect in the memo McConnell sent to all republicans immediately following the election of Obama. Your republican also alluded to the "starve the monster" anti-government sentiment in their pledge to not raise taxes, even though the tax breaks the rich got did NOT provide jobs, but rather sent them overseas. That is a philosophy that cares not what is good for the country, but is intended for the good of the rich.
Karen in Michigan
Who wrote and passed the Bush tax cut bill reducing tax rates from 39% to 35% for the ultra rich 1% - 2%? A Republican majority House and Senate who said it would create jobs. Well, it's done a fine job of that. Who wrote the sunset clause into the law for it to expire? A majority Republican House and Senate. Then why do the Republicans say the Democrats want to raise taxes on the ultra rich? Republicans wrote the law. Here's why - Because Norquist told them he has hundreds of millions in reserves to attack them in they don't get in lock-step...and he does not have to disclose where the cash comes from since current regulations allow him to do that with his 'foundation's' status.
I sometimes think that Grover Norquist is running our country. I am tired of all the blame; it's time to fix what is broken, and if some are voted out then so be it.
Does anyone else think that guy sounds just like Rush Limbaugh?
Dear Robert Walker: Please stop pounding on the table every time you get some mic time. 1) It's annoying and 2) what does it say that you have to literally pound on something every time you open your mouth?
Why would there be any incentive for the republicans to make any fiscal progress when their interest seems to be creating/continuing government failure in order to have a better shot a the white house?
Republicans do not believe in raising taxes and Democrats do. I understand that. But compromise means finding a middle ground. Raise some taxes but not as much as Democrats want. Is that such a hard concept?
Diane - What's up with letting the congressman from PA say ridiculous things about the President?????
Obama's campaign is "specifically designed to create an us vs. them atmosphere?"
Walker is a jackass! Why is such an intellectual sewer on this show?
To whom much is given, much is expected.
Former Congressman Walker brings absolutely no objectivity to this discussion. He's straight party line. Bad choice for a guest on this subject. What a waste of the airwave.
I don't understand why nobody shows the work product of negotiations of groups like the supercomittee. In my business, when we negotiate with someone, we make written offers and we receive counter-offers, usually tracked in Microsoft Word with editing shown, so that each party can understand very precisely what the other party wants or doesn't want.
Instead of being able to objectively judge these very important negotiations, we have to get everyone's political spin and their characterization of who said what and what was said. Just produce the work product and let us all judge the proposals and counter-proposals for ourselves!
We voters have absolutely no one to blame but than ourselves. We have elected officials to do exactly what we asked them to do - don't compromise. We have devalued the politician by saying we don't want "professional politicians." Great - unprofessional politicians. Just like we blame public schools for our inability to be serious parents, we blame our politicians for doing what we asked them to do. Schizophrenic at the very least.
Wow the new male screener allowed a woman through to make a point about domestic policy. Now maybe he will allow some women callers through during foreign policy programs
Just heard a caller comment indicating that there is class warfare because the rich are taxed at a higher rate than others. The current rate for the ultra rich is 35%...as written on that line in the tax table. The fact of the matter is, all current research indicates that - with loopholes and other benefits forced into the code by those that can afford lobbyists (the ultra rich) - the actual rates paid are more along the lines of 17%. And they want that cut as well. Go get 'em Grover! You've managed to nearly destroy this country for your own financial gain.