conservatism

Must-read piece written by Michelle Malkin.

Bryan Preston at Pajamas Media:

Where is he getting this 80% figure? How about “out of his hind end.” Gallup doesn’t back him up. Neither does Rasmussen. Gallup gets you closest, but you have do get a little creative with the numbers and even it shows that 50% would prefer a deal with no “revenues” at all (Ras shows 55% on that side).

Where’s the journalistic integrity from the mainstream media on this? If any republican president was pulling stats out of thin air he would be tarred and feathered for it.

Sam Youngman and Alicia M. Cohn at The Hill:

President Obama on Friday kept up the pressure on Republicans to agree to revenue increases in a deal to raise the debt ceiling, claiming 80 percent of the public supports Democrats’ demand for tax increases.

“The American people are sold,” Obama said. “The problem is members of Congress are dug in ideologically.”

Evidence, please.

Russell Berman and Sam Youngman at The Hill:

Republicans said tense negotiations over raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit at the White House ended when President Obama stormed out of the meeting with a stern warning to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.): “Don’t call my bluff.”

…

Democrats immediately disputed the GOP account, saying Obama had sought to end the meeting when Cantor interrupted him to get a final word.

Is Washington D.C. some sort of giant middle-school/middle-finger combination?

Carol E. Lee at The Wall Street Journal:

In one sign that top leaders worry they won’t reach a deal in time, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) unveiled a proposal that would allow President Barack Obama to raise on his own the federal borrowing limit by $2.4 trillion in three installments before the end of 2012, unless two-thirds of Congress votes to block it.

I’m pretty disappointed in McConnell. He’s been an alright conservative, but right now it seems he’s more interested in damaging Obama’s image than doing the right thing for the country. I understand the temptation to place the debt increase solely on Obama’s shoulders—after all his administration is the loudest voice promoting its increase—but as I’ve mentioned before, raising the debt limit does not solve the problem.

We are currently spending $1.78 for every $1.00 we take in¹. The Federal Government has a self-destructive addiction to spending. Since raising taxes to raise revenue is realistically not possible², and the most effective way to raise revenue (lowering taxes)³ is at odds with our president’s anti-colonial worldview, the only option that’s even viable is to cut spending. It’s a near miracle that we’re in a position to force the Federal Government to cut spending by 44% almost overnight.

Now is not the time to play politics.