A Missed Opportunity: Republicans Are Quickly Losing Their Momentum

Google Images: Eric Cantor

With their fervent anti-tax ideology, and their inability to entertain any of tax increases despite the fact that President Obama has offered huge cuts in a number of politically unpopular areas of the government, Republicans have lost a potentially monumental opportunity to permanently turn this country center-right.

David Brooks said it best,

It could be that this has been a glorious moment in Republican history. It could be that having persuaded independents that they are a prudent party, Republicans will sweep the next election. Controlling the White House and Congress, perhaps they will have the guts to cut Medicare unilaterally, reform the welfare state and herald in an era of conservative greatness.

Republicans had a huge chance here. I said it in my last post and I will say it again: There was a Democratic president who saw it fit and necessary to move his policies and this country towards the political center, floating ideas that were extremely unpopular in the Democratic Caucus in Congress. Liberal activists were (and still are somewhat) furious and stunned by Obama’s talk about potentially raising the Medicare enrollment age, cutting Social Security by changing the inflation index, and offering offering to work with congressional Republicans on broad-based tax reform. 

The Democratic Party was one step away from truly fracturing, with congressional Democrats unified in their full opposition to entitlement reform while President Obama spent long nights talking about that very topic with Speaker Boehner. Republicans were one step away from really solidifying and even strengthening their 2010 gains. Democrats would have stayed home in large numbers in 2012 and the Republican nominee would have had a huge opportunity to take the White House.

But then something happened. Republicans pulled back. Eric Cantor stormed out of debt talks. He then rebuked Speaker Boehner’s potential deal with President Obama that would have cut around $3 trillion in spending while eliminating tax loopholes and making minor cuts to Medicare. To avoid a “grand deal” was a mistake, but it’s understandable that Republicans pull back from such a large deal. 

But Republicans in the House did not just reject the plan being crafted by Speaker Boehner and President Obama. No, it then went to an even greater extreme. Today, House Republicans introduced the “Cut. Cap, and Balance Act,” which is the most ideologically driven, partisan debt ceiling legislation that we have seen yet. As the August 2^nd default date creeps eerily closer, and both parties frantically attempt to convince independents that they are the ones working for their values, Republicans have astonishingly made a hard-right turn.

And while Republicans believe that their opinions are currently in line with those of the American people (and they are for the most part true), those views are quickly shifting. While just one week ago, a huge majority of Americans disagreed with raising the debt ceiling, those numbers are now much more hazy, with at least one poll out today saying that 55% of Americans are now very concerned about what would happen if the debt ceiling was not raised. 

Furthermore, a new Gallup poll released today shows that 66% of Americans agree that some type of compromise plan is necessary for the debt ceiling, even if it is a plan that the person who was polled personally disagreed with. Just 27% of Americans polled believe that their party should hold out for the exact plan that they want, even if the debt ceiling was not raised by August 2nd. Furthermore, 57% of Republicans believe that a compromise is necessary even if they disagree with the plan and an astounding 72% of independents agree.

Republican and Democratic voters are decided on this issue. Republicans believe that we need to cut, cap, and balance without any tax hikes while Democrats believe that deficit reduction should involve a more balanced approach of spending cuts and tax increases. The fight is over the center. And the ability to relate to the independent center voters (those that are absolutely imperative for election/re-election) is quickly slipping away from Republicans in the House. 

Google Image: Tea Party Patriots Banner

As the tea party continues to radicalize a republican party that no longer has a moderate wing, republican lawmakers are increasingly left pandering and reassuring their own voters. This can be seen with cut, cap, an balance. Republicans know that this bill has no chance of becoming law but that's not what's important. What is important is that the act reassures tea party donors and super conservatives, which keeps money flowing in to republican coffers.

The problem with this approach is that Republicans are now ostracizing independent voters, allowing President Obama, who had consistently attempted (and mostly succeeded) in painting himself as compromiser-in-chief, to swoop in and snatch up independent voters with his centrist and pragmatic policies. While liberal democrats have become rather frustrated with Obama, there is no doubt that they will still vote for him in the end (however begrudgingly they may do it). What has always mattered (and especially matters now) is who can control the middle ground. And with Republicans moving farther and farther right, passing their latest cut, cap. and balance bill by more than 30 votes, they are moving themselves away from what is really important: the political center.

Google Images

While Republicans in the House celebrate their victory tonight, the American people are worried, worried that political posturing and risky lies could make it so they no longer have access to credit and are at risk of losing their job. The debt ceiling is not something to play with, it should never be used as a political tool to inspire fear or as an excuse to lie through one's teeth. 

Republicans are happy tonight; but rest assured, political commentators, historians, and politicians will look back on this past month and say that the Republican's handling of the debt ceiling situation was one of the biggest political blunders in the history of the Republican Party. 

The radicalization of the republican party continues, and with it goes a missed, golden opportunity. 

Sunday Opinion: It's Time For Republicans in Congress to Take A Look in the Mirror

Congressional Republicans are continuing to throw roadblock after roadblock in the path of a possible debt ceiling agreement, and as the deadline gets closer, they are becoming more outspoken about it. Many House freshman have doubled down on their disbelief of the White House's August 2nd default date, with some, like Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh, strongly asserting that the treasury has more than enough money to service its debt and pay for major government programs. 

Others, like Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama, have expressed utter surprise that credit rating agencies like Moody's have placed US treasury bonds on downgrade watch. Brooks actually wondered out loud why our credit rating may potentially be downgraded:

“There should be no default on August 2,” Brooks said. “In fact, our credit rating should be improved by not raising the debt ceiling.”

It is astonishing that these congressman, with absolutely no background in basic economic issues (let along something as complex and potentially catastrophic as raising the debt ceiling) are able to stand up on the House floor and unequivocally claim that President Obama pandering without a real solution for deficit reduction. Furthermore, Republicans are claiming that he is creating mass hysteria and uncertainty in the marketplace. 

This comment has been the go-to for congressional republicans and conservative commentators alike. It all started with healthcare, when those opposed expressed concern that the new healthcare law would create grave uncertainty in the marketplace and would lead to major job loss and confusion among business owners. Now, this talking point has been revamped for the new fight, the fight over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling.

But it's not President Obama who is creating the uncertainty. No, if Republicans want to point fingers at those who are causing turmoil in the marketplace, they needn't do anything but turn those fingers on themselves.

Republicans have spent the better part of July complaining about the President's handling of the debt ceiling discussion, claiming that he's adding to economic uncertainty, that he's out of touch, and that Americans cannot afford tax raises (despite the fact that they would only affect the top 1% of earners and major corporations like big oil). But this claim by Republicans only serves to act as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

By spending the majority of their time in Congress bickering about the President instead of actually attempting to reach a compromise, congressional republicans are actually the ones to blame for increasing uncertainty. To put it another way: By attempting to create artificial "economic uncertainty" by focusing on it nonstop as opposed to actually sitting down at the table and hammering out a deal, House republicans are only making the problem that much worse. 

Both sides have spent plenty of time bickering, but the time for partisan hackery is over. I don't know how to stress the importance of the situation we now find ourselves in. Congress is more divided than it has been in decades, a radical freshman class in the House refuses to do anything that could help the President score anything that could be construed as a victory, and the US Treasury is stressing that if we do not raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd, the country is at major risk of default.

This is a dire situation, but unfortunately House republicans would rather play politics in hopes of derailing the President's re-election campaign. 

It's time we hold our politicians accountable for what they're really doing: fanning the flames of partisanship and deliberately creating artificial, economic uncertainty. 

President Obama has stressed that deficit reduction must be a shared sacrifice. He has offered to accept trillions of dollars in spending cuts, raise the medicare enrollment age, and cut funding to Social Security. In return Obama has asked for top tier tax rates to return to Clinton-era levels and the elimination of a half-dozen loopholes that would not in any way, shape, or form affect middle class workers (like subsidies for corporate jets, big oil, and the timber industry), which would result in revenue increases of only a few hundred million dollars (compared to the $3 trillion in cuts that the President conceded to Republicans in Congress). And what have Republicans, who rode into Washington on a wave of promises to "cut spending" and "restore America's fiscal responsibility," promised to sacrifice? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. After getting the trillions of dollars in cuts that they asked for, and being offered cuts in medicare that they wanted from President Obama, they refuse to compromise at all. No taxes, no negotiations, their way or the highway. 

If Republicans want to blame someone for fear-mongering, mishandling debt ceiling negotiations, and creating uncertainty in the marketplace, it's time that they face facts and take a look in the mirror. 

The Disintegration of the Mass Media Part 1

Summary: I begin this piece on the media with a very recent example regarding the British tabloid scandal at the News of the World. However, this should only serve as an example to the much more important part of this posting, which can be found under the "Analysis" section.

For those people living under a rock (or taking a much needed break from the constant debt ceiling discussions on news and opinion channels for a while), the British tabloid "News of the World" and the company that owns it, Newscorp Inc. (owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News), have been sharply criticized for allegedly hacking into the phones of celebrities and even 9/11 victims. It's true. Major news sites have confirmed that staff members at "News of the World" actually attempted to pay off a NYC police officer in order to obtain the cell phone records and text conversations of those people who were killed in the September 11th attacks. Furthermore, and potentially more catastrophic than that, the "News of the World" staff hacked the phone of Milly Dowler, a British teenager who had been kidnapped and was ultimately murdered. In fact, when the girl's voicemail inbox became full with messages, News of the World (hereafter referred to as NOTW) staff actually erased messages from the phone in order to dig up more. This in turn gave the parents of Dowler false hope that their daughter was actually alive, despite the fact that she had already been killed. 

The acts of hacking perpetrated by staff and leaders at NOTW are horrendous and the people behind the hacks should be prosecuted for what they did. This is by all intents and purposes a huge story. NOTW was originally founded in 1843, it has been around for more than 170 years and had become somewhat of a staple in British culture. So when the shock news hit Britain and a number of top staff at the tabloid were arrested and questioned, it became a major story that news channels in the United States quickly picked up and reported on nonstop. This is where the story of media hypocrisy begins. 

DISCLAIMER: I do not hate everything on Fox News and my criticism of the network in this specific instance should not mean that I am immediately painted as a rabid liberal with an axe to grind. In this blog, I attempt to objectively point out hypocrisy, regardless of the source or party affiliation. 

Fox News, the channel that is owned by Rupert Murdoch (who company owns News of the World), has attempted to downplay the scandal. You can watch the video below, in which host Steve Doocey and his guest scolded the mainstream media for reporting on what they saw as such an unimportant issue:

In the interview, Doocey exclaimed,

"We've got some serious problems in this country ... and what do they do?" he said. "They talk about this."

Oh Steve, if only there was videotaped evidence of you ignoring real political stories to report on a politically charged issue. Oh wait, there is! Need we remind Mr. Doocey of the Anthony Weiner scandal? According to Mediaite.com, a website that tracks media coverage,

On June 14, Weiner was covered extensively on all three major cable news channels. CNN covered the Weiner fallout on American Morning, CNN Newsroom, The Situation Room, and Anderson Cooper 360. Fox News featured the story on Fox & Friends, America’s Newsroom, America Live with Megyn Kelly, Studio B, Your World with Neil Cavuto, Special Report with Bret Baier, and Fox Report with Shepherd Smith. But it was MSNBC that had the most Weiner coverage Tuesday, with every show covering the story to some degree except Morning Joe, Dylan Ratigan, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz. 

Additionally, let me share a video with you of Mr. Doocey's Fox News program, Fox and Friends, ignoring important issues and focusing solely on the Weiner scandal when the news broke:



Brian Kilmeade, the commentator on the right, even says,

"We have so much to talk about, you have a budget to pass, you have what's going on in Libya...you have the tragic story of the 13 year old girl who was beaten in Syria, and who could believe that Congressman Weiner's pictures or not pictures could be the number one story on Capitol Hill!"

It's as if Fox and Friends recognized the great variety of substantive political issues that they had to choose from and yet still decided that they should spend hours upon hours needlessly tacking the most recent developments of Anthony Weiner.

Now, I would not be fair if I only blamed Fox News. MSNBC has been just as bad. On the Rachel Maddow show, Maddow went through a long list of all the different issues that were plaguing the world at that time. But then, instead of discussing them in detail, she ran a 10 minute segment about...you guessed it, the Weiner scandal:




Analysis: A Flawed Cable News System
Now, I give credit to Maddow for at least presenting these much more important issues (like the atrocities in Syria and Yemen), but the fact remains: the cable news world is out to draw headlines.

We witnessed this with the recent Casey Anthony trial. The day that the verdict was read, I sat at my desk at work watching CNN the entire 9-hour day. Of those nine hours, at least eight were completely dedicated to Casey Anthony. Even worse, the network had no new information. Instead, they were simply recycling the same four or five points over and over again, stalling until a verdict was decided upon and read.

Why do you think that PBS, a no-frills network with some of the best news and analysis on television, draws such abysmal ratings? Because there's no fun in it, no potential to see two self-interested, moronic commentators screaming at each other over a random political issue or over whether or not Casey Anthony should be released from prison on Wednesday or on Thursday. There's no flashy color schemes, loud and outspoken hosts, or crazy partisan hacks as guests. This is the problem with the modern day cable news system.

Our television coverage is failing us. As Americans who understand the importance of open discussion on extremely sensitive and overwhelmingly important issues like the debt ceiling debate, we need to demand that our cable news programs provide us with an informed, well-conceived, and non-partisan account of the most recent happenings. Guests should have substantive discussion, disagreement should be welcome (having two sides to every issue allows a free flow of ideas and encourages viewers to make up their minds independently), but shouting should be strongly discouraged.

The current politics in Washington, with an impenetrable partisan rift between conservatives and progressives that is only worsening as debate on a slew of important legislation continues, directly mirrors the way in which our cable news programs operate. The House floor used to be a place for lively debate, compromise, hard work, and negotiation. Similarly, television news programs used to be a place for well-respected, publicly non-partisan nightly news anchors to present the day's news in an objective and unbiased manner. Today, the House floor is a place for prepared, partisan statements that only serve to emphasize the divide between the two parties (compromise is no longer achievable). Likewise, the news media has become a place frequented by partisan hacks (as both hosts and guests), a place where uninformed opinion has all but permanently replaced unbiased news, commentators spout off party talking points on a relatively consistent basis, and the true battle in any debate between talking heads is over who can yell louder than the other.

Until the news media can find a way to pull back and present the news the way it should be, in an unbiased manner with substantive (and calm) discussion between opposing viewpoints, the ideologically-driven politics of Washington will remain the same.

It's about time that we start demanding change.