McConnell Bumbles When Asked For GOP Alternative To Obama’s Budget: We’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’
McConnell Bumbles When Asked For GOP Alternative To Obama’s Budget: We’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’
Since President Obama unveiled his budget last month, Republicans have been relentlessly attacking his comprehensive proposals. Last week, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that Obama “should be focusing on the ‘economic crisis,’ as opposed to holding four-hour meetings on health care.” Today on ABC’s This Week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) kept up the drumbeat, saying, “It taxes too much, it spends too much, it borrows too much.”
However, host George Stephanopoulos repeatedly pressed McConnell for a comprehensive Republican alternative budget. Each time, McConnell simply attacked Obama’s plan. He said that he and his colleagues would be offering amendments to “reframe” what the Democrats have proposed, but don’t plan on offering a comprehensive plan:
McCONNELL: [W]e are going to offer a number of amendments to the Democratic proposal. [...]
STEPHANOPOULOS: But shouldn’t you have a comprehensive approach that lays out the trade-offs? If you just have rifle-shot amendments, you don’t have to make all the trade-offs that you have to make in an overall budget.
McCONNELL: Well, we’re just sort of getting down in the weeds here about procedure. Through the amendment process, we would absolutely reformulate the Democratic plan. Whether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment is something a parliamentarian can debate.
Watch it:
As the New York Times has pointed out, by not offering a full counterproposal, Republicans have made a decision “that will spare them from outlining potentially painful decisions required to bring federal books more in line with their call to hold down spending, cut taxes and reduce the deficit.” What they are instead offering is “a steady stream of complaints.”
In many ways, their strategy is a repeat of what they did during the economic recovery debate. Republicans largely opposed Obama’s plan for political reasons, picking out small provisions as excuses to oppose the entire bill. The Progress Report has more here on why, despite McConnell’s complaints, it is possible walk and chew gum at the same time.
Transcript:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator, will the Republicans in the Senate be providing an alternative budget?
McCONNELL: Well, first let’s take a look at the budget the President is offering. That’s his responsibility. The majority has a responsibility to lay out their plan, George, for the next few years, and they’ve done it. It will double the national debt in five years, and triple the national debt in 10 years. It taxes too much, it spends too much, it borrows too much — as you indicated, what I have said, and what my colleagues have said repeatedly.
And it does what the President’s chief of staff — and he was pretty candid about it — they’re taking advantage of a crisis in order to do things that had nothing to do with getting us into the crisis. They want to have a massive expansion of health care, an energy tax — which many people are now calling a “light switch tax,” another $600 billion — it’s sort of a bait and switch.
What we really ought to be doing here is concentrating on fixing the financial system — which you did ask about Secretary Summers about a good bit — and the housing problem. Not using this crisis as an excuse to go on an explosion of spending.
One other point. We have already authorized this year, in the first 50 days of this administration, spending at the rate of $24 billion a day, or a $1 billion an hour. Another way of looking at it — just putting it in context — this $1.2 trillion that we’ve spent in the first 50 days is more than the previous administration spent after 9/11 on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the response to Katrina.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well senator, there’s a lot of criticism there, but no alternative. And the Democratic party and the White House are going to make a real push to paint you as the “Just Say No” party. Look at what the DNC has put up on its website. They have this clock showing that it’s been 16 days, 20 hours, and 18 minutes and counting since you’ve had a budget. An outside group, Americans United for Change, are putting out this ad this morning, making the same point. Listen.
[AD PLAYS]
STEPHANOPOULOS: So are you worried about that attack?
McCONNELL: No, we are going to offer a number of amendments to the Democratic proposal.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But no comprehensive budget?
McCONNELL: Well, it will reframe what the Democrats recommend for America over the next 5-10 years. And I assure you that the amendments we offer will not lay out a blueprint for doubling the national debt in 5 years, and tripling it in 10 years. That’s what we think.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But shouldn’t you have a comprehensive approach that lays out the trade-offs? If you just have rifle-shot amendments, you don’t have to make all the trade-offs that you have to make in an overall budget.
McCONNELL: Well, we’re just sort of getting down in the weeds here about procedure. Through the amendment process, we would absolutely reformulate the Democratic plan. Whether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment is something a parliamentarian can debate.
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McConnell Bumbles When Asked For GOP Alternative To Obama’s Budget: We’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’ »
– - And, dare I say it, the Rushes too.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:02 pmthe deep weeds it seems. Shit you people can’t even figure out who is running your sideshow.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:03 pmhe’s got bigger things to worry about.
like jim bunning running for reelection.
::
March 15th, 2009 at 12:06 pmThe Republicans got nuthin’.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:09 pmTranslation: The current role of the GOP is not to come up with feasible, alternative ideas, but rather their primary goal is to merely obstruct and interfere with the success of the Obama Administration.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:15 pmThe republican party is an empty sack. What’s in an empty sack, you might ask? Just a lot of air and darkness. They have plenty of air and their future looks pretty dark.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:18 pmThe Republicans started a rapid movement to discredit this president within weeks of his assuming office and it continues. They have nothing, nothing.except criticism and loud voices. Remember, a lie repeated is soon believed as the truth. The lie here is that Obama’s recovery plan is all wrong and if this is repeated often enough people will believe it.
It is time to ask for an alternative comprehensive plan from the Republicans, not “rifle shots”.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:18 pmIt’s far easier to criticize others’ proposals than to take the time to develop viable alternatives. And if there’s anything we’ve learned about today’s GOOP, the path of least resistance (i.e. cows walking around a hill rather than take the effort to go over it) is their preference.
Someone please buy this man some lips. The pair he was born with apparently were left on someone’s ass.
PEACE
March 15th, 2009 at 12:33 pmLet’s just have a maximum age limit on Senators.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:34 pmIs there something really bad about that idea ?
I mean really, a lot of these old ba$tards are just plain stuck in their old effed up partisan ways.
Where was McConnell the last eight years?
March 15th, 2009 at 12:36 pmThe GOoPs apparently don’t believe that the financial crisis is really a crisis
because they neither, support the President nor present any alternatives. The only crisis they might recognize is the end of the Republican Party. May the Repub Crisis begin!!!
March 15th, 2009 at 12:42 pmThrow in the bailouts for Madoff Street, the wars fought on supplements [which didnt appear in the Bush budgets] the Dept of Homeland Security and you’ll see that Bush paved the way, with GOP help, for even more spending. Their crying wolf, now, rings false and hypocritical.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
#5 labman57’s post is spot on!!!!
March 15th, 2009 at 12:46 pmI’ve been saying that for a long time, where is their message? Nowhere.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:47 pmMcConnell’s metaphor of “getting down in the weeds” is an unconsciously perfect metaphor for what the Republicans are doing on everything right now. They’re keeping a very low profile, hiding “down in the weeds” and taking potshots at everything the Democrats or the Administration proposes. It’s their only “unifying purpose” right now.
They are a blind and leaderless party, dragging around the “Marley’s chains” of all their ill deeds over the last half century. Unlike Dickens’ Marley, however, they actually seem to be unaware that they’re dead.
They have nothing left but their hate. They are rudderless juggernaut careening all over the nation crashing into every constructive edifice of government and society they encounter.
Where’s Van Helsing when we need him?
March 15th, 2009 at 12:51 pmTom Tomorrow says it best…
“GOP Strategies For Success”
March 15th, 2009 at 12:53 pmI had to turn off ABC when McConnel came on – it’s hard enough to listen to him spewing nothing but rightwing lunacy – but the man just flat out gives me the creeps.
Like Steve Forbes. These two had to be separated at birth.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:11 pmKeith H. Says:
Let’s just have a maximum age limit on Senators.
Is there something really bad about that idea ?
I mean really, a lot of these old ba$tards are just plain stuck in their old effed up partisan ways.
Actually, Keith, the solution is a better-informed electorate. One that won’t choose insane old farts to represent them in Congress. There are some people who have managed to live a long time and keep their brains sharp. Maybe the fact that their brains are sharp is the primary reason they don’t run for Congress.
Always remember Mark Twain: “Suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
March 15th, 2009 at 1:13 pmMcCONNELL: Well, we’re just sort of getting down in the weeds here about procedure. Through the amendment process, we would absolutely reformulate the Democratic plan. Whether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment is something a parliamentarian can debate.</e
Translation:We have no plan, we’re just going to oppose,critisize, and complain hoping people forget how terrible everything was when we controlled everything. Just ignore the fact that we never presented a housing plan but we don’t like Obama’s. We never presented a health care plan but we don’t like Obama’s. Just trust us Obama will ruin everything even though everything is ALREADY ruined.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:15 pmThe vast majority of americans are NOT interested in what the republicans have to say. Americans are now living through the consequences of 8 years of their “ideas”. And IT HURTS us all.
Republicans only care about big corporate donors.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:20 pmThe middle class can go “FCUK ITSELF” as far as their concerned!!
“Read my lips..No new ideas!”
“It’s whining in America”
March 15th, 2009 at 1:27 pmWe’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’
WOW – so when did the repugs become the party of pot smokers?
They are still @ssholes and a morally bankrupt, corrupt party, but I am sure some are surprised by this revelation.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:28 pmLook, it’s not our responsibility on the right to come up with viable alternatives. It is our job to obstruct, obfuscate, and hope the whole deck of cards comes crumbling down so we can take over again and lead this country in the spirit of Ayn Rand and Rush Limbaugh.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:32 pmThe only plan the goppers have is to some how, some way, enrich their party.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:35 pmWayne, that makes good sense, thanks.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:37 pmLast week, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that Obama “should be focusing on the ‘economic crisis,’ as opposed to holding four-hour meetings on health care.”
Health care reform is needed to end the economic crisis. Don’t these people get it or are they too worried this would tremendously raise President Obama’s and the dems ratings? And they want to scare the public by calling it socialism.
Health care reform would end the burden on employers and huge numbers of bankruptcies… both caused by our now greedy for profit health care system.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:48 pmgobble, gobble, gobble…..
March 15th, 2009 at 1:49 pmThe party of NO.
March 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pmNo to Democrats.
No to Obama.
No to stimulus.
No to workers.
No to all Americans.
No to bipartisanship.
No answers – no remedies – no accountability – no acceptance of rsponsibility.
Isn’t Congress still working on the 2009 budget,leftover from last year?
March 15th, 2009 at 1:57 pmWhat? The GOP want to legalize pot and hemp, raising revenue, paying down the debt through smart taxation and use of the renewable resource? Why that’s the best idea ever to come from republicans.
Let’s all get down in the weed, it’s so repub hip.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:01 pmNo sense
March 15th, 2009 at 2:07 pmThe party of NO.
No to Democrats.
No to Obama.
No to stimulus.
No to workers.
No to all Americans.
No to bipartisanship.
No answers – no remedies – no accountability – no acceptance of rsponsibility.
Yes to George Bush
Yes to Dick Chaney
Yes to Sarah Palin
Yes to Rush Limbaugh
Putting the No and Yes together it all makes sense :S…
March 15th, 2009 at 2:16 pmReminds me of a response a very tall female cousin used. At 6′ 7″, she caught lots of ribbing about her height but her best comeback seems apropos.
“Hey, Stretch, how’s the air up in the clouds?”
“A whole lot nicer than down by my azz, Shorty.”
March 15th, 2009 at 2:31 pmWhy should the Republicans do anything when the Democrats are hurting themselves? Obama is less popular than George Bush!
Excerpt
Polling data show that Mr. Obama’s approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama’s net presidential approval rating — which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve — is just six, his lowest rating to date.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:34 pm“Can’t get out of the manure” he means.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:41 pmThe current overall philosophy of the GOP is little more than political contrarianism. If Obama says “black”, they say “white” (no pun intended).
Another reason why the Republican Party is rapidly becoming irrelevant.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:43 pmI also found it ironic that Mr. McConnell talked about getting down with the weed. Especially since marijuana is KY’s #1 cash crop.
http://parentingteens.about.com/library/sp/drugs/bl-marijuana-kentucky.htm
March 15th, 2009 at 2:44 pmmarwick spews: Why should the Republicans do anything when the Democrats are hurting themselves? Obama is less popular than George Bush!
If that is the case, then why, at every turn are you repugs spreading missinformation and obstructing?
Project much?
March 15th, 2009 at 2:53 pmWhether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment is something a parliamentarian can debate.
And you, Mitchy, are certainly no parliamentarian. Not much of a Senator, or a leader if you can’t put up an alterative strategy. Just Nucking Fo, right?
March 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pmShorter McConnell: I’m trying to stay on message and that message is that we have no message.
http://www.pufferfishblog.com/
March 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pmThe Republican party is that person that b^tches to anyone who will listen about how you’re doing things when you’ve got a daunting task, and when you say “Alright. Why don’t you do it, then?” They just start mumbling, because they don’t want to do it–they don’t want to work that hard. They don’t want to take the risks. And they don’t want to hear people such as themselves while their doing it.
March 15th, 2009 at 3:11 pmParty before country… still.
Typical petty office politics where it’s more about fixing the blame than fixing the problem.
March 15th, 2009 at 3:15 pmMcCONNELL: [W]e are going to offer a number of amendments to the Democratic proposal. […]
Just another way of saying – WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEW TO OFFER EXCEPT TAX CUTS!
March 15th, 2009 at 3:49 pm. . . so until God reveals a better “plan” to the Republicans, how about them just helping with the one our ELECTED President has????? would seem more “American” . . . .
March 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pmNot for these guys. Walking and chewing gum at the same time aren’t even in it. These guys have to hold their breath to tie their shoelaces.
March 15th, 2009 at 4:00 pmexcuses, and more excuses
R = weakness
March 15th, 2009 at 4:02 pm“McConnell Bumbles When Asked For GOP Alternative To Obama’s Budget: We’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’”
Getting down in the weeds? In translation, GOP have no alternative plan. Windbag McConnell’s interview was a waste of time for ABC. Spin and distort Obama’s agenda are the plans of McConnell and The Party of No.
March 15th, 2009 at 4:06 pmInstead of getting down in the weeds, the GOPers should start smoking some and downing some of Rush’s purple pill stash and maybe they’ll come up with an alternative plan!
March 15th, 2009 at 4:14 pmThe GOP proving, once again, that they are part of the problem by not being part of the solution.
March 15th, 2009 at 4:22 pmWhat? God isn’t answering the Bat phone?
March 15th, 2009 at 4:31 pmmarwick Says:
Why should the Republicans do anything when the Democrats are hurting themselves? Obama is less popular than George Bush!
Your info must be from f@rt news… certainly not anywhere credible.
His (Obama’s) approval ratings remain strong — above 60 percent
The only time bush’s approval ratings were any good was immediately after 9/11 and that was only because the general public did not understand he could have prevented it with the ample in your face info delivered to him numbers times.
March 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pmThe GOP should be advising this President on alternitives. It is obvious that in doing so they would have to take ownership of the policies that got us in this mess. They aren’t going to do that anytime soon so they will play the obstructionests. I hope they pay for it in the midterm elections!
March 15th, 2009 at 6:17 pmmarwick says:
This is bullpuckey. This is from the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal which was wingnut central even before Murdoch bought the paper. And Rasmussen is consistently 10-15 points high on Obama disapproval. Here are the current trends:
March 15th, 2009 at 6:32 pmObama Job Approval: Approve 58.9% Disapprove 35.3%
Obama Favorability Rating: Favorable 64.6% Unfavorable 28.0%
Check out the graphs and you will see that almost all of the red dots well above the red curves are Rasmussen polls. Rasmussen is in the outlier business.
Lokidog, you are right. Steve Forbes and Mitch McConnell have some sort of perversion. I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is.
March 15th, 2009 at 6:45 pmWhy does McConnell always look like a weasel in the headlights just before the truck runs over him?
March 15th, 2009 at 9:21 pmThe Republiscum Channel is a HOOT, stale and pale,but still a HOOT.
March 15th, 2009 at 9:36 pmThe Republican efforts to discredit and undermine the President within weeks of his assuming office is supported and championed by what passes for the media and journalist in this country.
Look at how many times John McCain ahs appeared on CBC with Katie Couric and Bob Schieffer who allow him to spout his nonsense without any follow-up by the excuses for journalists. Has anyone ever heard either one of these people who, after repeating the daily reich-wing talking point, ever then follow with the facts? I doubt it.
Then consider that McCain and those clowns in Congress are given unlimited access by NBC, ABC, MSNBC and of course the republican network, Fox Noise, and CNN. John King of CNN ought to be ashamed to call himself a journalist.
March 15th, 2009 at 10:32 pmI voted for Obama really hoping for change we can believe in. He’s trying to juggle many balls and I’m hoping he can succeed.
It’s not just the Republicans that are attempting to sabotage Obama, some of the ex-Hillary fanatics are at it too.
IMHO Obama made a serious mistake nominating Geithner and Daschle. Americans are not willing to compromise on honest, ethical and US first government. Obama made another mistake taking Charles Freeman’s name off the intelligence roster thanks to AIPAC and Schumer.
March 15th, 2009 at 10:47 pmThe GOP always has an alternative strategy, and it’s always the same: destroy the country so the rich can buy it for pennies on the dollar. As for polls: have you ever met anyone living in a major city who has taken part in one of these polls? They can select the participant and phrase the question to get any result they want. They can ask a hundred illiterates in Alabama if they want terrorists to attack the U.S. with impunity, then announce that “a majority of Americans support Bush’s war on terror”. Also, I have heard that cell phone users are not called when these polls are taken.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:01 amBushCo spent millions in corporate welfare, tax cuts for the rich, and lie based oil wars. McConnell had no problem with that. But Obama giving us the middle class a tax break and spending to get us out the hole the Republicans dug us in now all of a sudden we see a “fiscal conservative” morph before our very eyes!
March 16th, 2009 at 12:33 amGOP = double talk express
Anyone else notice, that they complain but they have NOTHING to offer the American people but ‘cut taxes for the rich’. WTH is that about.
Flippin losers.
March 16th, 2009 at 11:40 amMcConnell is the new Joe McCarthy. No principles, well paid to follow orders,
March 18th, 2009 at 3:53 pmPoor Kentucky! They are not only stuck with McConnell but they have Bunning too. It’s just not fair.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:03 pmthink again
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