Networks Deride 'Rebellious' 'Hardline Conservatives' Creating 'Chaos'
On Friday, all three network morning shows played up the theme of stubborn House GOP conservatives opposing Speaker John Boehner's debt ceiling plan. On CBS's Early Show, co-host Chris Wragge proclaimed: "House Republicans will meet again this morning after hardline conservatives handed House Speaker John Boehner a major setback."
On ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos announced: "The House Speaker's debt plan melts down after hours of arm twisting failed to subdue a Tea Party rebellion." On NBC's Today, Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O'Donnell declared: "A parade of those rebellious holdout Republicans were summoned to the Speaker's office."
Stephanopoulos went on to lament the "chaos in Washington" and remarked how House Republicans "sure couldn't get their act together." He further added: "House Speaker John Boehner planned to pass his solution last night but all his tough talk and back office bullying couldn't get the votes."
O'Donnell similarly observed: "Hour after hour, the arm-twisting went on behind closed doors. Few said any minds had been changed." CBS congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes described: "An embarrassing turn of events for GOP leaders, who spent days browbeating conservative holdouts into voting yes."
In addition to focusing on divisions in the GOP, Today co-host Matt Lauer wondered: "Are lawmakers wasting too much time on a bill that perhaps has no chance of passing in the first place?"
On Good Morning America, fill-in co-host Elizabeth Vargas called on members of Congress to just "grow up": "Well, and certainly the public is starting to lose patience. We've got all sorts of newspapers today, 'Congress as kindergarten.' 'The grown-ups must take over.' This big headline, 'Grow up.' [Holds up the New York Daily News.] I mean, how much longer can this continue? People are, sort of, baffled that even the Republicans can't coalesce and come together."
Here is a portion of the July 29 Early Show coverage:
7:01AM ET
WRAGGE: There's still not enough votes on Capitol Hill to pass any spending cut bill, with just four days left to the deadline for raising the government's debt limit. House Republicans will meet again this morning after hardline conservatives handed House Speaker John Boehner a major setback.
CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes has the latest for us this morning. Nancy, good morning.
NANCY CORDES: Good morning to you, Chris. This was one of the wildest nights we've seen on Capitol Hill in quite some time. The House was set to vote on a bill, put forward by Speaker Boehner, at around 5:45 last night, but they pulled the bill from the floor at the last minute, saying they didn't have the votes. Hours of arm-twisting followed behind closed doors, but at around 10:30, they threw in the towel, saying they'd try again today.
[CBS News Graphic: "Capitol Hill Chaos: House Delays Debt Vote As Clock Ticks"]
REP. JAMES LANKFORD, R, OKLAHOMA (from speech on the House floor): It would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45-
CORDES (voice-over): Members of Congress had to turn to naming post offices, after Republican leaders yanked their debt ceiling bill from the floor right before the vote.
REP. STEVEN LATOURETTE, R, OHIO: Further consideration of S. 627 is postponed.
CORDES: An embarrassing turn of events for GOP leaders, who spent days browbeating conservative holdouts into voting yes.
(...)
Here is a portion of the Good Morning America coverage:
7:00AM ET TEASE:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Breaking news overnight. Chaos on Capitol Hill. The House Speaker's debt plan melts down after hours of arm twisting failed to subdue a Tea Party rebellion. All bets are off for what happens next.
7:01AM ET SEGMENT:
STEPHANOPOULOS: But, let's get right to that chaos in Washington. In just five days, America can no longer borrow more to pay our bills unless Congress gets its act together. And, boy, last night they sure couldn't get their act together. House Speaker John Boehner planned to pass his solution last night but all his tough talk and back office bullying couldn't get the votes. They pulled it shortly before midnight last night. Jon Karl is watching it all from Capitol Hill. And, John, the Speaker says he's going to try again today.
JON KARL: He will. But, George, this debt ceiling crisis has become a political crisis for Republicans. Boehner is going to convene all 240 House Republicans this morning to make one final push for it. But the reason he pulled the bill last night is he just couldn't get enough Republicans to pass his own bill. Republican leaders worked late into the night trying to get the votes to pass their own debt ceiling bill. Reporters swarmed around Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz as he emerged from a tense meeting in Speaker Boehner's office. He told us he's still a no. How much pressure is there on you to change your mind on this?
REP. JASON CHAFFETZ (R-Utah): I'm very pleasantly surprised that they are not twisting and ripping arms off.
KARL: The Speaker has said he can't do his job if you guys aren't there to support him.
CHAFFETZ: I am fully supportive of the Speaker.
KARL: But, this is his most important vote yet as Speaker.
CHAFFETZ: I just can't support his bill, but I do support the Speaker. Thank you.
KARL: But for Speaker of the House John Boehner, the political stakes could not be higher.
(...)
Here is a portion of the Today coverage:
7:01AM ET TEASE:
MATT LAUER: Yeah, there's a lot up in the air. Both House Republicans and Senate Democrats will meet this morning. This after Speaker John Boehner failed to find enough votes within his own party to push his plan through the House. So, are lawmakers wasting too much time on a bill that perhaps has no chance of passing in the first place? We're live on Capitol Hill with the latest on that coming up in just a couple of minutes.
7:02AM ET SEGMENT:
CURRY: Let's begin this morning with the debt ceiling crisis in Washington. NBC's Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O'Donnell has been covering this story and she's got the latest this morning. Kelly, good morning.
KELLY O'DONNELL: Well, good morning, Ann. From delayed to potentially derailed, is that where we are this morning? Hours and hours went by overnight when House Speaker John Boehner and his leadership team were trying to get a handful of their own members to go along, to come together on a solution to raise the debt ceiling and to cut spending. But they are nowhere. So now we know that all the Republican House members will meet this morning to try to find a way out.
JOHN BOEHNER: It's time for somebody in this town to say yes.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: 4 Days and Counting; Boehner Can't Get GOP Votes to Pass Debt Deal]
O'DONNELL: If it were only that simple. But something happened on the way to fixing the debt limit. A handful of House conservatives bucked the Speaker. They refused to go along with John Boehner's proposal to raise the debt ceiling.
LOUIE GOHMERT [REP. R-TX]: And I know that there are people in my party that want to keep beating up on me because I can't vote for a bill that only cuts $1 trillion.
O'DONNELL: Earlier in the day, the get-in-line message had brought some Tea Party freshman on board.
SEAN DUFFY [REP. R-WI]: Is this as big as we wanted to go? Heck no. We wanted to go bigger. We ran on going bigger but this is the only proposal on the table that accomplishes the goals that we set out to do.
O'DONNELL: But by evening the plug had quietly been pulled. The critical vote on hold.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Further consideration, of S-627 is postponed.
O'DONNELL: That dashed Senate Democrats, who were on stand by to defeat Boehner's bill.
CHUCK SCHUMER [SEN. D-NY]: And we are simply four days away from one of the worst financial catastrophes that could face this country.
O'DONNELL: They were told to get dinner and hang out.
HARRY REID [SEN. D-NV]: I don't expect or anticipate any action here before 9:00.
O'DONNELL: A parade of those rebellious holdout Republicans were summoned to the Speaker's office. Hour after hour, the arm twisting went on behind closed doors. Few said any minds had been changed.
(...)
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Comments
Anyone who was an adult
Submitted by buddyc on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 2:08pm.
Anyone who was an adult during the 1994-1996 Newt v Clinton budget battles remembers the same thing. Newt and his fellow republicans didn't cut a thing. They merely reduced the rate of increase. I remember how they were vilified by Clinton, Reich, Cuomo and the media. Repubs were:
1. starving little kids
2. destroying public education
3. taking medical care from grandma and grandpa
4. ruining our christmas (Newt was displayed on magazine covers as the "grinch who stole christmas".
I remember it very well.
Now democrats and media retards proudly bost about how Clinton balanced the budget.
Today we see the same thing. The problem isn't that republicans are doing the wrong thing, using wrong procedures, have the wrong ideas. The problem is republicans, even after 16 years of media changes, still can't win the media war. That is what is so discourging about this issue. They knew the democrats would use the same strategy because it worked in 1996. Why weren't they better prepared??????????? They should have simply said:
we approve spending at 2007 levels (the only idea I have heard from Senator Hatch that made sense in his 30 years in public life) not adjusted, no base line no gimmiks no nothing. For that we give the debt limit increase for 12 months.
Then you will also remember how Newt had bragged that
Submitted by Jer on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 4:54pm.
it was just a first step toward the eventual goal of eliminating Medicare altogether. He tried to spin his remarks later, but it was difficult to twist the meaning of plain English.
Jer
It is somewhat amusing that
Submitted by Satchmo on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 2:40pm.
It is somewhat amusing that whenever government works the way it was intended, it is described as chaos.
They have not seen real chaos
Submitted by jkwtrading on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 4:46pm.
They have not seen real chaos yet, but when those checks don't arrive for the social programs I expect a few recipients to be a bit upset. I can picture the south and west side of Chicago deciding they might want what the north side has.
But "dissent is patriotic" - don't you remember?
Submitted by drsamherman on Sat, 07/30/2011 - 2:55pm.
This media flip-flopping is worse than watching a tennis match in triple time.
"Rebellious"?
Submitted by Bob K on Sat, 07/30/2011 - 7:08pm.
"Terrorists"? If they left keeps pushing those lines, I may one day agree and really start acting like one.
From a U.S. Senator
Submitted by hayate1 on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 9:37pm.
"The Republicans have been absolutely determined to make certain that the rich and large corporations not contribute one penny for deficit reduction, and that all of the sacrifice comes from the middle class and working families in terms of cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, LIHEAP, community health centers, education, Head Start, nutrition, MILC, affordable housing and many other vitally important programs.
"I cannot support legislation like the Reid proposal which balances the budget on the backs of struggling Americans while not requiring one penny of sacrifice from the wealthiest people in our country. That is not only grotesquely immoral, it is bad economic policy."
U.S. Senator
"Facts are not decided by how many people believe them. Truth is not determined by how loudly it is shouted."
Another US Senator
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 10:02pm.
They should explain this. Maybe they can convince the public they’re right. I doubt it. Because most Americans know that increasing debt is the last thing we should be doing. After all, I repeat, the Baby Boomers are about to retire. Under the circumstances, any credible economist would tell you we should be reducing debt, not increasing it.Democrats won’t be making argument to supper this legalization, which will weaken our country. - Harry Reid, another Socialist Senator like Bernie Sanders.
And how much are you contributing?
Submitted by The Vet on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 10:05pm.
And how much do you draw from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, LIHEAP, community health centers, education, Head Start, nutrition, MILC, affordable housing and many other vitally important programs.
My guess is you get most of your money from some government handout. Yeah, I think you do.
A government shutdown or a government scaling back most of the handout programs won't hurt me in the slightest.
It would kill the mooch that is the hater1.
Kill him financially.
Slay
Slaughter.
No more moneys coming in to spend on teh interwebtubes.
Too bad.
So sad.
Yet another US Senator
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 10:06pm.
Another admitted Socialist Senator, Barack Obama said in 2009: