CNN's John Avlon Blasts Tea Party Congressmen for 'Demagoguing' the Debt
Once again, Tea Party-critic John Avlon took aim at "hyper-partisanship" in Congress but focused the blame squarely on House Republicans while saving a tiny bit of blame for Democrats. In a July 25 op-ed for CNN.com, he hit Republicans for walking away from a generous deal by President Obama to settle the debt ceiling debate.
"We are learning that activists and ideologues pushing anti-tax pledges have nothing to do with the responsibility of governing," Avlon berated Tea Party members of Congress, while accusing them of opposing the bipartisan plan set forth by the "Gang of Six" simply because Obama approved of it.
Avlon also emphasized that the vote to raise the debt ceiling is "usually a routine action," and apparently should have been accomplished already. True, but he fails to account for the Republican argument that the country cannot afford to keep raising the debt ceiling routinely without enacting sufficient spending cuts.
Among some of the descriptions of Tea Party Republians Avlon provides are "anti-tax absolutists," "critics who come armed with their own facts," and that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) practices "situation ethics." Is Avlon the one being hyper-partisan now?
However, this is simply par-for-the-course from the man who thought the 2010 CPAC's theme "Saving Freedom" was "a little extreme." He also has claimed the Tea Party wouldn't have difficulty supporting Reagan today, for his not being conservative enough.
To read Avlon's entire piece on CNN.com, click here.
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Comments
Poetic justice?
Submitted by Robersire on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 6:35pm.
An unnamed source claims that Obama plans on raiding the Union pensions after the 2012 election. Under the bus is getting crowded.
Whine and Cry
Submitted by Samshile on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 6:55pm.
Geez they whined and cried when Bush2 "compromised" and spent money. Now the Repubs promised not to and they still whine and cry.
And this dope is married to
Submitted by Martin2717 on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 8:08pm.
And this dope is married to Margaret Hoover, who claims to be a conservative. Riiiiiiight................
And YOUR PARTY is the one doing the granny-scare bit.
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 8:57pm.
B(H)O has been scaring little old ladies with talk of withholding social security payments and you whine that the GOP is "demagoguing" the debt? If so, YOUR PARTY has been "voguing" at government, pretending it wants to do anything at all but tax and spend money like a drunken sailor at a bordello on pay day.
Who's being responsible?
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 8:56am.
"We are learning that activists and ideologues pushing anti-tax pledges have nothing to do with the responsibility of governing," Avlon berated Tea Party members of Congress . . .
It has been the IRresponsibilty of governing that has gotten us into this economic mess. It is the ideologues who insist that the only responsible thing to do is to keep borrowing more $$$ and let another generation get stuck with the bill. Ideologues don't have to think; they only have to stay true to form. Their collective position is "We've always raised it before, so we must raise it again . . . and again . . . and again . . . ?"
Some of the Dems acknowledge that we wouldn't even be discussing long-term debt were it not for the Tea Partiers holding firm on their tax position. Even if the Congress and the President come up with a short-term deal to raise the debt ceiling, the marker has finally been throw down and the Left can no longer ignore the Tea Partiers. Unemployment and long-term national debt are the issues of the 2012 election.