Krauthammer: Obama Wins Budget Debate if Electorate's as Gullible as Nina Totenberg, Mark Shields and Evan Thomas
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer made a point about today's media that should make everyone think twice about the state of American journalism.
In a discussion about the Ryan budget proposal on PBS's Inside Washington Friday, Krauthammer observed, "Obama will win the argument if the electorate is as gullible as Nina [Totenberg] and Mark [Shields] and Evan [Thomas] in accepting what the Administration is saying about the cuts" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Why does he attack Paul Ryan’s budget?
MARK SHIELDS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Because the Republicans in Congress are less popular than the Democrats in Congress than the President in the White House. So if you put Mitt Romney, and you want to make this campaign about budget and budget cuts and tax cuts for the best off, the angry affluent if you would. I mean, that’s where Obama wants to fight the campaign, not on the economy itself or unemployment or five million missing jobs. Fight it on the budget and turning Medicaid over to the states and privatizing Medicare.
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: Fight it on student loans. He wants to fight it on, you know, an end to student loans…
PETERSON: The safety net.
TOTENBERG: …the safety net, an end to research which has made, scientific research which has made this country great. Those are the things that, you know, you can sound the alarm bells on. And conversely, the Republicans want to make it about the end of the country by fiscal default.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Obama will win the argument if the electorate is as gullible as Nina and Mark and Evan in accepting what the Administration is saying about the cuts. You just said cutting student loans. Actually, the Ryan budget keeps the level of public Pell grants exactly where it is.
What Obama speaks about when he talks about a cut is he wants to keep inflating the amount of spending the government is doing. Today the government spends 25 percent of the economy which is the highest since the Second World War. The average is 20 percent. He’s now at 25 percent. So what he calls a cut means the not increasing of a budget he’s already inflated radically. There are no cuts in student loans.
Indeed there aren't. Yet folks like Nina, Mark and Evan disgracefully tell their readers otherwise.
Which means the only hope for this nation is that the overwhelming majority of Americans doesn't exclusively rely on what people like this are saying and instead reads things like Ryan's actual budget to find out the truth.
Sadly, what's the likelihood of that?
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Comments
The Three Stooges and Charles
Submitted by mmilesll on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 12:44pm.
Charles deserves combat pay for dealing with these morons every week.
Agreed.
Submitted by GregE on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 12:50pm.
And he surely uses his rounds efficiently.
Such easy targets...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 1:05pm.
...after they shoot themselves in the foot...
safety first
Submitted by frank_andrini on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 2:18pm.
whilst 'cleaning' their 'guns'...dancing with themselves?...spanking their monkeys? Oops this was NOT intended to encourage anyone to hurt any primates as these guys do it well on their own. You know...being monkey's relatives? Somebody stop me just had my meds today.
Two senior "journalists"
Submitted by RMR on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 12:59pm.
Two senior "journalists" advising Obama to run on lies? I am shocked! HA!
Are We So Stupid . . . .
Submitted by Bourbeau on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 1:13pm.
That we think the likes of Tottenberg, Shields or Thomas have an honest assessment of anything the Republicans put forth. What boggles my mind is, as a country, we accept these morons oeprating without a budget for three years and barely say a word. We think, whatever they're doing, must be okay, because nothing changes. We're as hapless as the morons in Washington. Whether we like it or not, we created this mess, we have allowed the mainstream media to promote as "Good vs. Evil", and we have completely abolished anything ever closely resembling negotiations where every one get a little of something and loses a little of somethin. Today, we want to keep everything, regardless of cost, as long as it's somebody else's wallet.
Nothing Changing?
Submitted by bmac32 on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 1:29pm.
Mmm, gas prices have doubled, food prices are 12% higher and the national debt is out of control. Real unemployment is like 17 or 18%, you call those 'nothing changes', I call those changes that will haunt this country for years. Obama makes Carter look like a few smart man and Jimmy was a peanut farmer.
Agreed, Bourbeau, that we are responsible, ultimately, ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 4:30pm.
for not having kept a weather eye out on the educational system, the political system, and the judiciary, as well.
When the educational system is rife with liberals, at all levels -with no attendant oppositional consequences; when a politician representing the Party in power says "We must pass the bill to find out what's in it - with no oppositional outcry or consequences; and when the judiciary - especially a non-elected jurist - overturns a majority vote (think CA Proposition 8) and there are no immediate consequences of note other than the gnashing of conservative teeth ---
The "no consequence" scenario can not be allowed to stand if this country is to survive as a bastion of freedom
The tap root of the 'system' that threatens us is an unholy mixture of the three previously mentioned systems; and the removal of that cancerous growth is essential to insure a palatable future.
Odd that a Founding Father, those many years ago, noted that the Tree of Liberty sometimes has to be watered with blood.
That situation will come to pass; of that I have no doubt.
The only uncertainties are: when; and how bad is it going to be?
MD
.
Nina Totenberg
Submitted by Ogundipe S.O. on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 1:31pm.
Her name is just as risible as every balderdash she spews.
Charles Krauthammar is accurately emblematic of how intellectually savvy Conservatives are as a whole.
A real media would confront Owebama daily on his 6 trillion
Submitted by merly1 on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 1:30pm.
first term new debt............how is this not a daily query of how to scale it
back and quickly?
Obama will likely win again if the electorate are as uninformed,
Submitted by Rush Fan on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 2:15pm.
misinformed and stupid as the Leftist on Inside Washington, and the 47% of Americans who approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president reflected in the latest Drudge-linked Gallup Poll.
Welcome to the United States of
AmericaGreece! Let's hope the forthcoming riots and demonstrations will be more civil than in Europe.Charles Krauthammer
Submitted by Pinger on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 2:19pm.
Listening to Charles Krauthammer makes me realize just how wonderful political commentary could be. If only more had the insight of Charles, and if only less and less were willing propagandists like Nina and Mark and Evan.
Hmmm....
Submitted by pcnav on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 1:50am.
Charles should have used Dan Ackroyd's line from the original (and funny) SNL.
"Nina, you ignorant s.......
Of Course...
Submitted by Aubrey on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 8:13am.
....Liberals Lie and Distort. They do so with such ease.
Hard to believe
Submitted by SaguaroJack on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 3:40pm.
It's hard to credit that anyone with an IQ above that of a rock can seriously believe what these liberals claim to believe. Either they don't use their minds, or they are just liars.