ABC Emphasizes 'Broken Down' GOP Congress; Ignores Obama's Inability to Get a Debt Deal Done
Good Morning America's Jon Karl on Wednesday chided a "broken down" Congress unable to get a debt ceiling deal done. Karl ignored Barack Obama's role in failing to secure legislation that would end the impasse.
Instead, he complained, "The whole place seems to have broken down. Republicans can't even convince some of their own members to vote for the Republican plan."
Karl made this point more than once, highlighting, "Republicans delayed a vote on their bill in the House because they don't even have enough Republican votes to pass their own bill."
The journalist did allow that Democrats don't have the votes to pass their bill, but skipped what part the President should have in all of this. Instead, he interviewed members of Congress and pushed Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh, "But, Walsh says when it comes to taxes, he just won't budge."
Talking to the politician, he insisted, "You won't compromise?...A little bit on that at all? Nothing?"
Yet, when he talked to liberal Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters (currently being investigated by the Ethics Committee), he simply wondered if constituents were "upset" with her about the debt ceiling, but asked nothing specific about spending cuts.
A new study by the Media Research Center found that 66 percent of network stories blamed Republicans for the impasse over the debt ceiling.
A transcript of the July 27 story, which aired at 7:01am EDT, follows:
7am tease
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And this morning, collision course. The U.S. careens towards the financial brink after a key vote on Capitol Hill is postponed. Is our economy still a good bet or will America's credit really run out?
7:01
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's go to Capitol Hill right now where members of Congress are starting to hear from all of you after those dueling speeches from President Obama and the House speaker on Monday night, the switchboards on Capitol Hill were besieged, overwhelmed yesterday. Thousands of phone calls and E-mails coming in. Almost all of them saying, Robin, just get this done.
ROBIN ROBERTS: So only five days left on the clock, George as you know, that important vote delayed by the House Speaker as we get closer to potential financial chaos. ABC's Jonathan Karl is on Capitol Hill where he has been tracking all the latest for us overnight. Good morning, Jon.
JON KARL: Good morning, Robin. We are reaching crisis time here on Capitol Hill. The Republicans delayed a vote on their bill in the House because they don't even have enough Republican votes to pass their own bill. Democrats don't have the votes to pass their bill either. The only thing certain up here right now is that everything is in doubt.
UNIDENTIFIED STAFFER #1 : We appreciate you calling.
KARL: The calls are pouring in.
UNIDENTIFIED STAFFER #2: I'll certainly pass that along.
KARL: Plenty of outrage but like congress itself, the callers seem hopelessly divided.
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I would really like for him to hold the line against any deal in Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER #2: I am calling to ask that you cooperate with the President's efforts.
KARL: The whole place seems to have broken down. Republicans can't even convince some of their own members to vote for the Republican plan. In a closed door meeting, Republican leader Eric Cantor told fellow conservatives to, quote, "stop whining" and support the bill, acknowledging, quote, "the debt limit vote sucks. " Across the country, that's the view of Washington itself.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'm pissed off.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: No one, certainly, is listening to the people.
KARL: We brought some of that outrage directly to members of Congress.
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): My constituents are upset with everybody.
KARL: They're upset- Even you?
WATERS: Yeah. They want me to make the president do what he should be doing.
KARL: A constituent of Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh says the two sides should just compromise.
ROBERT KAY (Illinois resident): I just wish we could go back to the old days where the Congress people went out and had a few drinks and talked and compromised.
KARL: But, Walsh says when it comes to taxes, he just won't budge. You won't compromise.
JOE WALSH (R-ILL): No.
KARL: A little bit on that at all? Nothing?
WALSH: It will kill an economy already teetering. That's the last thing we need.
KARL: Nothing less than the full faith and credit of the U.S. government is at stake in this debate and this debt mess may have reached the point that even once they get to a deal, and assuming they can pass it, may lose it, George, the U.S. may lose its AAA credit rating anyway.
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Comments
uhhhh.
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 12:08pm.
Didn't President Obama submit his budget proposal to a democratically-controlled Senate back in February, and wasn't it voted down 97-0?
Amazing
Submitted by IgnatzJFahrquar on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 12:45pm.
The LSM just can't find it in themselves to talk about the 800+ days of super majority that the Dems held, yet no budget was passed. This whole issue would be moot if they had passed a budget ... a cr@ppy one for sure, but at least there would have been one in place.
Well, not really amazing at all in regard to the silence from the media shills.
800+? Your math is way off.
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 4:16pm.
By approximately a factor of 4.
Jer
Sure glad you cleared that up, Jer---
Submitted by matthewdean on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 4:55pm.
I feel so much better about the liberal Democrats in office now.
MD
It's not easy, Matthew...
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 5:41pm.
But it's my job. [I would have let it slide had the discrepancy at least been in the ball park. But, geez...600 days!]
Jer
dead man walking
Submitted by ohio granny on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 1:12pm.
Obama's time is fast coming to an end. After the 2012 election we will finally be rid of him and his incompetent staff. Hope they go hide under the rocks they came from. Too bad we will still have to put up with Reid but hopefully only as a senator.
It will take generations to undo all the damage these poeple have done. Obama is the most corrupt person ever to hold the office of the president of the USA. He shows daily his disdain and distaste for this country. To all of you who voted for this sorry excuse for an American, you have gotten what you voted for. A totally incompetent, corrupt administration.
The last day of his term will be a day of celebration for all of us who knew how corrupt and incompetent he was.
Translation:
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 1:19pm.
"GOP is Broken Down" means that the GOP manages to cause a slight slow down in the socialist juggernaut.
The good old days weren't so good?
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 1:31pm.
ROBERT KAY (Illinois resident): I just wish we could go back to the old days where the Congress people went out and had a few drinks and talked and compromised.
Uh, that's what got us to $14 trillion in debt.
What if this was a parent/child situation? The parent has always borrowed money to give to the demanding child, and now the child wants more? Does the parent just get more money? At what point does the parent say No?
That's where we are today.
I long for new days when we stop borrowing money to pay the interest on other borrowed money.
they don't have enough Republican votes to pass their own bill
Submitted by phryingphish on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 3:51pm.
The first thing they would say if all the Republicans backed any plan would be that it was partisan. Getting 100% of the vote on anything is hard at any time (unless Obama submits it, then they get 100% against) and a budget is hardley ever voted 100% by either party. There is always someone that feels left out.
Democratic compromise = DO IT OUR WAY.
ROBERT KAY (Illinois
Submitted by phryingphish on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 3:54pm.
ROBERT KAY (Illinois resident): I just wish we could go back to the old days where the Congress people went out and had a few drinks and talked and compromised.
Just what we need, Goverment by a bunch of drunks!
Funny but Obama couldn't get
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 4:44pm.
Funny but Obama couldn't get a single Senator to vote for his Feburary budget, not one for his own party, which is a first in US History. Yet repubs are the broken party?