Return of the Evil Republican Spending Slashers

"They strike on Capitol Hill. And no domestic program is safe. They're . . . the Evil Republican Spending Slashers!"

Just like "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas time, the MSM trots out the reruns of the "Evil Spending Slashers" every time a Republican president proposes to increase entitlement spending by less than some liberals would like.

With the spunky Contessa Brewer hosting in the studio, and reporter Patty Culhane braving the global-warming induced cold wave on the White House lawn, MSNBC ran a classic of the genre this afternoon. At one point the graphic below was displayed, warning of domestic spending "cuts" in a number of programs.

But when you read the fine print, as in this AP article, you find that, for example, the "cut" in Medicare is actually . . . a 6.7% increase. The "cut" is only from a theoretical increase of 7.6% that had apparently been earlier proposed. The article also reveals:

"Bush also calls for reducing Medicaid spending by about $25 billion over five years, which would just slightly dent the more than $1.2 trillion the federal government will spend on health care for the poor over the next five years."

But that didn't stop MSNBC from accusing President Bush, as you'll see in the scroll at the bottom of the first screencap, of "slashing" spending.

The liberal Democrats dutifully play their role in this horror film - with the MSM casting them as the good guys, of course. From the AP article: "Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., described the Medicare and Medicaid proposals as 'declaring war' on the poor."

Pass the popcorn. It's going to be a long budget process.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net