Newsweek's Evan Thomas on Friday tried to float the typical media meme that neither Party is doing anything to solve our nation's budget crisis.
Unfortunately for him, fellow "Inside Washington" panelist Charles Krauthammer accurately noted that the Republicans have offered a proposal to cut $6.6 trillion in the next ten years, "but the Democrats have done nothing except to demagogue the plan and to destroy it" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: But look, Evan is saying the politicians are not offering anything, and that’s not true. The Democrats aren’t offering anything. The President has given us a $1.5 trillion deficit. He hasn’t done anything on entitlements. The Republicans have stepped up and offered a plan. You can have a critique of it.
EVAN THOMAS, NEWSWEEK: Here’s a critique..
KRAUTHAMMER: The Medicare plan is essentially what was recommended by a Democratic commission in 1999 headed by Alice Rivlin.
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: Not quite.
KRAUTHAMMER: Not exactly radical right-wing stuff as Gingrich himself would say.
THOMAS: It is completely unrealistic to think that you’re going to deal with this problem without tax increases. Completely Mars, other universe…
KRAUTHAMMER: The Democrats have not offered…
THOMAS: Republicans are absolutely determined not to raise taxes.
KRAUTHAMMER: You said the politicians are not looking at the problem of debt. The Republicans have offered to cut $6.6 trillion. Now, in the end, it would obviously have to be a deal in which taxes are included, but the Democrats have done nothing except to demagogue the plan and to destroy it, leaving us with what? With the Bush, with the Obama administration budget which was defeated 97-0 in the Senate because it is so embarrassing.
THOMAS: So you’re admitted, you’re saying here the Republicans are going to face up to reality and raise taxes?
THOMAS: But you endorse, Charles, you are endorsing higher taxes?
KRAUTHAMMER: Of course I am endorsing higher taxes. I’ve done it in print for years, and I’ve done it a month ago. The problem is you start with spending because we are historically much higher than we were for the last 50 years. We’re at 25 percent of GDP. The historic average is 19. You have to start there. In the end, of course you’re going to have tax reform, which will include the raising of revenue.
It really is a darned shame the Obama-loving media can't be honest about this issue.
America is facing likely its worst fiscal crisis in its history requiring bold action by political leaders. Instead of assisting the process by accurately reporting the goings on, so-called journalists have opted to take sides and present the Democrat argument at every turn.
As Krauthammer accurately noted, there are currently only two plans on the table and the one offered by the President got absolutely zero votes in the Senate.
For their part, Democrats in both chambers not only voted against Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) bill, they have also opted not to offer a plan of their own having actually not proposed a budget now for over two years.
That our media choose to not castigate Democrats for this disgraceful abdication of their responsibility is deplorable. Much like Thomas, their goal is just to get taxes raised.
But as Krauthammer correctly pointed out, the first step in this process has to be reining in spending. Once that is accomplished, tax reform should follow to simplify the current code while likely increasing total revenues much as Reagan accomplished in his second term.
If the press continue to push exclusively for tax hikes, the Democrats will never feel they need to come to the spending reduction table thereby preventing any chance for serious budget discussions.
Ironically, so-called journalists often question where the adult is in these negotiations.
Maybe they should be asking that of themselves, for as long as they act like children, the Party they support will be similarly able to do so.
