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Maddowblog - "The 2011 ransom note and the GOP's sequester" - Counters Latest GOP Talking Point
The GOP's newest reality defying talking point is that the sequester is President Obama's idea and it is his fault. Thus, even though President Obama and Democrats have repeatedly offered to delay the sequester, Republicans have refused, yet insist that it will be his fault. And, the media generally refuses to hold Republicans accountable for their latest set of lies. Here is a nice exception to the general he-said, she said of the corporate media:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/08/16901421-the-2011-ransom-note-and-the-gops-sequester
When it comes to the looming, automatic sequestration cuts, there seem to be two broader debates happening simultaneously. The first, more important question deals with what's going to happen with the policy itself, and the scope of the damage it could do to the economy, the military, and the country.
The second question is a little pettier: who came up with this awful idea in the first place? A Republican National Committee spokesperson, echoing his party's favorite new talking point, insists this is all President Obama's fault.
Tim Miller obviously isn't the only one making this argument. On the contrary, every speech, interview, and press release I've seen from GOP officials in recent weeks includes an obligatory reference to Obama having come up with the sequester.
I certainly understand the point of the argument. If sequestration kicks in three weeks from now, it's likely to do serious harm. Republicans don't want to be blamed, so they're laying the groundwork now, trying to convince the public now that the dangerous policy wasn't their idea. If the deep, automatic cuts hurt the military during a war and pushes the economy closer to a recession, it's in the GOP's interest to start avoiding responsibility now.
Does the GOP have a point on this? Was the policy actually Obama's idea? No. The argument is not only wrong, it's dependent on the entire political world having a very short memory.
The second question is a little pettier: who came up with this awful idea in the first place? A Republican National Committee spokesperson, echoing his party's favorite new talking point, insists this is all President Obama's fault.
Tim Miller obviously isn't the only one making this argument. On the contrary, every speech, interview, and press release I've seen from GOP officials in recent weeks includes an obligatory reference to Obama having come up with the sequester.
I certainly understand the point of the argument. If sequestration kicks in three weeks from now, it's likely to do serious harm. Republicans don't want to be blamed, so they're laying the groundwork now, trying to convince the public now that the dangerous policy wasn't their idea. If the deep, automatic cuts hurt the military during a war and pushes the economy closer to a recession, it's in the GOP's interest to start avoiding responsibility now.
Does the GOP have a point on this? Was the policy actually Obama's idea? No. The argument is not only wrong, it's dependent on the entire political world having a very short memory.
