YES! Bernie Sanders to GOP: Spare me the lectures on YOUR deficit

[FourScore]

YES! Bernie Sanders to GOP: Spare me the lectures on YOUR deficit
by MinistryOfTruth
Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 04:52:31 PM PST

I've got to hand it to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), he knocks it out of the park on this. Republicans with their phony deficit concerns want to put the blame of their failed Conservative policies on Democrats and President Obama...

SNIP

...First, the transcript:

Sen. Sanders (I-VT): "Let me begin by saying something to my friend Senator Gregg, through the chairman, through the chairman. I really don't like being lectured on deficits when you (Sen. Gregg) and many members of your party (Republicans) helped cause the situation we are in right now. "

"People voted, Senator Gregg, I believe you are one of them, for a war in Iraq, which some people will think will cost two or three trillion dollars, but you forgot to pay for that war. You and other people voted for tax breaks for the wealthiest 1%, costs $600 billion dollars, forgot to pay for that. You voted for a prescription drug medicare bill which will cost $400 billion dollars but doesn't negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical industry, forgot to ask how that was going to be paid for, you voted for the bailout and I believe you want to repeal the inheritance tax, which will cost a trillion dollars over a ten year period, benefiting the top 3/10ths of 1%. I voted against all of those things, so please, please, spare the lectures on deficit reduction."

Later in the video, Senator Sanders mentions the fact that America's top 1% of wealthiest citizens earns more income the bottom 50% COMBINED. RNC Chairman Micheal Steele says that a million dollars after tax isn't that much money, but it is, a lot more than it was before George W. Bush's and the so called Fiscal Conservatives passed tax cuts for the rich without considering how that would affect America's ability to raise the revenue needed to balance the budget. Of course, Fiscal Conservatives will claim that all one needs to do is cut spending too, unless it is for war. But if war is so necessary why isn't health care reform, or cutting back on pollution, or a number of other issues. Maybe it is because the only thing fiscally conservative about so called fiscal conservatives is the fact that they insist on calling themselves fiscal conservatives.

In the real world, taking something without paying for it is called STEALING. It's like Robin Hood in reverse, fiscal conservatives like to rob from the poor and give to the rich...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/10/835605/-YES!-Bernie-Sanders-to-GOP:-Spare-me-the-lectures-on-YOUR-deficit

[yourout]

1. Proud to give Bernie a KnR.

[abq e streeter]

2. Me too----Sanders is awesome

[DebbieCDC]

3. K&R for Bernie

Gawd, I wish we had 60 of him in the Senate and 300 in the House.

[gimama]

4. goood JOB, Bernie!

sometimes, I kinda love that Guy, Bernie Sanders.
I love that big I..Independant!

[Frosty cupcake]

28. Sanders is a self described Democratic Socialist

Just to clarify.

[AllyCat]

44. When I look at my political leanings, I must agree that I am one too

Or a GReen. Not sure which. Or both

[av8rdave]

51. You say that like it's something evil.

[Goldstein1984]

56. There are more of us Democratic Socialists every day

Proud to be one.

[liberation]

63. Is this one of those answers for a question that nobody asked? nt

[Enthusiast]

76. And that is

wrong, somehow? There are different degrees of socialism. It isn't as if he is a dreaded Communist. He only wants "responsible" capitalism where corporations are held to certain standards. You know, standards that make them adhere to principles to not harm the welfare of the American people.

Is this too much to expect?

[rhett o rick]

98. What are you clarifying? We all know exactly what Bernie. He is America's Senator. nt

[Reterr]

102. Whereas most self-described "independants" these days are just Repiglicans who are ashamed to admit

that they are Repugs.
As they should be.

[PatrynXX]

105. well I'm sure Joe Lieberman is a self described Republican Nazi but...

but really what is the point of saying that. Yes Calling Joe a nazi is absurd. He isn't and neither is Sanders. Thats why I like him, he's neither.

Kinda like Ron Paul, although Ron's been a bit mutted.

[gimama]

118. HEY!

Welcome to DU!:hi:

[indepat]

103. Bravo for sending rockets up the arses of M. F. Gregg and all those of his hypocritical ilk

:P

[ProSense]

5. Bravo to Sen. Sanders for focusing on Republican hypocrisy.

I bet some people wouldn't appreciate that Sen. Sanders in fact supports President Obama's efforts to cut wasteful spending.

Statement: Sanders on President’s Budget Proposal

February 1, 2010

WASHINGTON, February 1 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama sent Congress a $3.83 trillion budget proposal:

“There is a lot in the president’s budget that will be helpful to Vermonters, including major investments in child care, education, health care, renewable energy, affordable housing and tax breaks for middle-class individuals and small businesses. As a member of the Budget Committee, I am also going to focus on deficit reduction and making sure that all agencies of government, including the Pentagon, get scrutinized, and that we move as fast as possible to eliminate all of the Bush tax breaks given to the wealthy and large corporations.”

[laughingliberal]

15. I notice Bernie mentioned he will include scrutinizing the Pentagon in his efforts. nt

[Goldstein1984]

58. And Bush's tax cuts for fatcats

[TCJ70]

6. Someone who makes sense...

...too bad there aren't more of them.

[Elwood P Dowd]

7. Those things cost a helluva' lot more than Bernie says.

He is being somewhat nice if you ask me.

[WatchWhatISay]

8. Wish I could give Bernie a couple of hearts for that.

Do you think he could do a seminar for the Dems?

[KonaKane]

9. Yet Mr. Saunders is called a "kook"

when in fact he is one of the most sensible Congressfolk left on the hill.

[Elwood P Dowd]

10. I listen to Brunch With Bernie every Friday.

Thanks Thom.

[Goldstein1984]

62. It's called invalidation

In a corrupt institution, the uncorrupted must be rendered harmless.

We ignore people like Sanders at our own peril.

[Political Heretic]

83. Right long with Kuchinich.

[Carnage251]

11. I wish the democrats in congress were more like him

:applause: :yourock:

[av8rdave]

52. Too bad the rethugs aren't as well!

[truedelphi]

12. K & R for Bernie. n/t

[krispos42]

13. We need to genetically xerox Bernie and run him in every state.

K&R

[Oldtimeralso]

14. K & R

Give em HELL Bernie!!!

[laughingliberal]

16. Rec for Bernie!

:bounce:

[pundaint]

17. As I type the support for Bernie is unanimous, perhaps we need an Independent Underground.

[malaise]

18. I love Bernie Sanders

Senator :yourock:

[Chef Eric]

19. I wish more Senators spoke like this! n/t

[City Lights]

20. Bernie kicks ass!

:loveya: I wish there were more senators like him!

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cass]

21. Vermonters are so lucky to have Sen. Sanders representing them.

You tell it, Sen. Sanders!!

K & R :kick:

[StreetKnowledge]

22. BAM!

Bernie Sanders has got to be the best guy in the US Senate right now. Too bad he's an independent, I'm thinking when Reid's sorry ass is thrown out of office in November, Bernie would make a good majority leader.

:)

[deacon]

23. Everybody should kick this. They like to pretend bush was never president. n/t

[DisgustedInMN]

24. I look forward to Brunch with Bernie every week.

It the one place I know for sure, I'll hear the straight scoop on what's going on in the House of Lords....

... oops, I mean Senate.

:shrug:

[valerief]

25. Man, I wish Bernie ran the Senate!!!! nt

[Statistical]

26. Kinda crazy when you think about it.

If you undid the Bush tax cuts: $600B/yr, the medicare drug plan: $400B/yr, the inheritance tax repeal: $100B/yr from Obama 2010 budget the deficit would shrink by $1.1T. 2/3rds reduction from $1.8T to $700B.

Not sure how much the wars cost on annualized basis but I am sure that would further reduce the deficit.

A small cut in spending and a small tax increase and we could have surplus again.

[laughingliberal]

35. Amazing isn't it? Just take back the money from those it was given to during the Bush theft and the

deficit would be erased. But, noooo. We have to have a deficit commission run off and work in secret to figure out a way to privatize SS, Medicare, Medicaid.

[hyphenate]

72. While it's not the best there could be

We can't take away the Medicare Drug Plan, at least not until there is an adequate replacement. It's for people like me, living on disability, who do benefit from it. Without it, at least 4 of my 9 prescribed medications would cost about $400, and I wouldn't be able to afford them. This would be deadly for me, as those 4 included my anti-depressant and my statin Lipitor.

So no, I have to keep plugging along, and that means taking the pills which are keeping me alive.

[Enthusiast]

77. To correct the medicare drug

plan we only need provide a means to negotiate drug prices and allow re-importation.

[hyphenate]

93. reimportation is so absurd

The drugs go from the US to Canada, and then we import them back?

We should make the drug companies charge less to begin with!

[Enthusiast]

117. Well, yes.

But the damn corporations, especially the pharmaceutical industry, seem to have unchallenged levels of power. Imagine the money the tax payer could save if drug prices were reined in. Yet, there is NO WAY.

Is expecting reasonable drug prices, in line with prices in other nations, a crazy "far left" idea?

Fuck no it isn't!

Stand up, don't allow these Teabagging stupid Republican and Democratic corporatists to paint us as far leftists when we are middle of the road common sense Americans.

[kleec]

27. K&R for Bernie

[beac]

29. Bravo, bravo, bravo Bernie!

:patriot:

[Myrina]

30. "... fiscal conservatives like to rob from the poor and give to the rich..."

... and when are the Teabaggers finally going to figure that out!?!?


:freak:

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Needs to be printed and dropped from airplanes on the 'tea baggers' and across America.

What the MSM won't say.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

53. They wouldn't read it.

They'd label it "evile socialist propaganda" and make a bonfire with it, for the sheer pleasure of adding a little more CO2 to the atmosphere.

[NJmaverick]

32. Way to go Bernie!

[Oceansaway]

33. K&R...n/t

[kenfrequed]

34. Recommended!

Highly recommended. Sanders has been one of my favorite senators for years now!

[Jefferson23]

36. K&R for Bernie!

[change_notfinetuning]

37. Sen. Sanders, the nation's senator, didn't leave the Democratic Party. The

Democratic Party left him. That type of speech should be the norm for a big D Democrat. Too bad that we derailed ourselves.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

38. YES!!

[Overseas]

39. K&R for Bernie saying what all Democrats should have been saying all along.

It is really sad that we don't have a liberal media to point out the glaring hypocrisy of the Republicans. We only have our token liberal shows on a conservative dominated mass media.

That's why the pretty bipartisan talk has been a big mistake. Republicans shot themselves in the foot with the Bush Gang-- the party claiming to be fiscally conservative racked up huge deficits again and destroyed our international reputation and national security by breaking the Geneva Conventions and pushing our country into a privatized war of choice.

Republicans trashed those pillars of their old fashioned reputation as fiscally sensible and strong on defense. They were neither of those things for the 8 years of Bush and the Reagan years when they slashed taxes and broke ethical boundaries in military conduct with their trading arms with our enemies to finance the Contra war.

That's what was so exciting about Howard Dean's candidacy-- he asked voters to look at the Republican record-- they racked up the largest deficits in history and weakened our national defense with their illegal wars.

[Dappleganger]

41. Go, Bernie!!

[BarbaRosa]

42. K&R, this needs to be said over and over.

[AllyCat]

43. I love Sanders!

[upi402]

45. It takes a socialist it seems

to question authority and speak truth to power. Most Democrats are less than useless.

[GreenPartyVoter]

68. And he does it so well.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HughBeaumont]

46. More Bernies, more Sherrod Browns, get the hell rid of the DLC Clowns!

:)

[greymattermom]

47. war and tax

Why can't they just combine the Afghanistan appropriation with a tax on the rich and force the Repubs to choose. It's fiscally responsible after all.

[L0oniX]

48. Mega K & R

[FailureToCommunicate]

49. Go Bernie! Thanks 4Score.

[NewJeffCT]

50. We need every Democrat to say similar

of course, getting Democrats to do anything together is more difficult than herding cats.

[Lorien]

54. These are the kind of points that Democrats should be making

instead, the one Socialist in the Senate is the only one with the spine to tell the truth!

[KansDem]

55. Why should we be listening to those talk about the deficits who write their thoughts on their hands?

F*ck the GOP and the horse they didn't pay for to ride in on...

[moonlady0623]

57. why? well....

Of course, Fiscal Conservatives will claim that all one needs to do is cut spending too, unless it is for war. But if war is so necessary why isn't health care reform, or cutting back on pollution, or a number of other issues.

Because war is very profitable to these rich bastards! They won't make any money ensuring the masses have health care and fresh air. I guess they're pretty short-sighted: who will staff all their money-making enterprises when the rabble have died from poor health care? Where will the Rich Idiots LIVE when the planet can't sustain human life?

There ARE more of us than them.....maybe we just need to round them all up and send them to Jupiter...

[Echo In Light]

59. K&R

[myrna minx]

60. Love Bernie! K&R n/t

[Arkana]

61. I want the names of the people that considered trying to primary this guy

so I can send them a truckload of dead mackerel.

[cali]

64. don't bother. it's not worth it. There's no chance that Bernie will be defeated

in 2012. He's been running and winning statewide for 2 decades. We know him. He knows us. It's all good.

[Arkana]

73. Good.

You keep that man where he is, you hear me? Damn Vermont hippies.

:P

[tranche]

65. Why would FDL want to primary this guy?

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/23/vt-voters-to-bernie-sanders-stand-up-for-whats-right-or-risk-losing-your-seat/

[DisgustedInMN]

75. Uhhhhhhh...

..you might want to ask the fine folks over at FDL, exactly how Democrats go about "primarying" someone who isn't a Democrat.

:puffpiece:

[Hippo_Tron]

66. Which was done by design

The Republicans ran up huge deficits partly so that they could claim we can't afford anything the Democrats want to do when the Democrats got back into power.

[Enthusiast]

78. It was part of "The Great Heist".

It had to be done by design.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

67. "Rob from the poor and give to the rich" - that reminds me...

Anyone else remember the Reagan Hood shirts from the '80's? Pictured Ronnie with a Robin Hood hat on and said, "Reagan Hood: Steal From The Poor and Give To The Rich".

[kurtzapril4]

91. Reminds me of a Monty Python sketch.....

Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore
Rides through the night
Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore,
dum de de de dum
He steals from the poor
Gives to the rich...
Stupid bitch
Stupid bitch.

[Wapsie B]

69. Where was the gop's concern about the deficit during the Bush years?

That two or three trillion Sanders mentions is only what was reported lost by Rumsfeld. The true cost of Iraq has got to be much greater than that. Bankrupt the government so that only pet projects of the gop get through. Well I think it's time other areas of spending take it up the rear for a change. We've cut and cut on social spending while building shiny new jails and prisons. Defense contractors are fat and sassy even if producing weapons of questionable value.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

70. can I give 1 million hearts to Bernie Sanders??

Let's have more of this, please!!

(American Pravda media, I'm talking to you too.)

[redqueen]

71. Love this. (nt)

[cascadiance]

74. Sanders/Dean in 2012

That's an independent ticket I could get behind! Though I'm guessing many will say that it is too Vermont centric...

[NorthCarolina]

79. K&R

[countryken]

80. Everybody loves Bernie

This was what I heard from some Vermont based touring folk singers when I mentioned that he's my favorite Senator.

My brother is a Goldwater republican from way back, but as a resident of Burlington, VT for many years, he voted for Bernie, recognizing his honesty and integrity.

[heliarc]

81. Accccckkkkk!!! I accidentally hit unrecommend!

I TOTALLY RECOMMEND.... Sorry guys. My bad...

[BenjaminFranklin]

82. rec'd for you

let the fascist republikkkan's suckonat.

[Political Heretic]

84. If Democrats would act more like Sanders, they'd win elections for the next 30 years at least.

[cali]

89. I doubt Bernie could be elected in most states.

If you think that someone with Bernie's politics could be elected in NE or AL or AR or any number of other states you are really deluding yourself.

[Political Heretic]

96. I think the outcomes would surprise you, in states currently election D's

of some form.

[cascadiance]

116. Alan Grayson got elected in a "Republican" district...

The key is being a populist, not just a "moderate" in these states. I think the so-called "moderates" that are actually corporatists have been exposed for the corporate shills for what they are. Some moderate Democrats can win in these areas and perhaps run on middle of the road issues like gun ownership rights, etc., but I think many in these areas want someone that's going to favor working for people over working for banks and insurance companies that just about all so-called "moderates" have done.

[winyanstaz]

85. K & R for Bernie Sanders....

A great senator for the people.

[hankthecrank]

86. Gop and tea baggers seem to missing 8 years

Like a drunk waking up from a drinking binge they seem to have some missing time


I still remember siting in High School and making a promise that history will not repeat itself on my watch. I was thinking it would be in 10 or 20 years time frame. No its repeat in 1 years time.

Good one Sir!

[penndragon69]

87. Bernie sanders earns another GOLD STAR!

[Blue Owl]

88. in fact, spare us all your lectures

you lying, cheating, stealing hypocritical repukes.

[RoccoR5955]

90. K & R!!! Sanders/Kucinich 2012!

I've been saying it for a while now, and will continue to. If we want a government of, for, and by WE THE PEOPLE, not them, the corporations, THESE are the people we want leading our country

[arthritisR_US]

92. Way to go Bernie, calling it like it is!! k&r. n/t

[quiet.american]

95. Excellent he said it to Gregg's face. If words were fists, Gregg's face would be black-and-blue

As it is, his squirming at the end was the cherry on top.

[rhett o rick]

97. k&r

[defendandprotect]

99. And where are Democrats -- still re-funding Bush wars after 3 years!!!

Cheers to Bernie -- !!!

Wish we had 99 more like him in the Senate!!

[mother earth]

100. Sanders is incredible!!! I love how he sums it up...we need

more, more, more of Bernie Sanders! The man kicks it and then some, pay attention dems THIS man knows how to kick GOP butt, with the truth!

K & R

[Reterr]

101. One of the few pols out there that I genuinely respect.eom

[bertman]

104. R-E-E-E-E -E-E-E-E-C-C-C- C-C-C-C-C-!!!!! nt

[JNelson6563]

106. Bernie, takin' it to 'em!

Rock on Bernie! :toast:

[hay rick]

107. K&R

[nradisic]

108. K&R

It was about time someone spoke the truth to shut the GOP up...Jesus!

[Zambero]

109. Conservatives conserve nothing...

other than their embrace of ignorance, intolerance, adherence to disproven dogma, and an eagerness to repeat their own past mistakes only on a much larger scale.

[johnaries]

110. Go, Bernie! They are not "conservative", they are "regressives".

Progressives want to move forward. Conservatives want to preserve the status quo. Regressives want to move backwards. They want to forget all of the lessons we have learned and regress to a manufactured "Golden Age" that never existed.

[RoccoR5955]

111. On to the greatest page of all time!

Let's hear it again...
Sanders/Kucinich 2012.
USA for WE THE PEOPLE
NOT
them, the corporations!

[troubledamerican]

112. Cue the apologies from DNC, Rahm, Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, Feinstein, et al

[defendandprotect]

113. And how about the CLINTON SURPLUS . . !!! ???

[HCE SuiGeneris]

114. Late (#329) to the party.

WTG, Bernie. We need more like you.

[earcandle]

115. telling it like it is! Thanks Bernie! Here is a song for you!

Something Different

we are not cows and we'll do anything we must