Opinion: Bipartisan debt deal draws bipartisan flak from Limbaugh, Krugman, Beck--and a Gallup warning
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No wonder top Senate Democrat Harry Reid wants a quick vote on the bipartisan deficit reduction agreement:
Less than 24 hours in, opposition is jelling quickly. And it too is bipartisan.
Oh, and a new Gallup Poll now gives President Obama his lowest weekly approval rating ever.
Sunday night was all about legislators, who love making deals, having made a deal after making it look hard for weeks. Monday is all about explaining it. At least $2.1 trillion in spending cuts sounds good to many.
But wait, what? Cut $350 billion from defense? In this day and age. With a community patrol officer as president launching protective military attacks against Libya over what its dictator might do to civilians, while Syria’s regime actually does kill them by the hundreds and draws wimpy warnings?
Some might see bipartisan unhappiness with the budget deal as a sign of a genuine compromise. Others that it might be doomed. And they could both be right.
Top radio talker Rush Limbaugh points out the maximum $2.4-trillion debt increase would be the largest increase in U.S. history on top of the previous largest increase ever ($1.9 trillion), both by the pen of Obama. Limbaugh predicts Obama will cite a failure of cuts next year and return to his tax increase demands.
Glenn Beck, who also doesn’t hold elective office, pronounces:
Don’t be fooled. We’ve just been betrayed by Washington. A deal on the debt ceiling is near and Washington still hasn’t gotten serious about the fundamentals. It hasn’t gotten serious about default. It certainly hasn’t gotten serious about the future. When Harry Reid hails a “bipartisan compromise” you know we’re doomed. Republicans and Democrats have just negotiated away the future of our children behind closed doors. The big compromise on Capitol Hill features elaborate triggers, tranches, Hornswogglers, Snozzwangers, Super Duper Commissions that will make the Snozzberries taste like Snozeberries, and a whole bunch of other convoluted gibberish that will, no doubt, come with loopholes and create entire new bureaucracies. What it doesn’t do is fix the problem.
Over on the left, the White House was busy this afternoon trying to calm angry progressives such as bearded talker Paul Krugman. He says Obama surrendered and folded, and he urges a ‘no’ vote on the ‘disaster.’
Firedoglake is organizing calls to Congress to denounce especially the unconstitutional ‘super Congress’ soon to be making further cuts outside the purview of other elected members.
And libertarian-like Texas Rep. Ron Paul joins Krugmen in blasting the agreement for its false promises. Do we hear a can being kicked down the road yet again?
On the polling front, Gallup this afternoon released a new survey finding Obama’s weekly job approval is now at 42%, one point lower than his previous lowest.
Such a deal for everyone.
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-- Andrew Malcolm
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