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Nancy Pelosi Destroys Republican Talking Points on the Debt Ceiling
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) destroyed Republican talking points regarding the debt ceiling on Face the Nation, and then upped the ante for more revenue.
Asked on Face the Nation if Democrats are willing to make cuts to “entitlements” to address the deficit, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pointed out, “We already have.” She then referenced ObamaCare’s $716 billion cuts to Medicare providers, and was after she mentioned the over one trillion in cuts Democrats already put on the table.
When she was asked about Speaker John Boehner’s plan to require a dollar for dollar match in cuts to amount the debt ceiling is raised, the former Speaker clarified that the debt ceiling is about money already spent, and is not the place to argue about budgets, “I don’t think these two things should be related.”
Finally!
Watch part of her interview here via CBS News:
After brushing aside suggestions that we should make cuts to Social Security or raise the Medicare eligibility age, Pelosi continued hammering away at Republican talking points, “I think that we should subject what we spend — every taxpayer dollar — whether it be defense or domestic, to the harshest scrutiny.” But, that has nothing to do with “whether the full faith and credit of the United States of America should be placed in jeopardy… The debt ceiling is about spending that has already occurred. Right now, we have to pay the bills that have been incurred. And if you want to say ‘cut spending for what we do next’ fine, but don’t tie it to the debt ceiling.”
Pelosi said she’s open to means testing to reduce Medicare payments to the wealthy.
Republicans have been trying to confuse the public by suggesting that the debt ceiling is about future debt, when in fact it is raising the credit limit to cover money that Congress already spent. How ironic is it that Republicans, who claim to be the party of fiscal conservatism, want to default on money they spent?
Pelosi then got in a rather understated but accurate dig about the extremism of the modern day Republican Party. She said, “I keep saying to my Republican friends, ‘Take back your party.’ This isn’t the Grand Old Party that did so many things for America, that commanded so much respect. This is really an over-the-edge crowd; that’s the way I see it. The fact is that it is dominated by an element that are anti-government ideologues, and are committed to not co-operating with this president, and it’s hard to understand.”
Yes, it is hard to understand. But what is not hard to understand is that Nancy Pelosi just succinctly debunked GOP talking points.
Nancy Pelosi explained in sound bites that a) Democrats have already made cuts b) The debt ceiling is past debt and Congress has a duty to raise the debt ceiling to pay its bills c) The Debt ceiling is unrelated to the budget and d) The place for discussions about cuts is in what Congress does next, not in what Congress has already passed.
Oh, and e) Republicans are extremists.
Also, Pelosi confirmed that we are not done collecting revenue to pay off our debt, but not from the middle class. “The President had originally said he wanted $1.6 trillion in revenue. He took it down to $1.2 as a compromise in this legislation. We get $620 billion dollars, very significant, high-end tax — changing the high-end tax rate to 39.6 percent, but that is not enough on the revenue side.”
Pelosi wouldn’t get specific, but she has her eye on carried interest loophole and oil subsidies.
The Democrats are going to get back to a balanced budget that doesn’t force the poor, elderly, and disabled to bear the brunt of the trickle down failures.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Democrat unabashedly stake out pro revenue territory, but it’s not unexpected after the President’s recent victory and successful campaigning on a balanced approach to taxes. Republicans don’t seem to have the message yet that the American public support the Democrats’ approach, perhaps because Republicans are still falling for their own spin.
Mitch McConnell tried the tired meme of painting Democrats as “taxers” today, saying Democrats have a “voracious appetite” for taxes. But this is going nowhere fast, because the public has realized that we need revenue and that Republicans are just shilling for the rich and corporations when they pretend to be anti-taxers. It was Republicans who had to be forced into extending a tax cut to the middle class, after all.
Pelosi successfully knocked down all of the Republican talking points that used to so easily define an upcoming battle, and then, not satisfied with simply debunking, she upped the ante and put more revenue on the table.
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16 Responses to Nancy Pelosi Destroys Republican Talking Points on the Debt Ceiling
Everybodhi
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Cut the defense budget.
robyn ryan
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
Tax stock transactions, too!
labman57
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Hmmm. Let’s examine the fiscal conservatives’ logic with respect to the debt ceiling:
The main objective of the intransigent Republican members of Congress is — allegedly — to curb wasteful government spending.
So to meet that objective, they are threatening a repeat of last year’s debt ceiling blockade which resulted in the U.S. being unable to pay its bills for the first time ever, thereby causing the nation’s credit rating to take a major hit, which in turn led to higher interest rates for government borrowing, and finally, billions of dollars wasted as a result.
Great idea.
Reality check: The current agenda of most House Republicans has nothing whatsoever to do with balancing the budget/reducing the deficit and everything to do with implementing their socially regressive political ideology.
The GOP continually seeks opportunities to damage or eliminate programs and organizations that conflict with their quest for social devolution — hence their self-serving attacks on labor unions, the EPA, FEMA, Planned Parenthood and access to contraception, public television and radio, public education, medical care for the poor, health care reform, domestic violence programs, gay marriage rights, etc.
danny6114
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
It’s been years since the Republican party gave a thought to public opinion, they answer only to their corporate masters and the astro-turf T-party. 2010 it was all about “jobs” and then they attacked women’s rights instead.
savageDOG
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
good luck Madam Nancy, getting republicans to do anything is like trying to herd cats
Sally
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
Actually, herding cats would probably be easier than trying to debunk every lying word uttered by the GOP these days (not to mention their henchmen with money: Armey, Morris, Beck, Rushie, Hannity the shameless, and the rest of them.) It is absolutely disgusting, unAmerican, and sinful what they have done to this nation. When they tell lies about our President knowing that their followers already distrust anyone not white, they are making this nation unsafe and angry. THEN they blame the other side for being ‘divisive.’ Really? We accept that haf the country is of a low IQ, but they are still Americans. We didn’t do anything to discourage them from voting for the moron party of women-haters. We don’t go around with loaded guns pretending we are ‘patriots’ protecting our rights. We don’t shoot schoolchildren and then in response, buy ever more weapons and stockpile food. It seems the GOP wants a bunch of crazy militias running around starting a civil war. They’d better pray to Satan that these people never figure out they are being screwed by the GOP.
j
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Let’s not forget that the Ryan budget that the republicans all voted for would raise the debt by nearly 4 trillion.
Also the Pentagon budget has doubled since GW Bush took us into 2 unfunded wars, unfunded tax breaks for the rich and an unfunded drugs bill that was a give away to the pharmaceutical corporations because it forbade negotiating for cheaper drug prices as the VA does.
Churchlady
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
If Nancy Pelosi said the $716 billion was a cut to Medicare PROVIDERS, she was wrong. If that was the interpretation, it is incorrect. It was mostly a cut in the wasteful spending on privatized “middle corporations” that reaped gazillions for doing pretty much nothing and by vigorously attacking fraud at the hands of phony “durable medical equipment” companies that abound, esp. in Southern California.
There were some payment reductions, but the majority of these savings were what the GOP OUGHT to have liked – attacks on their fave memes: waste, fraud, abuse. But OH! This policy accomplishment attacks WFA perpetrated by corporations, not sick people trying to get health care! So they have to be discounted, you see…meaningless. Wrong headed. Uhh…something.
Different strokes for different folks.
Moongal6
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 3:52 pm
The bulk of that 716 Billion in savings was because of lower reimbursement rates to the private insurance companies that provide the optional Medicare Advantage Program.
These greedy private insurers were receiving 14% reimbursement rate from the Medicare Budget under the Bush administration. The other providers received a reimbursement rate of 3-4%. Now, under the PPACA, these greedy providers of Medicare Advantage receive what the other providers currently receive, and believe me, that’s what all the squawk from the righties is all about.
Their years of avarice and greed are over.
JJM
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
The GOP are such blowhards. Obama’s re-election gave the lie to their ‘agenda’ for America, which was to transfer more wealth to the wealthy from ‘those people.’
They are clinging to the notion that they can push Obama around, and they are right now crying foul because he doesn’t react to their bullying and belligerence (see Ted Cruz (R-TX) who is upset that Obama goes around acting like he won …e.g. livewire.talkingpointsmem...)
Diego
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 6:10 pm
Now that the subject of spending cuts its on the table. I suggest to Mr. Obama and our Congressmen to consider very SERIOUSLY deep cuts on military spending. We have been prepared for a “war” with the rest of the world since the “Cold War Era”. To maintain our current military super power and cutting our defense budget by 10% shall be enough to cover the rest of our budget demands and stay on top militarilly over the rest of the world. On the other hand for our nation to stay economically powerful and continue to lead globally. We MUST demand from our government, more than ever, to enhance our spending on education, infraesturcture, transportation, health, technology and income security. If the USSR, and all their military power and capability at the time, respected the USA and knew better, not to embark the world into a potential nuclear war; now days there is no other nation that even represents an immediate threat to our national security. Terrorism can be successfully defeated with an adequate intelligence strategy, it appears so far such is working. Since 9/11 any potential attack to our nation has been defused and kept under control. I am convinced that our real enemy resides within, FEAR MONGERING policies instituted throughout the XX century among our society. We the People must WAKE UP and demand drastic changes to our priorities as a society and mandate over our politicians (elected by us), the spending cuts to our national budget. We must clearly demand to keep social security and medicare off the table of negotiation, both so called “entitlements” are not creating any deficit to our fiscal system. Five decades of outrageous military spending is the main reason for our national debt. At the end if “We The People” (77% of the taxpayers) will end up paying for the nations spending anyway, we can sure demand what to pay for in benefit of the same.
BusterJones
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 7:14 pm
I am an Independent who has followed politics very closely since I was a teenager; I am now 73 years old. The insanity that is occurring in congress now refusing to raise the debt ceiling to pay the bills we already owe is nuts! The Tea party wants to destroy the government, as Grover Norquist has said he wants to shrink the government “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub”. The republicans have signed a pledge to Grover not to ever raise revenue; they need to uphold their oath to defend the constitution not to sign a pledge to a lobbyist! Changes need to happen: term limits for congressmen and the big money needs to be taken out of elections. Our country is being stolen by wealthy special interests that buy elections. Corporations are not people; the citizens united ruling needs to be overturned!
patsy soto
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 8:54 pm
I am very much looking forward to the day when that weeping willow Boehner will have to give up the speaker’s gavel to Nancy Pelosi. When the democrats have control over the house, then this country will finally have common sense and country first thinking where it belongs. Giving the GOP power of any kind is a dangerous thing.. they can’t handle governing, and they have proved that time and time again. This country will move forward only when the republicans are in a position where they can’t do any harm.. to the people they should be serving, to the country they vowed to protect, and even to their own party, which they have turned into something that no one, not even themselves, recognize.
Paul
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
Go Nancy! And thanks to many here for your insights.
charlie
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 10:24 am
AllKnowing
Jan. 9th, 2013 at 2:40 am
Cut Pelosi’s gin habit and we can fund the government for years. I have never seen anyone lie faster and more often than this woman. If this reflects the mentality of SF voters then let them slide into the blue Pacific, please. There is no end to the tax grabbing the libs will go for and when they say not the middle class you can bet your sweet bippy that they mean to get your money too. What the hell does closing loopholes mean? Everybody’s taxes go up like they just did January 1. You are all suckers to the progressive hook line and sinker. Did you catch her saying, “raise ‘revenues’ and the debt ceiling for money already spent?” Money already spent. Let me say it again, “MONEY ALREADY SPENT.” Not new expenses, but money already spent. Is there anyone in the financial district that can explain how we are better off by compounding debt? I sincerely hope you SF suckers are the first to lose it all, cause you so brilliantly elected a real winner here.