Who let the Moonbats out? Democratic demagogues on the House floor

The House debated (in theory) the rules for the debate on the Boehner plan for raising the debt ceiling.  In reality, the debate was mostly Democrats lambasting the GOP for their unwillingness to compromise (read: do exactly what the Dems want).   The speeches devolved into absurdity and demonstrate the deep divide in ideology between the two parties.  One party believes that we must reign in spending and demonstrate to our creditors and the markets that we are fiscally responsible. The other side believes that we must provide an equal share of the American Dream for everyone.  Inequality is a greater evil than massive federal debt.   The primary debate tool for the Democrats is fear-mongering.  Throwing nursing home residents into the streets.  Holding social security checks hostage.   Throwing veterans under the bus. 


No one knows what cuts will be made under Boehner's plan.   The buck has been passed down the road to the hands of the joint committee formed by this bill.   So the threats made by the Democrats are completely speculative, at best.  Nevertheless, they persist in scaring seniors and the most vulnerable to sway public opinion, a tried and true strategy. 


Here are some choice quotes form the speeches on the floor of the House this morning:

"We have the Constitutional power to create money and invest in jobs"  Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).  

This, my friends, is the root of the problem.  Congress has no power to "create" money (presumably, out of nothing) unless Kucinich is just straight-out talking about printing currency, which technically, Congress may do under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.  Is he proposing that we go Weimar Republic?  Note that Kucinich claims to have seen aliens on more than one occasion, so the thought that he can create money out of thin air isn't a stretch for him. It's a good thing he's a Moonbats and no one listens to him. 

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From the Groundhog Day file...

"Heads up America! This isn't just about raising the debt limit.  This is about fundamental change about all the things that we hold dear here in America. If you care about Medicare for your parents or you happen to be 65, pay attention to what's going to be on this floor in the next couple of hours. If you think social security's important to you or to your parents and to your future as the foundation of your pension, pay attention to what's going on here. Because have no doubt America that the Republican Party is putting forth using the debt ceiling as a lever putting in place fundamental change in Medicare basically looking to terminate Medicare as we know it and changing the social security so that it's no longer the foundation for your pensions. Heads up America because the Republican party is going right at the very heart of the stable and most important part of every retirees future. Pay attention. Pay attention.  Because this is a critical moment"  Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA).

Perhaps the Congressman got this speech mixed up with his speech in opposition to the Paul Ryan budget plan?  

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"Yes, we absolutely must avert the looming crisis that could force the Federal government to default and put our ailing economy into a tailspin" David Dreier (R-CA).

Please stop saying that. No one believes that we will default on our debt obligations unless the President irresponsibly, for political reasons, chooses to do so

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"After a hundred years, almost, of protecting the full faith and credit of the United States, by raising the debt ceiling without pause, the majority has decided to hold the debt ceiling hostage to drastic cuts and place the burden squarely upon the shoulders of the middle class.  This unprecedented effort to put ideology above country has led us to the brink of default, a prospect that is all too real as we vote today."   Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Because of course, the Democrats have no ideological skin in this game. They are in this game for purely altruistic reasons and they're all about compromise and bipartisanship:

"Compromise is part of the democratic way....Let me me read the roll why senators are not voting - the other body is not voting. Democrats recognize this is not the way to go:

•  You will lose your Medicare.

• Pell grants will not be available for young people.

• Medicaid will see in its loss seniors being put out of nursing homes. 

• And then we'll have Social Security, our nation's safety net, being trampled on. 

• The loss of America's savings. The DOW went down 200 points yesterday. Just wait 'till we do it again and again.

• The American dream of buying a home will be lost. 

• And all of our mobility systems - America's railroads, airports and airlines will be jeopardized.

"Pay our bills! And if we cannot pay our bills Mr. President, use our Constitution and use the 14th amendment if we cannot pay our bills.  For my friends on the other side of the aisle, many of us have already voted for a clean debt ceiling.  We're willing to do it again, but we will not suffer the idea of a one-sided government that takes away entitlement, that caps spending for those who are in need and that balances the budget on the backs of those who are suffering from devastating disasters like states like Missouri, states like Alabama with all of the flooding.  This is not the way to go. Vote 'no' this rule and vote 'no' on the underlying bill.  Pray for America"  Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Even the liberal San Francisco Chronicle doesn't buy that fear-mongering, offering this assessment:

"Both plans would dump all the hard decisions on taxes and entitlements on a bipartisan super-committee that could end up just as deadlocked a few months down the road....Republicans will have sacrificed a rare chance at entitlement reform to freeze in place a terrible tax code and save a bloated and overextended military. Democrats will have protected an out-of-control Medicare program from even the slightest trims and sacrificed domestic spending on real investments in transportation, education, the environment and the rest of the domestic agencies that are not the source of chronic deficits. President Obama, who talked the game of deficit reduction from his first days in office but was AWOL at every turning point -- most especially when he dismissed the findings of his own Bowles-Simpson deficit commission -- will emerge not as the centrist savior he hoped to be, but a weakling to his own faithful."