Passing the Medicare drug benefit when we can't even pay for the main program was the high of irresponsibility. But I don't think Kerry will be any better.
I don't know IF maybe he's seeing the light ? or he's just being like a rat leaving a sinking ship, and wants to make sure he has a job after Kerry wins ? Either way, Joe Scarborough of all people has suprised me of late. Here's a snippet of his show last night:
'Scarborough Country' for Wednesday Sept. 8 2004
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Now, moving on to domestic issues, Republicans were supposed to save America from the Democrats‘ out-of-control spending. Now, who is going to save America from them? We are going to be debating that, talking about the national debt clock and talking about how “Rome Wasn‘t Burnt in a Day” when SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: Eighteen-seventy-two, that is actually—that‘s the last time a Republican was elected congressman in my district, until I got elected there in 1994.
Now, you watch the show every night. You live a lifestyle every day. Now you can read all about what makes up the heart and soul of SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY in my new book, “Rome Wasn‘t Burnt in a Day: The Real Deal on How Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America.”
Talking about that and the national debt, the national debt clock, is Congressman Mike Pence from Indiana and Anthony Weiner from New York.
Mike Pence, I want you to do me a favor. As a fellow Republican and a conservative and the guy who is fighting the good fight, I want you to take a look at the growth of seven federal agencies and how much they have grown -- if you can roll the prompter, I can actually read along to this. Are you all there? There you go.
Since Republicans took over in 1995, I want you to look at this. The Department of Justice went up 131 percent, the Department of Education 101 percent, Commerce 82 percent, the Department of Health and Human Services 81 percent. The State Department skyrocketed 80 percent, the Department of Transportation, 65 percent, Housing and Urban Development up 59 percent.
Congressmen, you are a conservative. I am a conservative. We Republicans are supposed to be the party of less spending. What has gone wrong in Washington?
REP. MIKE PENCE ®, INDIANA: Well, Joe, as you know, we served together in Congress for a little bit. But throughout the 1990s, or much of it, President Bill Clinton, the Clinton administration, were in place and were driving, as Democrats are—love to do, they were driving increases in spending in virtually every area.
Now, since 2000, it‘s been on our watch. And, as you know, I and literally dozens of House conservatives fought the good fight, as you did, on the education bill and on the Medicare entitlement. And I guess my message to you and to your viewers tonight, Joe, is know that there‘s a whole lot more Joe Scarboroughs in the Congress today.
SCARBOROUGH: How many are there? I mean, let‘s be honest, because, when I first got there, there were 72, 73 hard-core budget hawks. And there were some on the Democratic side, the Blue Dogs. By the time I left, there may have been 15, 20. How many are there now? Tell me the truth, buddy. Come on. How many are there?
PENCE: Well, Joe, you are very familiar with the Medicare debate, and the longest vote in the history of Congress, went nearly three hours into the wee hours of the night; 25 House conservative Republicans held the line on that new entitlement for that full three hours. We came within one vote of stopping the largest new entitlement in 30 years.
But, look, I think the better number is on what you talked about last night and talk about a lot in your book, Joe, and that is the budget process reform. You have got people like Jeb Hensarling of Texas, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and others who managed to get 110 members of Congress to vote just recently to fundamentally change the way that we spend money in Washington, D.C.
SCARBOROUGH: All right.
PENCE: So you can be encouraged by that.
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: I am.
Anthony Weiner, Republicans sure do look like hypocrites, don‘t they?
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Well, if you are a true conservative and a true fiscal conservative, you are voting Democratic this year.
Despite what my good friend Mike says, frankly, the spending in the years when the Republicans controlled the House, Senate, and the presidency is three times faster than it was when Clinton was in the White House. The simple fact of the matter is this has been a fiscally irresponsible Congress. And time and time again, we Democrats have said, let‘s do it as a pay-as-you-go basis. If we can afford to do the tax cut, we do it. We have to make dollar-to-dollar cuts in services if you want to do the tax cuts.
And let‘s remember something else. Let‘s remember who is funding these deficits and that debt clock. It‘s the Saudis. It‘s the Germans. It‘s the Japanese. We are essentially mortgaging our government by selling T-bills to foreign governments that are controlling more and more of our economy.
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: Well, I will tell you what we are going to do more—say more after the break.
What scares me, though, is that what we are hearing is, pretty soon, they may not even buy our T-bills, because our credit is going down so much because of these debts.
Listen, we‘ll be right back talking more about the problems that we have with our national debt when SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: Mike, spending under George Bush has grown at three times the rate as under Bill Clinton, as Congressman Weiner said. Respond to that.
PENCE: Well, I just respond by saying that I think Anthony voted against the Medicare drug bill, like I did.
The only difference is that House conservatives opposed the Medicare bill because it was too big and irresponsible. Democrats thought it wasn‘t big enough. Even today on the House floor, we were fighting more Democratic amendments to increase spending.
Joe, despite the struggle that we face as Republicans, we are still holding the line far well and above what a Democratic majority in Congress would ever intend to do.
SCARBOROUGH: Anthony.
WEINER: Well, the bottom line is, who do you blame now? You got a Republican House, Republican Senate, a Republican president. We have gone from a $2.6 trillion projected surplus to an almost $4 trillion projected deficit.
Your book hits it right on, Joe. There is something wrong in Republicanville. No longer are Republicans the party of fiscal responsibility. That is now clearly the Clinton legacy and the Democratic way to go. And, frankly, I think voters this year who are going to vote fiscally responsibly, like I said, are going to vote Democratic.
SCARBOROUGH: Gentlemen, let‘s continue this conversation tomorrow night, if you can. We are going to be in Washington, D.C., talking about the issue. I would love to have you on again tomorrow night.
Thanks for being with us. Greatly appreciate it.
which is why he rightfully and accurately said that there is no conservative party in Washington, and that the Reagan revolution is dead!!
He is not a republiCON, he is a sincere and principled conservative which is why he can clearly see the corruption of the republiCON party. The modern day republiCON party is nothing more than a David copperfield like majic trick where the audience believes there is majic when in reality its only a false illusion.
This republiCON is in the same caliber as the Baath party of Saddam and the Taliban/Al-Qaida wing of right-wing warmongering, cowardly and corrupt mentally deranged lunatics.
They are an insult to Reagan and his legacy!!
all of the credit for all of the prosperity from 1994 to 1999 belongs to the Republican's brilliant and stunning strategy. Willie, Godspeed in his full recovery, was smart enough to get out of the way- and put a muzzle on Hilary.
Three cheers for Newt Gingrich. He's the man.
Actually, Gingrich and his henchmen sbmitted a budget that was going to spend way to much and increase federal debt. Clinton REFUSED to sign the budget and Gingrich and his henchmen had to close down the govt.
You DO remember that doncha?
You don't? Well lets refresh your memory.
Gingrich nad his henchmen had to come back and chnage the budget and reduce spending.. begfore Clinton would sign it.
It was Gingrich who was overspending and Clinton who was fically conservative.
Why do you revise history?
Dude- lay of the crack pipe- !
Clinton would still be president, a constitutional amendment would have been passed to insure that. The fact is, Clinton turned Gingrich into a fool and played him as if Gingrich was a petulant child. One of the worst things that Gingrich could have done was shut down the government twice because of a budget dispute with Clinton. Clinton forced his hand both times and forced him to refund the government, and, Clinton still won the battle over that budget.
You must have arrived for some other planet a few months ago.
I remember Rather, Brokaw, Jennings and the rest accusing BushI of threatening to shut down the government. And yes I admit that BushI got snookered by the Dems (or should we say double crossed!?!?) and broke his read my lips no new taxes pledge. But then when Willie C. refused to sign, he's not shutting down the Gov. That same gang of talking heads accuses the Republican congress of threatening to shut down the gov.
THE HYPOCRISY OH THE HYPOCRISY!!!!!!
We didn't get any "new" taxes; instead, we got more of the old ones. Anyway, if Shrub Sr. really didn't want to increase taxes, he could've very easily vetoed the legislation trying to do so. Snookered/double-crossed, my ass.
The Congress was responsible for allocating the funds to fund the government. Gingrich controlled the Congress via having the votes and being majority leader. Gingrich refused to fund the government, thereby shutting it down, twice.
The democrats, during similar struggles with President Reagan and President Bush I, chose not to shut down the government and passed funding resolutions until the budget impass with the president was resolved. This is not saying that the democrats were great, they had their motives, but they did not shut down the government.
Now, there you are. Hope that you have gotten your head back to a point where you can get some oxygen.
Clinton won the public opinion poll on that one, they were both being somewhat arrogant.
Passing the Medicare drug benefit when we can't even pay for the main program was the high of irresponsibility. But I don't think Kerry will be any better.
