Karl Rove accidentally unmasks the GOP’s debt ceiling ruse

[babylonsister]

Karl Rove accidentally unmasks the GOP’s debt ceiling ruse

Posted by Greg Sargent on January 10, 2013 at 11:47 am


I know you’re tired of hearing that the Republicans’ position on the debt ceiling is incoherent and that their claims of leverage are greatly exaggerated. But now we have none other than Karl Rove confirming all of this for us.

Rove’s latest column rips into Obama for supposedly mischaracterizing the GOP position on the debt limit. He quotes Obama saying: “We can’t not pay bills that we’ve already incurred.” And here’s how Rove responds to Obama:

The experience didn’t leave Mr. Obama with greater humility. Instead, this New Year’s Day he tartly said, “We can’t not pay bills that we’ve already incurred.” Who is suggesting we don’t? Not House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, or any other Republican leader. Quite the opposite. They want to cover the cost of the existing debt while cutting spending to prevent a fiscal catastrophe.

Mr. Obama’s use of straw-man arguments to misrepresent the GOP’s position became tiresome long ago. He does this in part because he can get away with it, thanks to a compliant press corps. His reliance on the tactic may also spring from his recognition that he has a weak case and cannot win the argument otherwise.

Who is suggesting we don’t pay our debts? Not Boehner, McConnell, or any other GOP leaders.

There you have it. Rove acknowledges flat out that Boehner, McConnell, and other Republican leaders do recognize that they will have to raise the debt ceiling. They just, you know, want to raise it while reaching a broader deal to cut spending. The game here is absurdly transparent: You mustn’t claim Republicans are crazy enough to destroy the economy to get their way, because they don’t want to do that at all — but you still must play along with the idea that the need to raise the debt ceiling (which they acknowledge must happen) still somehow gives them leverage to get the cuts they want.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/10/karl-rove-accidentally-unmasks-the-gops-debt-ceiling-ruse/

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

1. You, MR. Rove...

And I use Mr., lightly.. are the one in need of humility. After stealing millions from your corporate koch $.U(king minions, one would think you are in need of humility. You lost. Now get lost. You've been elected to nothing. Except perhaps King Bloviator at Fox. What are the lies you tell yourself in order to sleep at night?

[libodem]

11. He can

Go bloviate himself.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

12. HYSTERICAL!

[CJCRANE]

2. After the Repubs' bluff and double bluff...

do they or anyone else really know what they stand for?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. Did he just call him uppity again?! There is no one I'd rather cock punch than that pasty faced

doughy fuck.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. LMSP kicking...n/t

[malaise]

5. Why doesn't that loser STFU and go away

[Rozlee]

6. So he finally came out from under his rock again.

Isn't there some kind of bounty on his head for blowing 400 million contributor dollars on losing candidates? Fixed News sure dropped him like he was radioactive. I was hoping he'd be too busy hiding in the Witness Protection Program to show his face again.

[pacalo]

7. The turdblossom with the cotton candy hairdo says Obama "tartly" addressed congress!

*** TARTLY ***

[steve2470]

8. or, " in an uppity manner " if he was really honest

racists

[pacalo]

10. No doubt, steve.

He & his murderous, Treasury-depleting Nixons-on-steroids cabal should all be in federal prison.

[samsingh]

9. rove has no credibility