Lawrence O'Donnell is about to debunk Pete Buttigieg.

[pnwmom]

He says Mayor Pete criticized Dems wrongly about budget deficits and failed to give credit to Obama and Bill Clinton.

More coming up, after the commercial.

Okay, he seems genuinely furious.

After laying out the history of R's and D's on deficits, he talked about standing on the Senate floor as a Senate staffer, and watched Senators taking career ending votes to cut the deficit. After that deficit reduction vote, the D's lost control of the Senate. But, O'Donnell says, Buttigieg "blithely" talks about D's not caring about deficits. "He had to go on to criticize his own party. He literally doesn't know what he's talking about, or he's deliberately lying."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Trashing is more like it. He accused him of telling Republican lies,

which is bullshit. Bitching about how Pete had never done anything in his life about federal deficits. He was a mayor, FFS. And that he didn't do anything in 1993 when other Democrats were trying to control the deficit - when he was 11 years old. LOD accused him of deliberately lying. Fuck that.

[elleng]

2. Right.

Not happy to hear this from Lawrence.

[Zorro]

3. It's a righteous rant

[JoeOtterbein]

4. Dang I missed another one!

[Hoyt]

5. Used to like O'Donnell, but not in months. I think Buttigieg is right about

considering deficit/debt.

Just not sure how much weight to give it compared to healthcare, climate change, jobs, college tuition, bolstering Social Security, etc.

[radical noodle]

6. I agree

There has been literally nothing said (that I've heard) from any of the candidates this time around about the deficit or debt.

[Demsrule86]

8. I wouldn't trust Mayor Pete after these comments...deals with the Repubs to cut stuff for working

people instead of dealing with wealth inequality...is that what he thinks is good policy? Blaming Dems when the GOP has blown up the budget every time they had power...Reagan, Bush II and now Trump...I do not like those who go after Democrats when they are Democrats.

[radical noodle]

9. Have you read exactly what he said

He said the deficit always goes up when Republicans are in power. He wasn't going after Democrats.

[Demsrule86]

32. I read it but he also said Democrats were not concerned...how exactly would he balance the budget?

Chained CPI...privatizing social security...it is a worry.

[radical noodle]

39. He's never suggested privatizing social security

nor chained CPI. I took it to mean that Democrats don't talk about it enough. He has said before that controlling the debt is a big thing going forward. It's the younger people who will pay, and he's right about that.

[Demsrule86]

50. That is how you balance budgets...fairly quickly...the grand bargain...conservadems have had

committees on this...I say no. As another poster pointed out we lost in 93 in part because of the balanced budget/budget deficit bill and not one f'ing GOP voted for it...and then Bush stole the election and ran up the deficit. No. There is a better way.

[Dem4Life1102]

52. I agree

[stopdiggin]

21. maybe Mayor Pete could tout fiscal responsibility WITHOUT

taking a shot at Democrats? Because O'Donnell has a point -- the last two administrations to do something positive on the deficit .... So that's a cheap shot on Pete's part. Playing to seed corn hat humor?

Calling this one an "own goal." Com'on Pete! You're supposed to be one of the bright kids!

[William Seger]

49. It sounded like a pitch to win over Republicans

... by pandering to their favorite myth about "traditional" Democrats. That is not helpful, given the slim chance he has of being the nominee.

[pnwmom]

7. O'Donnell AGREES that it's important to be concerned about the deficit.

What made him so angry was Buttieg's claim that Democrats have never cared about deficits. O'Donnell says when he worked in the Senate he watched D's cast career-ending votes to lower the deficit. It is a Republican lie that Democrats don't care about deficits.

[ancianita]

10. +1

[squirecam]

11. No

He said they don’t care enough about them.

Which, by the way, has been true since that 1993 vote.

Obama reduced the deficit. But still increased the debt.

[pnwmom]

13. If Pete cares so much why doesn't he say anything about them on his website?

Amy Klobuchar does.



https://medium.com/AmyforAmerica/senator-klobuchars-plan-for-the-future-of-work-and-a-changing-economy-4c7c0b859fec?

Govern with Fiscal Responsibility. In less than three years, President Trump has added $4 trillion to the national debt. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2029, the national debt will be higher than it has been at any time since 1946, right after World War II. And each year over the next decade the federal government will spend an average of about $1.2 trillion more than it collects in revenue. As President, Senator Klobuchar will reverse this trend with the goal of lowering the debt to GDP ratio by the end of her first term and putting our country on a sustainable fiscal path.

Move to a biennial budget process. Senator Klobuchar will push to overhaul the way Congress budgets federal dollars to strengthen oversight of government spending and move the country forward when it comes to tackling the nation’s debt. She is a co-sponsor of Senators Johnny Isakson and Jeanne Shaheen’s Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act, which would create a two-year budget and appropriations cycle with the first year dedicated to appropriating federal dollars and the next year dedicated to conducting oversight of how those federal dollars are being used. Senator Klobuchar also supports moving from a 10-year forecasting window to a 25-year forecasting window for Congressional Budget Office and Joint Tax Committee scores, as the expanded window will better capture the long-term fiscal impact of federal policies.

Establish a dedicated fund to tackle the U.S. debt and support our economy. Senator Klobuchar will establish a dedicated fund to make a down payment to tackle the U.S. debt and protect our economy. She will initially seed the fund with $300 billion by raising the corporate tax rate and dedicating savings from the government-wide budget review. When the economy is doing well, the fund will finance deficit reduction. When specific economic indicators show our economy is in a recession, the funding will automatically be diverted to increase spending on programs that are effective at stimulating the economy like infrastructure spending, increased unemployment and nutrition assistance, and an increased federal share of Medicaid and CHIP spending. As tax changes are implemented and as departments complete Senator Klobuchar’s government-wide review, she will invest additional government-wide savings towards expanding the fund to decrease the deficit and support our economy.

Eliminate duplicative government spending. Senator Klobuchar will immediately order all cabinet secretaries to undertake a comprehensive review of their department’s budget and identify a list of duplicative and unnecessary programs as well as potential gaps in spending. When it comes to our nation’s defense, Senator Klobuchar is committed to maintaining and extending our military superiority over any adversary that would challenge us. She will ensure that our troops are the best-trained and best-equipped in the world, while also providing for their families at home. Yet virtually every analysis of the Pentagon’s budget has found duplicative and unnecessary programs — so she will ask her Secretary of Defense and other cabinet secretaries to take a close look at how money is being spent with an eye towards eliminating duplicative and unnecessary spending.

[squirecam]

14. Yes

She is being realistic.

But Pete isn’t wrong. More Dems need to care about this issue.

[pnwmom]

15. Did you listen to him on Lawrence? Mayor Pete was wrong. n/t

[squirecam]

18. I did listen

Dems did *once* in 93 vote to reduce the deficit. Nothing was done about the actual debt.

And nothing substantial since. Cutting the deficit in half by Obama was not nearly enough.

[pnwmom]

22. The only way to reduce the debt was to first bring the budget into balance, which

Clinton and Obama did, and then to start hacking away at the debt.

But in both cases they were replaced by R's who undid all their work.

And Buttigieg, who hasn't done any work on this issue at all, who hasn't even put up a web page about it, has no right to falsely compare D's on this issue to R's.

[squirecam]

30. Obama

Was better. But he didn’t do enough.

He should have let the bush tax cuts expire and not extend them.

The budget was not balanced and the debt still increased.

[Demsrule86]

33. Sorry no more deals with the Righties...I love Clinton but did not like some of his deals.

Welfare reform for example...I know why it was done but it shouldn't happen again.

[BeyondGeography]

20. You must be joking, right?

Obama inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression and was still more fiscally responsible than his predecessor:

W. Bush

Started Presidency: $5.77 trillion
Ended Presidency: $11.1 trillion
Increased 93% or 8.5% per year

Obama

Started Presidency: $11.1 trillion
Ended Presidency: $19.85 trillion
Increased 78% or 7.5% per year

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2018/01/15/obamas-federal-debt-grew-at-a-slower-rate-than-reagan-h-w-bush-or-w-bush/#3754a21c1917

[squirecam]

29. So

I’m sure all the climate voters are happy that Dems are better than repugs, right?

The debt still grew. We haven’t done nearly enough to fix it.

[blm]

31. Why can't you acknowledge that Dems have shown far more

fiscal responsibility than the Republicans?

Your posts just seem to be contrary just to be contrary. Kinda foot-stamping.

[Demsrule86]

42. Obama inherited an economy on life support...you don't cut the budget in this situation unless you

want a great depression. You need Keynesian spending...Obama used the fed to save the economy when the pugs were willing to let it crash and refused sufficient stimulative spending...he is a great man and a great president. And Buttigeig in now last on my list in the primary and from what I have learned about Klobachar and the deficit- I don't support her in a primary either...They only gets my vote in a general never a primary. Despite all of the economic issues, Obama still brought the deficit down....so I absolutely disagree with pretty much every word you have said.

[Demsrule86]

46. Had Obama done as you suggested the economy would have crashed and burned.

[Demsrule86]

34. I absolutely agree...Buttigeig should not have said what he said. I am sick the bashing of

Democrats in general and Obama in particular.

[BeyondGeography]

36. Biden was there for the Deficit Reduction Act of 1993

which received ZERO Republican votes and cost us 54 seats in the House and eight seats in the Senate in the 1994 midterms.

I look forward to his perspective tomorrow on how Democrats are not known for caring about the deficit.

[Demsrule86]

45. It was a blood bath...and forced Clinton to the right. I never understood why this was done.

[pnwmom]

43. I heartily agree on that. I don't think Obama-bashing should be part of anyone's platform.

Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot.

[Demsrule86]

47. Damned right...the pugs are only to willing to do it so let's not attack our own as well.

[ooky]

53. This discussion about what Pete said was really about deficits anyway, not debt.

It is not true that Democrats don't care about deficits, which is what lit LOD up. I was surprised to hear Pete say that too. Clinton administration had a balanced budget. Obama administration reduced deficit spending from Bush admin spending and Trump has run it up again with his Republican tax scam. That's the real truth we need to be talking about.

I do wish Lawrence hadn't characterized it as Pete lying though. I think Pete misspoke. Lawrence was correct that it is a Republican lie though.

[Hoyt]

12. Clinton and Obama did well in this. But some of our candidates are piling on

more deficits/debt. If reversing past tax cuts for wealthy and starting a wealth tax does not cover new plan costs, much less contribute to deficit/debt reduction, then the candidate is ignoring deficit and debt. Don’t think we can ignore it, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the primary consideration.

[squirecam]

16. I wish

This got more consideration.

Raise income taxes first to eliminate the deficit.

Any wealth tax should be split between new spending and debt reduction.

[pnwmom]

17. Mayor Pete was generalizing about all of our candidates. Except for him, of course.

But I can't find anything about debt or deficits on his website -- and yet I can on others.

[squirecam]

19. Yes

Amy has a plan. You don’t need to sell me on it.

But Pete is bring attention to the issue too at least.

[pnwmom]

23. I don't think he helps the party or even his own candidacy by making blanket generalizations

comparing D's to R's and pretending the D's are almost as bad.

[squirecam]

24. The truth

Is that we haven’t cared nearly enough either.

Reducing the deficit, which is the best we have done, is not nearly good enough.

We need to pay down the debt.

[pnwmom]

25. Some amount of debt isn't that bad. The whole world has revolved around our debt --

U.S. treasury bonds have always been considered an extremely safe investment.

The question is how much debt is too much.

[squirecam]

26. Fine

Cut the debt by 25% even.....

The fact is there has been no reduction, only increases.

[Demsrule86]

37. No...get rid of the tax cut and we go from there ...there is no reason why ordinary folks have to

pay for the GOP excessive spending...and no Democrat candidate should suggest such a thing.

[William Seger]

51. We ARE paying down the existing debt

The problem is, the deficit means we have to keep borrowing more. Balance the budget and the debt will go down as we pay off outstanding bonds.

[Demsrule86]

35. Really...see this is why I don't support Kobachar in the primary...this sort of talk makes me

nervous...I have no desire for a grand deal where we hand the GOP what they want ...to put a hit on Medicare and social security...more pain for those on Medicaid...sure she has my vote should she be the nominee but not in a primary. Why is it the GOP can hand out money to the rich but we have to make the poor and the middle class foot the bill? It is a losing strategy.

[squirecam]

40. Where

In her debt plan does she say the poor and middle class will be burdened?

[Demsrule86]

44. How else will it happen...when spending is lowered it is always domestic spending...

We should make the rich pay their fair share...including inheritance taxes and go from there...we need some spending...do you have any idea how many kids go hungry in this country right now? It is not unusual to run out of food at the food bank. Sorry, I have heard it before the 'grand deal' ...no way no how. I am not in the mood to play the GOP game.

[Demsrule86]

38. We agree about this for sure.

[radical noodle]

41. Did he actually say that Democrats have never cared about deficits?

I am not sure he said it that way.

When has he attacked Bernie for criticizing Democrats?

[pangaia]

27. I'm not going to DARE say anything..

[Celerity]

28. I just watched that and O'Donnell was extremely disingenuous

He blithely blew past the part where Pete said

“I believe every Presidency of my lifetime has been an example of deficits growing under Republican government and shrinking under Democratic government

and dismissed that only because Pete did not mention Obama and Clinton by name, which is pure pettifogging by O'Donnell.

Also, Pete's statement that it is up TO US DEMOCRATS as the only ones who are going to fix Rump's exploding deficits and debt is far from controversial.

I find it ridiculous when no one has a fit (other than their supporters) when people ask Warren and Sanders how they are going to pay for their programmes, but now it is hair-on-fire outrage when another candidate simply says that he shows how he pays for his. The National Debt is a big problem, it is a national security issue, and it is utterly irresponsible to demand via false inferences about 'Republican talking points' etc etc that it should be cut out of the conversation.

[DeterDeter]

48. But he said that part later on in the press gaggle

No big deal, but I think they realized he needed to clean up his initial statement a bit.

[greyl]

54. O'Donnell makes too much of "aren't known for".

A typical GOP smear is that Democrats are taxers and spenders, iow "aren't known for", in the clouded eyes of the Faux OAN Sinclair news sucklers.