More fiscal fraudulence from the Republicans

A grimly amusing, entirely fair, and quite illuminating video compilation by ThinkProgress.

For the past year and half, Republicans have done little else but urgently demand that the federal government drastically cut spending to reduce the deficit. However, like much of the rest of their agenda, Republicans have been remarkably vague on what they would actually cut.

In interview after interview, journalists have pushed, and even begged, GOP leaders for specifics, always to no avail. When pressed, they hem and haw, often appearing uncomfortable — and in the case of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), visibly angry — but can offer nothing more than cop-out answers like repealing unsent stimulus money or an “across the board” cut on all spending. [....]

Or this: "You could go through every different program within government outside of entitlements, outside of national defense...." In other words: The biggest spending programs, which add up to the great bulk of federal spending, including the programs whose costs are most likely to balloon in the future, are off-limits, of course. Or to put it more straightforwardly: I'm not serious.

(OK, there are a few Republican candidates willing to say something semi-concrete about actually cutting the biggest spending programs, but they're marginal exceptions--and mostly whackos, too.)

The more closely you listen to the statements, the more clear it becomes how evasive, dishonest, and/or ludicrous they are. How can the Republicans possibly think they can get away with this? Well, they are getting away with it, aren't they?

--Jeff Weintraub