SALON

Tuesday, Jul 12, 2011 4:08 PM UTC

A translation guide for nutty GOP debt ceiling rhetoric

What Mitch McConnell, Michele Bachmann, and John Boehner are saying -- and what they really mean

By

Topics: Budget Showdown, How the World Works, Debt ceiling, John Boehner, R-Ohio, Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,

A translation guide for nutty GOP debt ceiling rhetoricU.S. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) listens during remarks about leadership elections on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 16, 2010. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)(Credit: © Jim Young / Reuters)

Call me crazy, but if we set aside the question of whether or not we agree with the massive concessions offered by President Obama to get a debt ceiling deal, it seems clear to me that he has made a real proposal: Big cuts in return for smaller tax increases. The Republican response, however, has been a little more difficult to interpret, because, on the surface, it just seems utterly disconnected from reality.

So here’s a little translation guide to help readers get some clarity.

What they say:

Michele Bachmann, explaining the only circumstances under which she would vote for raising the debt ceiling.

“They’d have to cut an enormous amount, including they would have to defund Obamacare,” she said on Fox News in response to a question about the circumstances under which she’d vote to raise the debt ceiling. “Because that’s the largest entitlement in the history of the country.”

What she means:

My solution to bringing down the budget deficit is to get rid of the only part of the social safety net that is (a) paid for and (b) projected by the Congressional Budget Office to actually reduce the deficit.

What they say:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, explaining why there will be no “real solution” to the debt problem.

“After years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office a real solution is probably unattainable,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor.

What he means:

As long as the president of the United States — a Democratic politician who has already agreed in principle to bigger cuts in Medicare and Social Security than any previous Democratic occupant of the White House — as long as he continues to refuse to unilaterally give in to every single one of our demands, we will continue our policy, established on the very first day of his presidency, of opposing with all our force everything he does.

What they say:

John Boehner:

“Where’s the President’s plan?” asked House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) at a press stakeout after a GOP caucus meeting. “When’s he going to lay his cards on the table? This debt limit increase is his problem.”

OK — this one is kind of hard. The president offered a plan last week and, at least as far as outraged members of his own party are concerned, laid his cards on the table. And since it is House Republicans who are refusing to raise the debt ceiling, thus putting at risk the credit of the United States, you would think that maybe, just maybe, Boehner bears some responsibility for the current mess.

But here’s my best shot.

What he means:

I would love to cut a “grand bargain” deal that would make a real stab at deficit reduction and prove that I am a real statesman. However, (a) such a deal would also be good for the president, which is bad for Republicans; (b) I have no actual power to make any deals because my caucus refuses to compromise on anything; and (c) House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is standing behind me with a knife ready to stab into my back. Therefore, my only option is to blame the president for my failures.

Hmm. Guess what — rhetoric that looks insane on the surface, turns out to be equally insane when you dig down. This does not bode well for the future. We’ve got three weeks to go before the debt ceiling deadline, and if the last 24 hours are any indication, we’ll all be gibbering madmen long before time runs out.

 

Andrew Leonard

Andrew Leonard is a staff writer at Salon. On Twitter, @koxinga21. More Andrew Leonard.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 146 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Check out the full Bank of America whistleblower details (affidavits) "Read former staff describe getting Target gift cards as a prize for foreclosing on people, and other awful schemes"
361 points362 points | 16 comments
vote
The full Bank of America whistleblower details (affidavits)
316 points317 points | 7 comments
vote
Study: Young people are more liberal than they think they are.
66 points67 points | 22 comments
vote
How cash secretly rules surveillance policy: Today's congressional hearing was a joke. The reason: Firms like Booz Allen bankroll and own Congress. Here's how
41 points42 points | 6 comments
vote
The internal war between House Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings blew up again Tuesday, when Cummings released the full transcript of a five-hour interview with the conservative Republican IRS screening manager.
38 points39 points | 6 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations