Maddow Blog - "Woodward's unfortunate errors"
Nice article in Maddow Blog that destroys the new corporate media narrative that tries to blame sequestration on President Obama and Democrats and that tries to suggest that both sides are refusing to compromise:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/25/17086993-woodwards-unfortunate-errors
Over the weekend, there was quite a kerfuffle when Woodward, to the delight of far-right bloggers, jumped into the debate over this week's sequestration cuts, challenging some of the White House's key assertions. For one thing, Woodward insists the sequester was President Obama's idea. For another, Woodward wants the public to believe Obama is "moving the goal posts" by expecting Democrats and Republicans to reach a compromise including both spending cuts and revenue from closed tax loopholes. As far as the Washington Post reporter in concerned, sequestration cuts were supposed to be replaced entirely with different spending cuts, just as GOP policymakers demand.
Let's take these one at a time. The first point, which Republicans and reporters find needlessly fascinating, is quickly becoming farcical. Tim Noah argued that the White House came up with the sequestration policy "in roughly the same sense that it was Charles Lindbergh's bad idea eight decades ago to fork over the equivalent in today's dollars of $840,000 to a German-born carpenter named Bruno Hauptmann.... The sequester was a ransom payment." Noam Scheiber added that saying the sequester was Obama's idea is "like saying it was your idea to give wallet to mugger when he said, 'Your money or your life.'"
Republicans were threatening to crash the economy on purpose and Obama was scrambling to satisfy their demands before GOP lawmakers pulled the trigger and shot the hostage (which is to say, shot us). The sequester then became part of the plan that Republicans proceeded to vote for and brag about, before they came up with the "this is all Obama's fault" talking point in the hopes of winning a bizarre public-relations fight.
After Republicans created a crisis, both sides created the sequester, and both sides now consider it dangerous. The point that matters, even if Very Serious People in Washington are reluctant to acknowledge it, is that only one side is prepared to compromise to resolve the problem.
= new reply since forum marked as read
and after listening to President Obama's comments to the Governors, I think a strategy is taken place. The problem as I've stated before appears to be a Republican Party intended on obstructing this President anyway they can, and the Press appears to be accomplices in this political fight. The Press is no more than another corporate tool.
The strategy taken place is maybe President Obama is going around the Washington and Media echo chambers straight down to the grass roots. That is where real power exists. The grass roots are the people and local governments such as these Governors, mayors and city council men. It includes educators also. One clear example of this rift with the Press and Washington politicians is the change in heart with Republican Governors on Obamacare. They cracked at the local level. So I'm beginning to see a clear strategy and I think it is working. Either the Republicans govern and stop obstructing or get out of the way! This President has learned how to use the Bully Pulpit.
