Kerry: What Republicans Are Telling You Is ‘Patently Not True’

[ProSense]

Kerry: What Republicans Are Telling You Is ‘Patently Not True’

By Travis Waldron

As the deficit super committee nears its deadline with failure likely, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press today to slam Republicans for refusing to negotiate in good faith. Appearing after Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the number two Senate Republican, Kerry told host David Gregory that much of what Kyl said was “patently not true.”

He also took on the GOP’s proposal for being egregiously misguided. As ThinkProgress has noted, the super committee plan presented by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) would result in a massive tax cut for the rich while enacting budget cuts and tax increases that primarily buden the working- and middle-classes. Today, Kerry called out the GOP’s plan on Meet The Press, calling the proposal the biggest tax cut since before the Great Depression — “we all know how that turned out,” he quipped — and noting that the super committee was formed to reduce the deficit, not to make it larger with huge tax cuts:

KERRY: This is the most important thing of all: The Toomey plan still results in the biggest tax cut since the Great Depression. It would be the biggest tax cut since Calvin Coolidge, and we all know how that turned out. Now, we didn’t come here to do another tax cut for the wealthiest people while we’re (asking) fixed-income seniors to ante up more, people on Medicaid, who are poor, to ante up more.

Watch it:

more

A chart of the proposal the President sent to Congress is posted here.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Are they EVER telling anybody the truth?

With the Republicans, the DEFAULT position is (or should be) that they are lying unless proven otherwise (which isn't usually demanded of them) IMHO.

[karynnj]

5. Well, Kyl was the one who when caught lying about planned parenthood spending over 90% of their

money on abortion - when the truth is 3% - said it was not meant to be a "factual statement".

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. I remember that!

:rofl:

Nothing they say is EVER intended to be a "factual statement"!

[wisteria]

2. This was a great interview today. I hope it sinks in with the people who need to know exactly who

the Repbulican really represent.

[politicasista]

12. Sounds like it was good,

he may have gotten overshadowed by Rahm on This Week (for his spirited defense of President Obama) and R. Paul on Face The Nation, but it looks like a good one.

Don't know if people in MA heard it or not, cause it sounds like he did fine.

[politicasista]

3. Best wishes to him

He is taking heat from both sides of the party for being a sell out in another thread on this deal, but people (in solid blue spots) can always take the red state Senators from TN (yep, that's progress).

You can defend the president all you want, but guess that people will never forgive him for ______. Hopefully, his staff is ready for 2014.

Have been watching from the sidelines because these are all sensitive subjects (i.e. Medicare, SS), and some have gotten mad at me because it looks like shade is thrown at the Senator (that is not the case).

Again, wishing him the very best cause this whole thing sounds like it is a mess. Peace.


No shade thrown or swipes, JAO.

[karynnj]

6. Sadly, part of the flack on the left is that he IS always defending the President

I think some should notice that he is one of the few that speaks and cares about the social welfare programs - as well as Medicare and Social Security which also matter to the middle class. People should consider that many others would work hard to protect SS and Medicare - even if keeping them 100% as is - means that the programs for the poor take the full brunt of the cuts.

[politicasista]

8. Agree with you, and

the analysis (though I am not up on this debt talk)

again, this post wasn't meant to dis him, just that hopefully he nor his staff take nothing for granted (since he has said he is running in MA in 2014). It is nice to some that he has been chosen for this job, but he and Democrats that are on this committee better prepare for a backlash, even if it is in the short-term.

Hopefully, he and the rest of Dems will stand strong and do the right thing here, so wishing everyone the best.






edit to add Democrat

[karynnj]

10. I think that he knew this was a lose/lose assignment

I think his goal was to avoid the poor being sold out. I saw a Paul Krugman analysis this weekend that argued that failure was the best outcome at this point.

From my own viewpoint, I agree at this point. There could be no sensible middle ground solution with people like Toomey, who was President of the super RW Club for Growth on the committee. I think Democrats need to get out just what his plan was, because the media has made him the one trying to offer a "compromise".

The reason no compromise is possible - is as Krugman spoke of - that there are two visions for America. We need people to see exactly what those visions are. It is amazing that when the top 1% are richer than ever, the top Republican priority is giving them a greater % - which is what everything from the Toomey pla, to the Ryan budget, to the plans of every Republican Presidential candidate do. (Seriously, this is NOT the time to eliminate taxes on estates, capital gains and dividends. We need to run on basic fairness.

[politicasista]

11. Makes sense

was wondering why everyone was pulling for this to fail. Have seen the President's ardent supporters (not here, but in social land) saying that Obama has won on this deal.

[karynnj]

19. I think that many believed from the strart that the Republicans would not

seriously work to find a compromise solution that was fair to everyone - and ultimately they were right. But, it was essential that as this committee was part of the agreement that any person assigned to it understand the incredible responsibility given to them and work as hard as they could and try to look at all options as dispassionately as possible. Kerry actually did this - saying that he knew they all had to be willing to take political hits - and he was.

But, there came a point where it becomes apparent that the other side really does see that they can gain by holding hostages and refusing to ever take anything less than they want. Their proposals are ridiculous and the numbers are not even real - yet most of the MSM is treating Toomey (Club for Growth, PA) as the serious one reaching out with a proposal that "includes revenue" - forget that in return he wants the Bush tax cuts permanent and his numbers fail to add up. Not to mention, Gregory was just repeating what the Republicans told him - apparently he missed the Baucus proposed Democrat plans.

At this point, Obama has not won on this. This was Obama's agreement with Boehner to set the committee up - it was not the idea of the Congressional Democrats. Kerry, of course, is not going to say that because the comment would be used against Obama. It will depend on what happens now - if the US is downgraded and it sets the economy back, he will not have won. If that was just pressure from the corporations to take the Republican plan out of fear, it might not happen and there will be no immediate cuts. That could help the economy, but it might not as it also means no stimulus. I hope that Obama with the platform he has clearly spells out as Kerry did what this choice is. The fact is the difference has never been clearer.

[politicasista]

21. Excellent summary

This sounds like a lose-lose situation (as you stated above). The next step must be (if correct) they take it up for a debate and vote?

[karynnj]

22. I'm not all that sur what the next steps are

At this point, it seems the committee will report that they failed to find a solution. This leaves nothing to vote on. Per the agreement, that mean that the sequestration will happen - but those cuts do not happen until 2013.

As many have pointed out, Congress passed the sequestration - so they can pass another bill eliminating or changing it. Obama has said he would veto it - but, I don't know if that was to put pressure on the committee. (Imagine if he said it was ok or said nothing at all.) This is actually the counter to comments that Obama won on this - he wanted a long term solution passed.

One good thing about the cuts being 13 months away is that cuts now would be devastating.

[politicasista]

26. Interesting stuff n/t

[wisteria]

14. Toomey is one of my Senators, and I consider him equal to Richard Mellon Scaife in terms of

who really matters to them. Scaife assisted both times Toomey ran for the Senate, and my guess is they are both despicable characters. I see no benefits coming from Toomey representing us, so far he had done nothing but work to undermine the middle class, elderly, and poor in the US while doing all he can to help the wealthy retain more of their money and power.

[karynnj]

20. Exactly true

When Toomey won, my first thought was whether Spector could have kept the seat if there had not been a primary fight. I liked both candidates, but both were harmed by the primary. I wish Sestak would have been ready to wait 6 years.

[Patiod]

24. And yet, I'll bet most PA voters have no idea how insanely right wing he is

He keeps his head down, and doesn't get a lot of press for saying stupid things that get reported (like Gingrich's idiocy about letting children work).

And it's pointless to tell people "he was President of the Club for Growth" because most voters would respond "what's wrong with growth? Growth is good, right?" Voters don't know who Grover Norquist is, and what kind of havoc he is causing in this country.

[YvonneCa]

4. Senator Kerry was EXCELLENT on MTP this...

...morning. I'm glad he pointed out the fact that the GOP swore allegiance to a lobbyist (Grover Norquist) while he swore allegiance to the Constitution and doing the work the American people expect of their representatives in Congress.

It is time...PAST time... for Republicans to be called out on their despicable behavior.

[wisteria]

15. I agree! n/t

[high density]

7. Kyl was amazing

Republicans are fine in demanding that everything goes their way. Democrats are going to kill jobs by demanding anything else.

[wisteria]

16. Yes, what makes the Republicans think they are entitled to their way or no way? n/t

[lindysalsagal]

13. I heard him say it today. They lie. That's all they do.

We're gonna get down-graded again. They just don't care about america.

[DCBob]

17. The only thing Republicans know how to do well is lie.

Sickening.

[Major Hogwash]

18. Now people know why Kerry should have been the President in 2004.

Most of the people who dissed Kerry back in 2004 were people that were full of hogwash.
I still have a hard time believing that some people thought he was not fit for command.
I must have argued with 50 knuckle-dragging morans on that forum before it was all said and done.
And to think that Sandra and Patty even had a clue as to what was going on at that forum. Incredible.

[blm]

25. Pretty certain GOP planted that 'tip' that Kerry was caving to drum up sh!t against him before MTP

.

[Major Hogwash]

27. According to what Kerry said, they were willing to put everything on the table,

including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, as long as the Republicans would agree to end the Bush tax cuts now, because those tax cuts are costing us almost a $1 Trillion dollars each year.
But, he said the Republicans' pledge to Grover Norquist is what prevented them from even agreeing to that.
He said that Toomey's plan was just another tax cut, and that the Democrats agreed to talk about the plan.

Kerry said that they started to talk about cuts to the budget and started with the $1.2 Trillion dollar figure.
Then the Dmeocrats reduced it to $900 Billion dollars.
Then they reduced it even further to $600 Billion dollars.
Then the Democrats even reduced it clear down to $250 Billion dollars -- just to get the Republicans to agree on something -- but the Republicans on the Super Duper Committee just said "no" to everything the Democrats proposed.

This was a great interview because Kerry was right on target.
He was so frustrated, though, that he almost stuttered when he was explaining to Gregory how the Republicans refused to negotiate.
Gregory tried to interrupt Kerry twice, but Kerry wouldn't let him.

Then Gregory surmised that this would make Obama look bad next year, and Kerry said that's why he has had a "hands off" approach to it -- it is up to Congress, and the Republicans in Congress failed, not Obama!!

[blm]

28. Imagine being sequestered with that group of idiots as long as Kerry has been. I'd be ready to

choke them all with my bare hands. ; )

Imagine what Kerry would LIKE to do.

[Scuba]

23. Republicans are dishonest and unwilling to work for compromise? Who could have known?