I’ve been stunned by how many times I’ve seen the phrase “both sides” over the past week. We joke about this all the time, of course, but it’s stunning just how incapable our media is of accurately describing a system in which one side has gone totally insane. Kthug puts it well (link fixed):
And look at what this does to incentives: no matter how badly Republicans behave, they don’t draw condemnation from the Very Serious People. All you get is tut-tutting about how politics is awful, and if only we had a third party to install Mike Bloomberg as
dictatorpresident all would be well.Pundits who won’t call out extremism without pretending that it’s symmetric aren’t a big part of our problem, but they are a part of our problem.
Democrats are now offering $2.7T of cuts with no increased tax revenues and Republicans still won’t accept the deal. It’s remarkable! And to listen to the news, you’d think the problem was that Nancy Pelosi was still insisting on government funding for the New Black Panther Party.
Zifnab
At this point, I almost wonder whether Democrats genuinely expected to get Republicans to sign on, or whether they were just taking one last half-hearted kick at Lucy’s football.
slag
Not if you’re a liberal. If you’re a liberal, you only listen to MSNBC and The New York Times, and they never do that, apparently.
arguingwithsignposts
That link does not say what you say it says. /confused.
JPL
Chuck Schumer called out the media today for the both sides do it approach today. I heard that Reid was giving a press conference at 2:30. I checked CNN and MSNBC online and could not find it so went to CSPAN.org. A little before 4 I went to MSNBC online and sure enough they had a link to Boehner’s news conference. Maybe both news sites had Reid online at some point, all I know was that when I checked it was not there.
jwb
So the President is going to speak tonight. I’m curious to see what direction he takes.
Face
Word on the street is that both senators and Rep GOPers are dissing Boner’s plan. If the head GOPer cant get his own party to vote for a immensely important bill, then they aren’t voting for anything.
Obama, meet the 14th.
beltane
I used to think the media is lazy. Now I realize they work their skanky little asses off working for the GOP.
jwb
beltane: It takes hard work to be as bad as our media is. Do you know how hard it is to take the current facts on the ground and convert it into a “both sides” narrative? That’s real alchemy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I couldn’t disagree more with that last bit
Linda
This is easy. Once you are powerful, and might mess with the press, the press gives you a pass. David Gergen pretty much said this last November, when he was shocked that Matt Taibbi called Tea Partiers crazy. He said you can’t say that about a group of people that represent a significant number of voters. So grown-up life is indeed like high school–if you call out the bullies, they might give you a wedgie.
Martin
Well, it’s supposed to be Cantors job to deliver the votes – he’s Majority Leader and it’s why he keeps getting invited to shit. Boehner’s job is to not fuck the duties of the House as Speaker, not whip the GOP. If our very serious people could get their heads out of their asses for a moment, they’d note that Boehner’s job is bring it to a vote on time (since the House is tasked with keeping the calendar here) and if Nancy delivers and Cantor can’t, well that’s tough shit on Cantor. If we don’t get a vote at all, that’s tough shit on Boehner.
But they won’t blame Boehner because both sides do it.
FlipYrWhig
Poli-blogger, burning bright,
In the forests of the Right;
What media hack a-sigh
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
arguingwithsignposts
@jwb: or to change 100 degrees F to the boiling point!
Han's Big Snark Solo
@beltane:
.
Actually they work for the big corporate honchos that own their organizations. So does the GOP.
For another example of this, see the UK.
arguingwithsignposts
@Martin:
I thought the GOP Whip was supposed to whip up the votes.
replicnt6
@Zifnab:
I think the Dems are hoping that if they offer exactly what the Repubs claim they want, and the Repubs reject this proposal that gives them everything they claim they want, the press will finally entertain the possibility that perhaps the Repubs are completely full of shit.
I guess what I’m saying is that it’s probably the media that’s that’s pulling the football away, not the Republicans. We’re long past trusting the Republicans, but we still think maybe, just maybe, they press will be honest about what’s going on.
El Cid
Why would the billion dollar media give a fuck what happens to people or the Democratic Party if they fail to give everything fantasized to the most right wing Republican party yet seen?
Sure, meet “in the middle”, or “compromise”, or whatever.
So what of the effects on programs that have been a basis of US society for generations? So? What does that have to do with their jobs?
As long as the general sentiment among the media owning class is that overall the two parties are both dedicated to maintaining, preserving, and extending the enrichment of the American super-upper class, all else is bickering.
Han's Big Snark Solo
@replicnt6:
I’m skeptical. The media is not that bright.
danimal
Any cites that the House leadership can’t get the votes?
Zifnab
Han’s Big Snark Solo:
I checked over there but all I could find was race-baiting and tits.
arguingwithsignposts
Man, Kthug sure does dance around calling out his fellow Times Pundits. That reads like a direct smack at the Moustache of Understanding.
replicnt6
@arguingwithsignposts:
In all fairness, they don’t say the boiling point of what. We’re certainly exceeding the boiling point of nitrogen, right?
General Stuck
That was an excellent piece by Krugman. If he wrote about the cretinous republicans more often, instead of wanking for The Whiny Prog Disappointment Bureau, then he could make his self useful.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Case in point: After lunch I turned on MSNBC a couple of times to see if there was any news, and every time Luke Russert was speaking wiht great confidence on the different proposals under discussion, and Andrea Mitchell sagely reminded us that this is really all about “positioning” for 2012.
I’m increasingly of the opinion that stupidity explains more about the punditocracy than class-isolation or corporate ownership, not that those two last aren’t big factors.
Martin
Yeah, but on Cantor’s guidance. Cantor represents the caucus, Boehner represents the entire House. He decides what comes to the floor for a vote, and while he’ll favor bills that his party wants, for stuff on the calendar he’s supposed to bring bills to the floor even if the minority is needed to pass it. I’m almost positive both Reid’s proposed bill and a clean bill could get passed in the House if it came up for a regular vote (not the 2/3 shit that happened in May).
Boehner’s counterpart is technically Biden who represents the Senate as President of the Senate, but those duties are traditionally delegated to the Majority Leader.
JC
This nails it Doug. Every day, in every way, we see how in the tank the media is.
Example: Jeff Jarvis – gets his dander up, starts a tweet storm, called eff you washington, which takes off. He’s telling the story here, marvelling at how it took off
But, notice – all this high moral outrage over ‘Washington’, without putting DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY on the fact that all we have to do is hold a voice vote, and raise the debt ceiling, as we’ve done for the last 50 years or more.
And who isn’t doing that? “Washington”. But it is the REPUBLICANS who didn’t do that.
So where did his moral compass go?
He is in high moral outrage – and then is amoral and/or lazy enough not to investigate why, and call to account those responsible??
Another example – Time at Swampland, Jay newtonsmall.
Starts with “They say in politics that you know you’ve become a statesman when you’ve been on almost every side of an issue at one time or another”
Ends with “Obama wins the “statesman” award: Obama has had a bunch of flip-flops in these negotiations, but for that sake of brevity, I’m putting them under one heading”.
There is NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that Obama’s ‘flip-flops’ were offers to get this done, even though it wasn’t ideal or what he wanted, just offers to meet the Rethugs halfway.
These are SMART PEOPLE – so they know they are indulging in the FAKE ‘equal blame’ game.
What is this? Is it really ‘go along to get along’, and they pre-capitulate to the Rethugs, for their careers?
Martin
@Zifnab:
So, everything we’ve got but with tits? That’s at least a meaningful improvement.
arguingwithsignposts
@JC: fwiw, Jeff Jarvis is a self-important gasbag of epic proportions.
Citizen_X
@arguingwithsignposts: Oh mah Gawd, that’s fucking stupid!
JC
Agreed, but it is a perfect example of amoral moral posturing
Tonal Crow
Hey lookee! A debt-ceiling article from AP that’s largely free of false equivalence, and which argues the self-evident point that the debt-ceiling impasse is due to teatards refusing to break their marriage vows to Norquist.
jl
@27 martin
Didn’t say what kind of tits they wuz. I will wait for more information. Lot in congress I don’t wanna see.
Bender
Krugman is a tool, but at least he’s a transparent tool, so he’s easy to identify and ignore.
Kruggy, meet Senator Obama, voting with every single Democrat AGAINST a rise in the debt ceiling proposed by Bush:
Krugs should be ashamed, but we know he is incapable of shame.
Warren Terra
Blake reference FTW.
slag
@Bender: And yet the debt ceiling got raised anyway without all this last-minute nonsense. Imagine that.
JC
Bender,
You mean the one time that Obama did so, yes, for political reasons, ‘as a statement’, knowing that the debt ceiling would get voted up without him?
If he thought it wouldn’t pass, hi would have voted it up.
And, he has said that was a mistaken vote. so he has learned from it.
You want to compare that to the current Rethugs, who have voted to raise the debt 9 times in Bush’s reign, 17 times in Reagan’s, etc?
But you know this, of course, you are simply trolling.
Karen
And the final part of the GOP plan falls into place:
Rep. Steve King (R-IA)warns of Obama impeachment if the GOP forces default.
This is what the whole debt ceiling fight has really all been for.
TenguPhule
Corrected for accuracy.
Fire Enemas seem to be the only cure.
John O
If we just passed a debt ceiling limit of infinity, market forces would dictate where panic set in.
One conservative friend of mine called Bill Clinton the best Republican President of his lifetime because of how he handled the country’s finances.
Obama really believes we have to tackle the debt. This seems clear to me.
Citizen_X
@Karen: The Republicans are going to impeach him for…not stopping the Republicans?
les
As if the fake equivalence stories aren’t enough, our ever vigilant scribes are still publishing “where’s Obama’s plan” bullshit. It is to weep.
Karen
@Citizen_X
Basically the GOP is saying, if you don’t shoot yourself we’ll do it for you.
Tonal Crow
@Karen:
Ding ding ding ding! The truth comes out. Republicans consider a Democratic President to be illegitimate by definition. And especially if that President happens to be, you know, black.
RinaX
Sorry, but I’m not stunned at all. As much as I enjoyed President Obama’s presser last Friday, I was already prepared for exactly what’s happening now. Now, I do actually think that his words are getting through to more and more regular people, but that’s no thanks to the oppressive media horse race atmosphere.
Bender
It is indeed encouraging that you guys realize Obama is just a political opportunist who doesn’t believe his own purdy speechifying bullshit.
So either Obama feels the same as the Republicans w/r/t the ceiling, or he’s an untrustworthy liar. Your pick!
And what a surprise! He “regrets” his vote (but not his purdy speech — “Increasing the debt limit weakens us internationally and domestically! …America deserves better!”) just when he’s trying to get a “yes” vote. I’m certain that he’s sincere. This time.
Reagan? Current Republicans? Really?
It ain’t 1985 anymore, in case you haven’t read any economic news in the last 3 years. With 11% GDP deficits, Medicare and Social Security bombs, and expensive national health insurance on the near horizon, and a business-hostile administration, the GOP feels the time is right to draw a line and get commitments on real spending cuts.
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Carl Nyberg
“Here’s my final offer. You get nothing.”
Richard Fox
Here’s my prediction, and why not. Free useless prognostication never hurt anyone. (Although I do watch Chris Matthews on Sundays from time to time so maybe that’s not all that true.)
Anywho… tonight Obama will announce his support for the Reid plan, sound very conciliatory, and then put in a kicker. He will not let the country go into default under any circumstances and will be forced to invoke the 14th Amendment should no plan be agreed to by August 2nd.
Watch the hilarity ensue. Night, all.
srv
Bobo Obama in Dennis’ post last night.
SiubhanDuinne
Excellent title, DougJ. I do like a mathematician who knows his Blake.
bemused
Citizen_X@40,
Diabolical GOP logic. Seriously, most americans other than the 27 percenters, have got to seeing through this Orwellian hood the R’s are trying to pull over our eyes already, don’t they?
JC
Bender,
Red herrings all, of course. You have one time that Obama voted against, I have many times that current Repubs voted for. I mention Reagan 17 times, I can also add Bush 2, nine times.
Address the fact that this is a duty to raise the debt ceiling, to pay for spending already budgeted. To not do so, is to put the nation’s finances at risk.
Again, you know this, of course.
EDIT: The same GOP that voted for this – http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/the-chart-that-should-accompany-all-discussions-of-the-debt-ceiling/242484/.
Hypocrisy, thy name is GOP.
Just Some Fuckhead
In Bender’s defense, Republicans never had a situation where the national defict was nigger than this. Sure, they raised the debt ceiling a bunch of times but that was when the economy was in much better ape. Now we’re in a situation where it is imperative the debt be spade down. Right now government spending is like an anchor dragging the economy blackwards. Something has to give very coon or we will not go gently into that darkie night.
JC
JSF,
First time I read that, I was annoyed. WTH? Since when can’t JSF, spell? Is someone spoofing JSF?
I read it a 2nd time, and then it hit me, and yes, I did LOL.
Thx, very witty.
FlipYrWhig
@ JSF : Anyone who doesn’t see it is so surrounded by fools that he might as well pick a ninny.
Emperor of Ice Cream
@#52
Nailed it! Except really, at this point it’s enough that he is a Dem …. The blackness is just hot water for the tea.
Emperor of Ice Cream
@#52
Nailed it! Except really, at this point it’s enough that he is a Dem …. The blackness is just hot water for the tea.
JC
Also, I haven’t smiled or laughed on a Balloon Juice thread for awhile now, I don’t think.
So double thanks, especially since I’ve gotten repeat chuckles on repeat readings.
Cain
@Just Some Fuckhead:
I see what you did there.
Jay B.
There’s a stupid statement no one could have foreseen.
Hawes
Read something somewhere today that made it all clear.
The GOP want entitlement cuts. Not for the sake of entitlement cuts, but to cover their asses for the Ryan budget. They want to force the Democrats to vote to cut Medicare so they can inoculate themselves from the Death Panel 2012 ads that Democrats will hit them with.
Everything makes sense once you assume that is their motivation.
slag
@srv: Isn’t it funny that someone would say that after admitting that the compromise is unbalanced in favor of spending cuts by 4 to 1? I mean, you can easily quantify this problem, and yet it still comes down to “both sides do it”. One might even say that science doesn’t matter to that dude. Who was that again? Oh yeah…the President. Engaging in faith-based false equivalencies.
Karen
@JSF
Two times in a week that you’ve posted something I agree with.
Is this pod person JSF? Let me check for leaves.
Bender
And I’ve got many times when Democrats voted in a united block to NOT raise the ceiling under a Republican president. Of course, you’ll never hear that from Big Media. To them, this is “unprecedented” and a “crisis.” In fact, the government has run past the debt-limit “deadline” day by a few months several times while Congress debated an increase.
Obama wasn’t dumb enough to vote in 2007 and 2008 to raise the limit. In fact, the Present didn’t vote at all. What a shocker.
Bender
Nice. Quality comment at last!
(Though you’ll have to explain why the Democrats hated Whitey in 2004 and 2006.)
Mnemosyne
And the ceiling did not get raised when they did that, right? The Democrats voted in a block and there was no raise in the debt ceiling, correct?
Because otherwise your “proof” shows precisely nothing at all other than that sometimes legislation passes without a 435 to zero vote in favor of it.
El Cid
JSF, my hat’s off to you.
one_outer
What a retarded entry. One side has gone insane? The other side accepts all their premises. The president is operating off the same assumptions of the side that you call insane. Both sides are insane, or do you have too much cognitive dissonance to realize that?
Take your head out of your ass.
Ash Can
@Just Some Fuckhead: That was brilliant.
Yutsano
@Just Some Fuckhead: Oh my gravy. When you are brilliant you are molto brilliante!