Life After The Debt Ceiling Debate
A deal has finally been made to raise the debt ceiling and it falls drastically short of ideal. By standing on principle, the Tea Party caucus was able stop Obama on many fronts, including tax hikes. The deal forces Congress to promise future spending cuts and should force a floor vote in both the House and Senate on a balanced budget Amendment. It remains our responsibility to make sure that we hold future Congresses to these spending cuts. While I’m disappointed that this deal does very little to reduce the size and scope of government and fails to address the deficit in any significant way, I am proud that it was the Tea Party caucus that forced a deal that Obama, Reid and Pelosi did not want to make.
Congressman Allen West posted this on his Twitter account (more on Col. West later in the email):
@AllenWest Allen West
“Before conservatives go criticizing this agreement consider what would have happened if Pelosi, Reid and Obama were still in control”.
This debate and deal has also served to highlight our path forward. The Tea Party caucus in the House proved that they will hold to their campaign promises and stand on principle. Senators Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, Marco Rubio, and Mike Lee showed impressive courage in stark contrast to their colleagues in the Senate. If we want deals that actually address the spending problem we need more members in the House but most importantly we have to change the entire makeup of the Senate. The corrupt, dinosaur dealmakers in the Senate ruined any chance of Cut, Cap, and Balance but we can change all of that in 2012.
Mike Lee replaced dinosaur Bob Bennett as the Senator from Utah in 2010 and has already become an outspoken leader in Washington. In 2012 Utah will offer us another opportunity to replace a backroom dealmaker with a principled Tea Party candidate. Orrin Hatch has spent 36 years in the Senate and while he has occasionally been a good conservative, no one survives nearly four decades in the Senate without becoming corrupted. We will work to replace Hatch with a new principled leader who will champion the Tea Party cause.
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson exemplifies the worst in Washington. He sold the American people out when he voted for Obamacare in exchange for the Cornhusker kickback. He will join fellow Democrat Senators Debbie Stabenow, Claire McCaskill, John Tester, Kent Conrad, Sherrod Brown, Diane Feinstein, and other career incumbents that can be replaced with principled Americans.
Our team is also researching every possibility that can be found in the 435 House races. We have already pledged our support to defend the seat now held by Col. Allen West. Liberals hate nothing more than a black conservative and are planning to spend A LOT of money to ensure his defeat. We cannot lose an incredible leader like Col. West!
Your support is critical in our efforts to end the insanity of Washington politics.
29 Responses to “Life After The Debt Ceiling Debate”
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Dustin,
I feel the biggest problem of the Tea Party Movement to maintain its momentum is spelled out in your e-mail. Instead of talking about defeating Liberal Democrats(all Democrats are liberal in my book) or protecting good strong Conservatives like Col. West you started out asking for money to defeat a not TOO conservative Republican. We need to concentrate a LOT more on the first 2 categories and a lot less on the latter. You do that and contributions will pour in and fill your coffers. PS I have been wanting to say this to my local TeaParty for quite a while now, so thank you for giving me this forum. Long, live The Tea Party because we are Taxed Enough Already but until the 47% who pay no income taxes get some skin in the game class warfare will remain an effective tactic of the Left.
I agree with Kirk! I am very happy that we have a “Few good Men” like Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, Marco Rubio, and Mike Lee! Also Paul Ryan in Janesville, Wi.! I am seeing a slow but deliberate infiltration of American Patriots getting back in the battle! I was astounded by Marco Rubio’s comments about the raising of the debt! Absolutely calling a spade a spade! What a breath of fresh air in the stagnate “House of Politics!” This young man has a future if he can stay the temptations of the corrupt politicians!
Tom McClintoch
Great work for the real Patriots out here watching your back, let the traitors in the Republican party know their time is almost up. There is a revolution coming so hopefully we can do it the easy way by voting them out. You should use the dead dopers song as yours, forgive me I don’t know her name but just remember the words….. They want me to raise the Debt Ceiling but I said NO, NO, NO!!!!! Keep up the great work for us, we are watching
Hi Kirk,
I am a firm believer that we must clean out our side of the aisle to re-gain the trust of the American people.
90% of efforts will be directed at defeating liberals.
We appreciate your feedback.
This blog sums things up well. The Tea Party provided the leadership to bring the debate to a line in the sand. Washington now stands fully exposed to millions of INDIVIDUALS who are totally feed up with the lies, half truths, the media and the politics of Washington. Washington DC struggles to admit the new dawn has arrived. Now is the time that individuals pick a canidate to replace the senators and represenatives that have protected the status qou and delviered this joke of an agreement. Do not give a dime to either party. FUND your canidate to replace the failed practices of McConnell, Boehner, Reid, Pelosi and Obama. Where these leaders threatened your representative with no political party funds to sway there departure from the balanced budget pledge replace them with your donations. Strengthen the 39 and double the ranks in 2012. Your new REPRESENTATIVE must not be focused on being reelected but rather Term Limits, Balanced Budget Amendments and making government again by the people for the people. Protecting capitalism that is the engine that protects Freedom. The world envies America for its ingenuity, its land of opportunity and freedom. It still is here we just have to get government out of the way. This is going to take a personal investment in time and money. The time is now. Start your campaign for 39 more new freshman in 2012 to put an end to an error.
Your list of Washington backroom dealmaking dinosaurs is missing Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell.
We supported a first time candidate in the gubernatorial race in Kentucky this year. His name was Phil Moffitt and we will encourage him to challenge McConnell in 2014!
I agree we need to continue to support those who hold the line and replace all those rhinos who play ” let’s make a deal “, with men and women who have integrity and the guts to face down the Media bias and their fellow progressives. The majority of those in office have forgotten whose money this is and who is ultimately being hurt by this dishonesty they are playing for the Media. They are not hurt by any of this because they don’t follow the laws of the land. They make exceptions for themselves all the time. Just look at all the scandles so far that they have just brushed under the table and told us the Am. people oh don’t worry about that he/ she only broke the law a little bit. They are too important to step down. LOL all the way to the bank.
The debt ceiling deal will be touted as a massive change in the way Washington does business. That may turn out to be true if we elect more fiscal conservatives. But the angst among the big government crowd caused by this meager deal of less than a 5% “cut” in future federal spending is mind boggling when you consider that the new debt accumulated over that same period of time could well approximate another $17 trillion. Disgusting.
Now is the time to start putting up billboards with my 59 year old face on them and this caption,
“If you’re under 35, it’s up to you to vote for congress people who will wean us off your tax bill!
Now is not a time to let up in communications with Congress.
1. It is time for term limits
2. Exclusions to Congressional members should be lifted such as 100% pensions for life even after only one term
3. Their children should have to pay back student loans the same as everyone else. These loans are not exempt from payment ever if declaring bankruptcy.
4. The American people are taxed enough when you look at all the tag-on costs to gas, utilities, phone and community programs–referred to as a non-tax! Our bank accounts are running on empty each month.
5. Go for across the board spending cuts–especially the totally unnecessary and to people who are not citizens.
6. Entitlement programs need to have a pay-forward agenda with time limits for the assistance with few exceptions such as mental incapacity, or 75% physically disabled. (People still have brains and can do something)
7. Revamp the “Spend it or Loose it” attitude and replace with “Come under Bid” and “Get Credit for Returned $$”
8. Look at allotment spending and replace with actual need/usage procurement–suggest 6 month averaging. Would be good for Defence Budget.
9. People who have never contributed to Social Security either individually or through spouse as family, should not be eligible.
10 Cut taxes by instead making Federal Tax an even tax for everyone without exceptions. 15% of income should produce more than enough $$ for the budget.
“There will be tax increases. The Deficit Commission will have at least one weak kneed Republican and the commission will only be as strong as its weakest link. The Bush tax cuts will also absolutely expire and not be renewed.
Don’t believe me on taxes, then ask GOP leadership why they haven’t put in a clear statement prohibiting them or, even better, why there is no prohibition on decoupling the middle class Bush tax cuts from the upper income Bush taxes cuts.”
Erick Erickson, Red State
“Put the security of the nation at risk or raise taxes. This is the sour “deal” liberal lawmakers are offering in exchange for insufficient spending cuts…”
Heritage Morning Bell
When you run candidates to replace *the old guard* in the Senate and House, PLEASE make sure they are qualified and can win.
Lessons learned in 2010!
I so appreciate all the hard work the Tea Party has done. Living in MI, I suffer 2 very liberal Senators. I pray that, when the time comes, The Tea Party will work to help defeat Levin – another dinosaur way to full of himself!!! I contribute often to The Tea Party & will continue to do so. Thank you.
How loyal to the Tea Party Caucus is Allen West if he wasn’t among those who voted NO to Boehner !
The 22 Republican Representatives who didn’t cave to Boehner
Posted: 29 Jul 2011 04:55 PM PDT
As reported by Politico:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0711/The_no_votes_…
Justin Amash (Mich.)
Michele Bachmann (Minn.)
Chip Cravaack (Minn.)
Jason Chaffetz (Utah)
Scott Desjarlais (Tenn.)
Tom Graves (Ga.)
Tim Huelskamp (Kans.)
Steve King (Iowa)
Tim Johnson (Ill.)
Tom McClintock (Calif.)
Mick Mulvaney (S.C.)
Ron Paul (Texas)
Connie Mack (Fla.)
Jim Jordan (Ohio)
Tim Scott (S.C.)
Paul Broun (Ga.)
Tom Latham (Iowa)
Jeff Duncan (S.C.)
Trey Gowdy (S.C.)
Steve Southerland (Fla.)
Joe Walsh (Ill.)
Joe Wilson (S.C.)
Send them messages of love, thanks and respect. They need it.
We didn’t get all that we wanted but we ARE making progress. The impact is huge and should not be underestimated. Keep up the pressure and pray that we can keep Congress on a level keel until elections next year.
Exactly!
WE need more cuts like: FEMA budget request on all levels that no Congress or president can touch.Need to go waste billions and hide more so,Kill funding for National council of la Raza,all whitehouse spending and expenses,kill atf,faa,irs,FDA, stop traffic and enforcement act, and More:Take A Chainsaw To The Budget
Posted by John Stossel | July 28, 2011
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On my show tonight at 10pm, I lay out a way to completely get rid of the deficit.
I don’t claim to be a budget expert. But others, such as Chris Edwards at Cato and Stuart Butler at Heritage, are. They found lots of serious cuts. My staff found a few more, and put together a list that would completely balance the budget:
Defense cut by 2/3: $475 billion (Federal Budget, pg. 58)
Medicare/Medicaid*: $441 billion (Cato Institute)
Social Security Means Testing: $170 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate Dept. of Education (includes Pell Grants): $106.9 billion (Cato Institute)
Social Security*: $85.7 billion (Cato Institute)
Eliminate Dept. of Transportation: $84.8 billion (Cato Institute)
Tax Amnesty: $80 billion (Rep. Jared Polis D-Co.)
Eliminate Dept. of Labor*: $78.6 billion (Department of Labor and White House)
Eliminate HUD: $60.8 billion (Cato Institute)
Eliminate Dept. of Agriculture*: $33 billion (Cato Institute)
Cut civilian employee compensation: $30 billion (Cato Institute)
Stop maintaining vacant federal property: $25 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate Foreign Aid: $21.2 billion (Cato Institute)
Eliminate Dept. of Energy*: $20.8 billion (Cato Institute)
Eliminate NASA: $19.6 billion (Cato Institute)
Federal Drug War: $15 billion (White House)
Earmark moratorium: $16 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate Fannie/Freddie Subsidies: $14 billion (Federal Housing Finance Agency (p. 10))
Eliminate Dept. of Commerce: $13.9 billion (Department of Commerce)
Eliminate Dept. of Interior: $12 billion (White House)
Legalize Pot, Online gambling, Immigrants: $12 billion (Rep. Jared Polis D-Co.)
Privatize Army Corps of Engineers: $10.6 billion (Cato Institute)
Cut federal employee travel budget: $10 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate National Science Foundation: $7.4 billion (National Science Foundation)
End EPA’s State and Local grants: $6.5 billion (Cato Institute)
Repeal Davis-Bacon: $6 billion (Republican Study Committee)
Privatize TSA: $5.7 billion (Federal Budget)
Cut Dept. of Justice’s State and Local grants: $5 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Privatize Post Office: $4 billion (White House)
Eliminate Small Business Administration: $1.8 billion (Small Business Administration)
Lease coastal plain of ANWR: $1.5 billion (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate Federal Flood Insurance: $1.3 billion (CBO, pg. 3)
Abolish SEC: $1.3 billion (SEC)
Eliminate Corporation for National Community Service: $1 billion (Cato Institute)
Suspend acquisition of federal office space: $1 billion (Heritage Foundation)
End subsidies for public broadcasting: $500 million (Cato Institute)
Eliminate the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp: $480 million (Heritage Foundation)
Eliminate the FCC: $439 million (FCC)
Eliminate the Endowments for Arts/Humanities: $332 million (NEA/NEH)
Total Cut: $1,882,619,000,000
Current deficit: $1,645,000,000,000
Surplus Achieved: $237,619,000,000
(Research by Maxim Lott and Charles Couger.)
They don’t need to drive us deeper in debt. They choose to. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see how they could choose differently.
–
*Notes
Department of Energy is eliminated except for Nuclear arms maintenance
Department of Agriculture is eliminated, except for food programs for the needy
Department of Labor is eliminated, except for 26-week unemployment benefits
Defense budget would still be $243 billion, more than twice what the next highest country (China) spends
Medicare and Medicaid savings breakdown:
Block grant Medicaid and freeze spending (226)
Repeal 2010 healthcare law (87)
Increase Medicare premiums (39.8)
Cut non-Medicare premiums (37.7)
Cut Medicare payment error rate by 50% (28.6)
Increase Medicare deductibles (12.6)
Tort Reform (10)
Social Security savings breakdown:
Price index initial benefits** 41.1
Raise the normal retirement age** 31.4
Cut Social Security disability program by 10% 13.2
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Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/blog/2011/07/29/take-chainsaw-budget-2#ixzz1ThPvIVA8 Cut 90% of prison expenses.Kill epa, China deal to devalue the U.S.Dollar.
Re: Tea Party priorities
The Congressional dinosaurs would not be an issue if we could pass term limits for all of Congress.
Obama Care, cap and trade, debt limit, environmentalism, gun control, national debt, terrorism, egalitarianism, multiculturalism, pragmatism, diversity, and many more are all consequences. Consequences of false premises held by the educated classes and by some of the public at large.
If the Tea Party confines itself to fighting consequences instead of their causes, it will be fighting an enemy it cannot see. If it can’t see and clearly identify its enemy it cannot defeat it. The movement may win a few battles here and there but will be doomed to lose the war.
I agree that the recent agreement of the debt limit is probably the best we could hope for given the small number of constitutionally committed reps in the House. They need help in 2012. But the help needs to be principled help. The main principle they need to commit to is in the Declaration of Independence, “to protect these rights governments are instituted among men.” This means that if an action violates or threatens to violate a citizen’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness congress shall address it. Conversely, if an action does not violate or threaten to violate those same rights, CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW. I screamed those last four words to emphasize that this is what the founders intended. Any potential candidates need to intend it also. This is the particular flame to hold at their feet.
Capitalism is a social system based on individual rights including property rights where all property is privately owned. Not just some of it. The concept of inalienable rights is a moral principle as well as a practical political one. As the most moral system ever devised, it deserves nothing less than a morally principled defense.
The way for the Tea Party to win the public over is to appeal to their rational self interest. It’s what our founders did. The words ‘inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ are words of rational self interest. They are not words of self sacrifice or any kind of sacrifice. The candidates of 2012 and beyond need to understand the political principle of individual rights and the moral principle on which it is based, rational self interest.
This alleged compromise bill is nothing more than a sham. I repeat, a sham.
Any spending cut that goes out for 10 years cannot be taken seriously.
As you can tell by my tone I am damned mad. Do not support this bill whose only guarantee is the re-election of Barrack Hussein Obama!
No tax increases? What the @&*$ is O’Bamma Care going to be? What will happen when Bush’s tax cuts expire? You can believe that it is business-as-usual inside the Beltway for the estasblishment regardless of what letter appears after their names. I am sorely disappointed to note my Congressman voted for the Boner Bill….
Cuts need to be cuts NOW; this 10 year stuff is bs. Who enforces it past this year. We also need to cancel this BASE LIne budgeting where it goes up 7 1/2% a year automatically. Lets cut it 7 1/2% a year for the next 10 years.
Where is our balanced budget amendment??
let is default.
[...] the website of the Western Representation PAC I found this rather rational post titled ‘Life After the Debt Ceiling Debate.’ I think they’re right in that we [...]
You are correct. We will only be able to change things after the next election. I hope everyone will remember that and vote. And we do not need an independent canidate. If that happens we will give the election to Obama. We have to have a good republican canidate and elect that person. So choose well.
Are you folks kidding?. Congress make a promise to look into more spending cuts? Would Jack the Ripper have stopped if he had promised to do so?.
I have mixed feelings on this so called “deal”! This whole thing is a sham, caused by foot dragging…dogs fighting over a bone etc! Both sides are to blame, which is to say I am a CONSERVATIVE, not a DEM or a REPUBIC or a LIB or a SOCIALIST or a COMMUNIST or a MARXIST… which is what we have in both houses now and what surrounds the president! None of the deal making in the cloak room, back hall, secret rooms, dead of night trading, is going to bend the debt and spending curves into a downward direction! And I do not understand why the budget process MUST include an across the board 8% increase each year a budget is adopted! America is still on that path that will carry the country over the cliff and into the GRAND CANYON, and that’s a BIG FALL! There is a time for compromise and for pragmatism but there is never a time for surrendering your principals! No one wanted to surrender, but the debt ceiling had to be done in order to protect the greater good… I hate the whole process that forced this outcome! This is what happens when we only control 1/3 of the government! We must make sure that we defeat enough of those who control the Senate to make sure that this process is changed! And we must make Obama a one term community organizer, because he has not been a President! He and His party are the primary reason we are in this shape! And we must not leave Mr Bush free of blame! He was right on going after Al Qaeda and the Taliban! His 2ND term was a disaster though! I voted for him both times and I am sorry I did! Last but not least, I am a Texan and because Texas went Republican in ’08, we now have the EPA telling us that we cannot have coal fired electrical utilities, causing our electrical cost to “necessarily skyrocket”. This is why this guy who occupies 1600 Penn Ave is no president, just another political hack from Chi-Town, bent on punishing his enemies !
Thanks for providing this Blog!
Dustin, I appreciate your clarity on this debate. Conservatives have won an important victory. Just as important, Obama and Reid have lost the PR war. Americans clearly support the Republican position and Obama’s disapproval on RCP is climbing again. This is a tactical victory, despite the fact this is a bad deal.
You mention Mike Lee. Bennett would not have been replaced but for the unique nominating process in Utah. In most states, only voters in primaries choose nominees. In Utah the selection is shared with the Party in Convention. Without that rule, Bennett would still be in the Senate today.
Under the Utah rule, the Party in Convention decides who will appear on the primary ballot. Thus the corrupt and the ideologically apostate can be removed from the ballot as Bennett was. This solution is a far superior to term limits, recall, or other methods of shortening the career of a politician who no longer acts in the interests of his/her constituents.
The Utah rule should be adopted across the nation. If the American people remain virtuous, true reform that results in smaller government is then possible.