Intransigence of the Senate Democrats

Diego Sanchez Gallardo

PRSSA National Treasurer

Has anyone seen/heard these questions asked of any Democrat during the debt limit kerfuffle?

1. “Explain your vote against raising the debt ceiling in 2006.”

Gallardo (left)

2. “Explain why the unanimous Democrat Senate vote against raising the debt ceiling in 2006 did not constitute a crisis, as you have repeatedly declared this issue to be.”

3. “Explain why tax-and-spend leftist Obama’s florid rhetoric against raising the debt ceiling in 2006 earned him the Presidency, but conservative House members who ran on fiscal reform and now oppose borrowing more money are ‘acting like children’”.

4. “Explain why you Democrats are on television declaring that it is ‘extreme’ to oppose raising the debt ceiling and that the only reasonable and responsible solution is for House Republicans to negotiate with Democrat Senators and abandon certain positions ‘because this issue is so important’, but you yourself voted to pass socialized healthcare on a straight party-line vote with the entire GOP shut out of the development of the legislation and even prevented from seeing the bill before the vote.”

Of course not, everyone is too busy demonizing the Tea Party and the freshmen Republicans in the House. They’re accused of being purists. What does that mean? They stick to principles unlike the Democrats and the GOP Leadership? The Democrats, who failed to produce a bill in 800 days until last week, are now touting themselves as the warriors of fiscal responsibility. The problem is both Reid’s and Boehner’s plans are a joke for the American people. Reid’s plan supposedly reduces the debt by 1.1 trillion dollars by scaling back military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Nobody in the media mentions, however, that those savings were already slated to occur even if this budget plan hadn’t existed. And to add more dissatisfaction to the bill the irresponsible Senate Democrats are rallying behind, this plan doesn’t even touch entitlements. The unsustainable Medicare and Social Security are ignored completely.

The Speaker’s plan isn’t any better. The Boehner plan merely plans to cut a $100 billion in a span of a decade, meaning a total of $1 billion in cuts per year. To say that’s a dent to the national debt is an insult to dents. At the tune this federal government is spending, we owe $100 billion per month in just interest payments.

This unserious approach to cut spending met fierce opposition from members of the Republican Study Committee and grassroots across the country. The CBO even estimated that the cuts would be lower than expected. Boehner then proceeded to amend the plan by establishing a committee to decide $1.1 trillion in cuts the next ten years. A committee comprised by 12 members, 6 elected by the Democrats and 6 elected by Republicans. But as Sen. Reid said, “this plan is dead on arrival on the Senate.” And with House GOP surely to rally to block Reid’s plan we are left with no serious approach. “Cut, Cap, and Balance” passed the House with even some Democrats voting for it, only to be stopped in the Senate without any debate. And the President has been sitting on the sidelines most of the debate, only attacking corporate jets and the wealthy. Give me a break.

And so that’s how this story ends. With the party of endless spending and entitlements unto death lecturing fiscal conservatives on how they’re leading the country into a credit downgrade. Yesterday all 53 Senate Dems signed a letter to Boehner essentially saying: your bill will never pass. If this is how Washington will behave, default is imminent.

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The author is the newly elected National Treasurer for the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association. Gallardo is a student in American University and works for Popular Inc.