Tea Party Downgrade? They Cant Possibly Sell That
The downgrading of U.S. debt is an extreme embarrassment for the government in general, and the Obama administration in particular. So the administration has reacted in the only way it knows: by denouncing Standard & Poors, and by blaming its political opponents, the supporters of the Tea Party, for the downgrade
Of the administrations alternative theories, the most ludicrous is the claim that the Tea Party, the one group dedicated to doing something about the nations spending and debt crisis, is somehow to blame for it. Yet this is the theory that President Obamas political adviser, David Axelrod, tried to sell on Face the Nation this morning:
Mr. Obamas longtime political adviser, David Axelrod, made clear that Democrats would seek to brand the rating as a Tea Party downgrade. He said Mr. Obama had been willing to compromise on issues sacred to liberals by curbing spending on entitlements, but the deal foundered because Republicans are having to respond to this very, very strident group that is pulling them away and believes that compromise is a dirty word. That is a prescription for failure.
What is most ludicrous is the Democrats effort to distract attention from the fact that they controlled Congress from January 2007 until January 2011. The first Congress that had any ability to be influenced by the Tea Party movement has been in office for only six months. Do the Democrats seriously expect anyone to believe that S&Ps downgrade of U.S. debt arises out of something that Republican Congressmen have done in the last six months? We expect the Democrats to appeal to ignorance at all times, but this is ridiculous.
Tea Party Downgrade? They Cant Possibly Sell That | Power Line