In a real sense it was a room full of soulless morons. Was the interviewer’s job to elicit useful information or to give these two guys the platform to dissemble and obfuscate? Obvious answer to obvious question. But really, would it have been that hard to link the complaint by McConnell of a top-only recovery to drawing down a little bit of that benefit to generate genuinely middle class programming? Evidently ‘yes’ as the interviewer went into his mindless ‘Dead or not dead’ buffoonery. And 60 Minutes is the best the the MSM has to offer? Oh yes, that brings to mind Lara Logan…
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This is right out of Karl Rove’s playbook. Take your supposed weakness and turn it into your opponent’s weakness.
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Rep. Charlie Dent, a Pennsylvania Republican, famously summed up the situation: “Week one, we had a speaker election that did not go … well,” Dent said. “Week two, we got into a big fight over deporting children. … Week three, we are now talking about rape and incest and reportable rapes and incest for minors. … I just can’t wait for week four.
Week four is saying the poor have no one to blame but themselves.
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I didn’t get to see the 60 Minutes piece, though I’m glad I didn’t–I probably would have thrown something at the TV if I’d heard Boehner and McConnell say these things. And the majority of the comments on here are spot on regarding how brazen their assertion is, especially as these two people have played the largest role in ensuring that the income inequality in this country continues to favor their benefactors (i.e. the 1% and 0.1%).
However, looking at this from a more positive viewpoint, look at how the President and Democrats (as a party for the most part) have successfully changed the frame in Washington such that Republicans are obligated to address the issue. This seems to me to be a vast departure from Republican talking points even as recently as the 2012 presidential election, where it was verboten to mention the issue; it was all about job creators and how if it weren’t for high taxes and onerous government regulation, millions of jobs would be magically created. Now, their rhetoric hasn’t changed a bit–in fact, these are their same policy prescriptions for income equality, because they literally have nothing else beyond these tired old talking points–but they have to mention it. Credit President Obama and activists for bringing the issue of income inequality to the fore of our current mainstream political discourse and making it something that Republicans will be confronted with and must address. This isn’t to say they particularly care; I don’t believe they do. But let this been seen as a positive step and let’s hope that Democrats latch onto this frame and continue to pound Republicans with.
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Republicans are trying so so hard to appear to be populist by holding their right hand out but keeping their left one behind their backs with their fingers crossed. May have worked before but they are in the driver’s seat now and steering the wheel. . A shame the reporter that interviewed these two did not bring up the various points mentioned here or simply asked Tecmage’s great question:
A missed opportunity but as much as I despise the “liberal” media, I think some will finally get tired of the GOP blame game and start saying they need to put up or shut up.
Or at least I hope.
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To paraphrase the late, great Billy Martin, “One lies and the other swears to it!” This is such transparent garbage that CBS should be ashamed for broadcasting it. What,.precisely, have these two geniuses done to alleviate the problem?? The correct answer is NOTHING. If anything, they are trying to make the issue worse by coddling the rich and protecting the interests of the Koch brothers. Please stop belittling the President’s accomplishments, which have had to overcome persistent, constant opposition from these monsters. Oh, for a bomb to go off in the room where this circus was taped.
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Well, they’re having to start early. The Republicans only have 20 months before the next Presidential Election. They figure they have to get the big lies out there now, otherwise there won’t be enought time for them to magically turn into the truth.
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Ha ha ha ha. They are in deep trouble if they feel the only thing they can criticize the Obama admin for is income inequality. It’s also funny that they say regulations are stopping businesses from creating jobs. If unemployment is going down, jobs are being created. The point is when will wages start to increase, and they have no answer for this except don’t raise the minimum wage which would actually help to increase wages for millions of people. If we weren’t being totally screwed by these guys it would be hilarious.
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Because it will create jobs.
Naturally 60 Minutes kowtowed to both of them by failing to bring up this obvious point. Or at the least, invite someone on who would make that point crystal clear.
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They’re really testing out that old standard, that no one ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the American voter.
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I propose honorary membership in Occupy Wall Street for tan man and turtle.
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After watching this interview, the only shock I can muster is that both sets of trousers didn’t burst into flame.
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On a certain level, the audacity of this attack is pretty amazing. It’s morally and intellectually bankrupt, but at the same time, the guts it would take for them to say this with a straight face is incredible. These are the guys that just gutted the Volkner rule.
I don’t get the sense that the Obama people are really into the back and forth of politics – that they’d be chomping at the bit to shove these words down the GOP’s throats. It’s more like they’ll say this crazy stuff, and Obama will just keep on conducting his business.
I’m not a big fan of Hillary, but at moments like these I do tend to long for someone like Bill to rise up and let them have it.
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This is why Democrats should never, ever compromise with Republicans, it’s a trap, when you agree to their policies, they attack you for it!
This ranks one notch below calling Dodd-Frank a bailout bill.
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The interview reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. The conservative politicians created this problem, and now they want to deflect the blame to the POTUS.
GOP Leaders: Obama Economy Has Improved But Only For The Rich
In other words, the GOP has achieved exactly what they wanted all along.
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It was truly a fluff piece. They were never challenged on any of their blatant lie and falsehoods.
It took me about five minutes to stop laughin at these two yahoo’s …yep its all obama’s fault that the wealthy have had a great time under his leadership and they fought for the middle clss and working poor from day one…I wonder what world they live in oh yeah the land of self dellusion,or frank luntz
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But, but, how could that be!? After all as Republicans are always telling us, “If we improve things for the top it will trickle down to improve things for those in the middle and the bottom.” So, how could things possibly be getting better for the top under Obama, but worse for the middle and lower class? Unless, of course, the guiding justification for the last 30 years of Republican economic theory/policy is a load of bullshit.
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