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The Spectacle Blog
During last night’s debate, Bret Baier asked all the candidates to raise their hand if they would refuse a deficit deal that was 10-1 spending cuts to tax increases. All raised their hands.
Having all Republicans go on record as opposing any tax hikes whatsoever, even as part of an advantageous deal, seems like a perfect opportunity for Democrats to once again deride the GOP as unreasonable, willing to take the economy hostage, terrorists, etc.
It’s getting old, though. Does anyone really think that, for instance, the former governors on the stage believe that any tax hike at all would harm the economy?
What Baier really was asking was for the candidates to raise their hands if they favored holding onto the GOP’s best bargaining tool, namely the commitment to no new taxes. Obviously, they do.
Updated for clarity.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Joseph Lawler
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/08/12/10-1-spending-cuts
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Ken (Old Texican)| 8.12.11 @ 9:55AM
Well, Joseph,
that column was certainly convoluted. Ploease try again.
Solo| 8.12.11 @ 10:26AM
It was a stupid question to ask and was loaded from top to bottom.
Why not make it 100 to 1? Or 1000 to 1? He was going to get the same response, regardless.
Any republican on that stage who would stand there and embrace more taxes (for any reason) could kiss their campaign goodbye. The other candidates would tear them a new one in the next debate.
"Candidate "X" says that he might raise your taxes", would be the first things out of their mouths.
Any one of them would agree to a 10 to 1 deal, as they should, and we all know it. But not one of them would dare allow themselves to be singled out as the sole "tax increase advocate" in the bunch.
So yeah....the question accomplished nothing except make the entire republican field appear as staunch, inflexible ideological zealots.
Maybe Bret is auditioning for a job at MSNBC.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.12.11 @ 11:36AM
Hi Solo.
Welcome, if I have not said so yet. Good point.
John - TMF| 8.12.11 @ 12:09PM
Ken,
Besides, how many times do you get chucked in the nose for looking down after getting the old "what this" chest poke joke, before you just punch your tormenter in the schnozzola?
Dose of reality for those not capable of simple deductive reasoning. (This is for Establishment Tax Collector for the Welfare State types who always think that they can "bargain" on this one...)
Rule #1: IF ANY TAXES ARE RAISED - AT ALL, NO CUTS WILL MATERIALIZE, EVER. (Emphasis necessary because the spineless need to be yelled at to get any point to burn through their fear.)
All debaters answered correctly. Romney ... er um hedged.. er um... well the energy of the crowd made him feel like the correct answer for the moment was NO... That was no guarantee for the future.
BTW: The winner of the debate? Rick Perry, who didn't have to deal with slap-fights by sound byte.
Regards, John - TMF
Conservative View| 8.12.11 @ 11:42AM
I think it was G. B. Shaw who once asked a Victorian lady "Would you have sex with me for 100 pounds?" To which the woman replied. "Yes, Mister Shaw, I think I might." Then G. B. Shaw asked, "Well then would you have sex with me for 10 pounds." To which she replied, "Heavens no. Mister Shaw, what sort of common whore do you suppose I might be." "Madam," he replied, "We have already established that, I was just working out the price."
Now I don't know if that story is true, or even if it belongs to Shaw. I only use it to illustrate a point. The Republicans have a price, the question is will the Democrats pay it.
JimH| 8.12.11 @ 1:11PM
Baier was trying to establish the price before determining if anything was for sale.
Occam's Tool| 8.12.11 @ 1:20PM
It was Churchill.
" Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?
Socialite: My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we would have to discuss terms, of course…
Churchill: Would you sleep with me for five pounds?
Socialite: Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!
Churchill: Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price."
He also had this memorable slam:
Bessie Braddock (to Winston Churchill): "Winston, you're drunk."
Churchill: "Bessie, you're ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober."
And this:
Unknown MP sitting behind Churchill on the back benches during his twilight years, to adjacent colleague, sotto voce : He’s not what he used to be. They say he’s gone senile."
Churchill, turning around to face them: "And they say he has gone deaf as well!"
And this: "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it. " (His six volume history of the Second World War won him a well deserved Nobel Prize in Literature.")
And his beatdown of GBS:
George Bernard Shaw telegrammed Winston Churchill just prior to the opening of Major Barbara: "Have reserved two tickets for first night. Come and bring a friend if you have one."
Churchill wired back, "Impossible to come to first night. Will come to second night, if you have one."
And of course, he was a Zionist and friend of the Jews, unlike Ron Paul.
I am fortunate in having vermin like Clint and Paul as my enemies.
Conservative View| 8.12.11 @ 5:39PM
There was a second round with Bessie:
BB: Winston, you are drunk
WC: And you madam are ugly, but tomorrow I shall be be sober.
BB: Mister Churchill, if you were my husband, I'd put posion in your tea.
WC: Madam, if you were my wife, I'd drink it.
All the quick comebacks while, as she said, he was dead drunk.
ncatty| 8.12.11 @ 12:15PM
I thought Shaw was gay.
Freedom Toast| 8.12.11 @ 3:48PM
Wasn't this a chance for one to appear....uhm, reasonable? 1 out of 10 with the balls to say "Of course I'd take a huge GOP legislative victory and I'm actually serious about solving the debt problem"
A little sanity is too much to ask I know.