My head is spinning. For months the Republicans have been saying that the defense cuts featured in the sequester deal (~$500 billion, $55B of it this year) are dangerous and we’d all die as a result of our national security being so weakened. Iran and North Korea would take advantage of our cutbacks in defense and destroy us (possibly working together, even!).
Ah, but now? Well, now, said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma on Tuesday, “There’s no way in the world House Republicans would agree to raise any new revenue in order to avoid the upcoming automatic spending cuts known as the sequester.”
Jonathan Chait says
Obama’s position is that he wants to replace the sequestration cuts with a mix of higher revenue via tax reform and cuts to retirement programs. The Republican position is that no increase in taxes whatsoever is permissible. Indeed, the party has taken the position that the sequestration would be a perfectly splendid policy to enact permanently if the alternative involves raising taxes.
After quoting a Wall Street Journal editorial from a few months back which viewed sequestration with not just alarm but near-panic, Chait concludes
Indeed, the whole Republican Party has shifted with lightning speed from a campaign stance of decrying the defense cuts in sequestration and touting unspecified revenue gains from tax reform, to its current position of waving aside the damage of defense cuts and insisting that there is not a penny to be had from tax reform. At least for zealous supply-siders at the Journal who would rather sell the entire nuclear arsenal to Al Qaeda than close the carried interest loophole, this represents a coherent (if not honest) set of issue preferences. The real mystery is why so many other conservatives seem happy to go along with it.
Mr. Chait, I submit that you’re still hunting for rationality in a group of people which has none. In fact, I’d say the party deplores it.
I think there’s at least 3 factories/outfits in my area now that produce war garb. Plus an army base. So as a result, I think we have Republicans AND Democrats in my area who are nervous about defense spending cuts.
What I’m curious to know, is are there portions of Republicans who want defense cuts? And if so, who are they?
The lead story these days on NHK World Newsline is always something about North Korea.
Thing is, that’s because Japan is right near there.
Despite North Korea’s propaganda film that ripped off a video game landscape to show them wreaking havoc on American cities… I think they’re antagonizing posturing against America is mostly just for effect at this point. It would take huge massive spending cuts to defense for the U.S. to be anything akin to a sitting duck for North Korea.
North Korea’s news service reports on unicorns.
“North Korea’s news service reports on unicorns.”
What?!?
We get a little annoyed when the media talks about North Korean missiles with the ability to hit “America” meaning the West Coast, when the missiles are already capable of getting here. Hawai’i is forgotten by newspeople unless the Prez is here for Christmas.
I can understand your distress since Pearl Harbor was a surprise, and the U.S. does have a collective problem with doing the same things over & over…!
But do they really have missile weapons you think could accurately target Hawaii?
I’d be more inclined to think that they’d be likely to hit South Korea or Japan…. or themselves – by accident.
Quite honestly I think they’re more danger to their own people than to anyone else.
I think that world leaders are anxious to quell their nonsense, seriously, because they really are likely, if they do something crazy, to louse it up big time, causing horror for who knows! They can probably be depended upon to maim & kill hundreds of their own citizens while trying to show off somehow.
I don’t know what the answer is, but apparently the focus may be on the west coast because they put out bizarrely inept propaganda films depicting Los Angeles in flames, & whatnot.
But maybe if Call of Duty does a sequel game set in a tropical location with steel drums & palm trees, that the North Korean government can rip off for their propaganda, people will start worrying about Hawaii.
RE: Unicorns
You don’t allow links, so just type this into Google:
“The Real Story of North Korea’s Unicorn Lair LiveScience”
Of course it’s just more nonsense propaganda.
I can’t help but make jokes about the cult of “the great leader” in North Korea. I have to make jokes of it so I can sleep at night thinking about those poor people. (I’ve fairly recently married & my spouse is annoyed by my machine that simulates the sound of the ocean. ha ha ha)
Seriously, the whole country should be viewed as just a very large dangerous cult.
When I hear about how the reps from China, Japan, & South Korea are trying to have talks with North Korean leadership… It really sounds like a bunch of frat guys trying to intervene to gently quell their delusional narcissistic drunken buddy who couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag, but who’s mouthing off at a 300lb angry guy.
Again, I don’t know what the answer is, but I just worry that eventually it’ll turn into a super-size Waco situation.
Yeah, Waco writ large might be right.
We don’t really worry about being the target; what annoys us is Mainlanders forgetting we’re part of the US and as important as any other state.
Links are allowed; see the instructions below the comment box?