To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×

Where Have All the "Deficit Hawks" Gone?

I noticed that earlier this year we were overwhelmed by a wave of
anti-deficit grandstanding throughout the Democratic Party while the
Catfood Commission was sending up trial balloons about cutting Social
Security benefits, raising the retirement age (which is just a
sleight-of-hand way of cutting benefits) or cutting the health care benefits for military service personnel.

Interestingly, since we have started the public debate about whether
or not to extend Bush's massive, deficit-ballooning tax cuts to
millionaires, those same deficit hawks have been very quiet. That, or
they have been very noisy about pushing to greatly increase the deficit
by demanding Bush's tax cut for millionaires be allowed to continue.
Senators such as Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Evan Bayh (D-IN), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and 31 House Democrats
have squawked about letting those tax cuts for the rich expire as
Bush's law had originally intended. Almost all of those 31
Representatives are self-proclaimed "fiscal conservatives" who pretend
to be worried about the deficit even as they fight to greatly increase
it.

When it comes to cutting benefits for poor and middle-class seniors,
or cutting the pay of our military personnel while forcing our veterans
to pay more of their own health care costs -- much of which likely
resulted from illness due to their service in two long wars -- what we
hear from Washington elites is the great need for "shared sacrifice" to
bring down the deficit. Yet, when debating the idea of allowing taxes on
millionaires (and here it might be good to remember that two-thirds of
the members of Congress are themselves millionaires) to return to what
they were under Bill Clinton, it is all "damn the deficit we can't let
the wealthy suffer during this economic downturn!"

It is just a reminder that in Washington talk about "reducing the
deficit" is almost always nothing more than code for screwing over
regular Americans and almost always completely divorced from any actual
concern about the size of the federal debt. It is long past time that
the media calls out these "deficit hawks" for the hypocrites they are
and explain what their fake deficit grandstanding is really about.

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

© 2023 FireDogLake
bill clinton

I noticed that earlier this year we were overwhelmed by a wave of
anti-deficit grandstanding throughout the Democratic Party while the
Catfood Commission was sending up trial balloons about cutting Social
Security benefits, raising the retirement age (which is just a
sleight-of-hand way of cutting benefits) or cutting the health care benefits for military service personnel.

Interestingly, since we have started the public debate about whether
or not to extend Bush's massive, deficit-ballooning tax cuts to
millionaires, those same deficit hawks have been very quiet. That, or
they have been very noisy about pushing to greatly increase the deficit
by demanding Bush's tax cut for millionaires be allowed to continue.
Senators such as Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Evan Bayh (D-IN), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and 31 House Democrats
have squawked about letting those tax cuts for the rich expire as
Bush's law had originally intended. Almost all of those 31
Representatives are self-proclaimed "fiscal conservatives" who pretend
to be worried about the deficit even as they fight to greatly increase
it.

When it comes to cutting benefits for poor and middle-class seniors,
or cutting the pay of our military personnel while forcing our veterans
to pay more of their own health care costs -- much of which likely
resulted from illness due to their service in two long wars -- what we
hear from Washington elites is the great need for "shared sacrifice" to
bring down the deficit. Yet, when debating the idea of allowing taxes on
millionaires (and here it might be good to remember that two-thirds of
the members of Congress are themselves millionaires) to return to what
they were under Bill Clinton, it is all "damn the deficit we can't let
the wealthy suffer during this economic downturn!"

It is just a reminder that in Washington talk about "reducing the
deficit" is almost always nothing more than code for screwing over
regular Americans and almost always completely divorced from any actual
concern about the size of the federal debt. It is long past time that
the media calls out these "deficit hawks" for the hypocrites they are
and explain what their fake deficit grandstanding is really about.

I noticed that earlier this year we were overwhelmed by a wave of
anti-deficit grandstanding throughout the Democratic Party while the
Catfood Commission was sending up trial balloons about cutting Social
Security benefits, raising the retirement age (which is just a
sleight-of-hand way of cutting benefits) or cutting the health care benefits for military service personnel.

Interestingly, since we have started the public debate about whether
or not to extend Bush's massive, deficit-ballooning tax cuts to
millionaires, those same deficit hawks have been very quiet. That, or
they have been very noisy about pushing to greatly increase the deficit
by demanding Bush's tax cut for millionaires be allowed to continue.
Senators such as Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Evan Bayh (D-IN), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and 31 House Democrats
have squawked about letting those tax cuts for the rich expire as
Bush's law had originally intended. Almost all of those 31
Representatives are self-proclaimed "fiscal conservatives" who pretend
to be worried about the deficit even as they fight to greatly increase
it.

When it comes to cutting benefits for poor and middle-class seniors,
or cutting the pay of our military personnel while forcing our veterans
to pay more of their own health care costs -- much of which likely
resulted from illness due to their service in two long wars -- what we
hear from Washington elites is the great need for "shared sacrifice" to
bring down the deficit. Yet, when debating the idea of allowing taxes on
millionaires (and here it might be good to remember that two-thirds of
the members of Congress are themselves millionaires) to return to what
they were under Bill Clinton, it is all "damn the deficit we can't let
the wealthy suffer during this economic downturn!"

It is just a reminder that in Washington talk about "reducing the
deficit" is almost always nothing more than code for screwing over
regular Americans and almost always completely divorced from any actual
concern about the size of the federal debt. It is long past time that
the media calls out these "deficit hawks" for the hypocrites they are
and explain what their fake deficit grandstanding is really about.

bill clinton