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Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), talking to the Salt Lake Tribune this week about looming sequestration cuts:
"I'm for sequestration," Hatch said, if Congress can't cut spending. "We've got to face the music now, or it will be much tougher later."
Hatch, in literally the next paragraph, during the exact same interview:
With across-the-board spending cuts set to kick in next week, Hatch said sequestration would lead to an economic disaster in Utah as two-thirds of civilians working at Hill Air Force Base would be furloughed. He said it would be "devastating to our nation's readiness."
Dan Gross called this "amazing." I suppose that's as good an adjective as any.
It gets back to the point we discussed earlier in the week about the flaws in the Republicans' sequester message. Hatch's comments are the most explicit example I've seen of the problem, but he's not the only one burdened by the underlying incoherence: GOP officials (a) believe next week's sequester will hurt the country; (b) intend to impose this punishment on the country anyway.
The Utah Republican, probably unintentionally, captured this perfectly: he thinks the sequester will be "devastating" for his own home state and constituents, but the senator is "for" it anyway.
For what it's worth, President Obama called Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday morning "in what Republicans say were his first substantive conversations with the GOP leaders this year" about the sequester. At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reports a small number of congressional Republicans want their leaders to consider a compromise with revenue in order to avoid next week's self-inflicted wound.
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ANOTHER example of a man that has been at the party too long. For him it's just politics. time to retire Orin.
...a small number of congressional Republicans want their leaders to consider a compromise with revenue ...
The question is, what is that number? As we have seen, it doesn't take much to pass reasonable legislation AND cast into sharp relief how inane the GOP House has become.
Sorry, but your side already got revenue. Let's see your contribution.
Our side is America's side, and saving America from predators like you was our contribution.
I'm a maker, predators are takers. Aren't you a taker? If so, then you're the predator.
Shooter,
What exactly do you make? I want to make sure and spread the news if it is a purchasable product so my friends and I never accidentally buy it.
Once again this goes to show "party ideology" trumps really working for US. The GOTP have shown that they really are warped enough to allow this nation to economically collapse rather than work to move this nation forward. These people are traitors, period and need to be voted out of office!
Voted out of office or shot, maybe then we'll have a "gun problem" too!
Tougher for who? Obviously, he believes the sequestration will not hurt him or his rich buddies. That's too bad they feel that way, come join the party for those of us (The real American people). We'll even save you a place on the food line.
Angel, I have poor vision and cannot read your comments. Why is your avatar like that?
What does it look like? I just see an x in the box, I have had trouble putting a picture up there, I wanted to put the picture of the horse, but, it didn't do it. Or I'm in cognito.
There is writing covering the comments on the left. It says,
com
ment
r
avata
r Like that, down the left, covering your first words.
Several years ago, I came to the realization that most members of Congress don't know what the hell they're talking about.
#5 Bingo! Right conclusion.
He was for it, before he was against it.
Where have we heard that before?
But look how quickly he switched from one to the other, within the same interview!
Now Utah can have economic disaster on parallel with it's sociological/dogmatic disaster. All is well Senator Ass-Hatch!
It's not that much of a muddle.
They're inflicting as much pain as possible on their way out the door, they just don't want to admit it.
They'd lose if they admitted they were wrong but they're losing anyway, so they'll do their best to take the country down with them.
Orin Hatch should be a poster child for House and Senate term limits. That old man is out of touch with reality.
All these rich old Senators are out of touch, especially one from Utah.
He has his. He has no concern for the rest of the country. None of them do. I mean, come on, Hatch IS a Republican.
It will be devastating for his state but he must protect the upper 01% of the country by not closing those pesky loopholes! People are entitled to have their private jets and not be annoyed by being taxed for them.
So he is for the sequester. Of course.
Term limits sounds good to me.
Actually, his muddled message is about as good as he could craft considering the untenable position in which he finds himself. I don't feel sorry for Hatch. He and everybody else in the Republican party is discovering that you can't be all things to all white people.
I talked to one of my DC employees yesterday and she told me that people in Northern Virginia are really, really concerned about sequester. Lots of the defense contractor employees are about to be laid off. Our Congress can't let that happen. Those people are mostly well off and they donate to politicians. I have a feeling that there will be a deal before next Friday.
Ron Byers,#10
I want some of that "Optimists potion" you've been consuming.
I think the T-Party bunch of looney toons are making the GOP present a united front, myself. Their mantra is CUT, CUT, CUT, and these jerks mean it.
Being all things to all white people is 99% of Hatch's constituents. Actually they all feel that way in the GOP; it's those whose skin is a bit darker that they don't give a rat's ...ears about, isn't it.
A little darker, a bit wrinkled......forget them.
India: A very large portion of Utah is taken up by the Navajo Nation, i.e. Indian reservation. Much of the rest of it is taken up by National Parks/Monuments: Zion, Brice, Capitol Reefs, Canyon Lands, Hovenweep. There is a 5% cut designated for all National Parks, Monuments, Historical sites. I am not sure who owns and manages Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. There are not very many people in Utah, except in Salt Lake City, Provo, and Ogden. These cities depend on recreation and skiing. A lot of acreage in Utah is taken up by National Forests. I have not yet seen anything about the Forest Service's budget or the Dept of the Interior and the BLM.
All these cuts are going to affect us in Southwestern Colorado. They are certainly going to affect Utah.
It may take the sequester to wake the budget hawks up, but it is going to hurt a lot of people in the process, people who are the constituants of these hawks.
Republican orthodoxy mandates that the proposition (A) "More government spending is bad for the economy" is true absolutely, in all cases. If (A) is absolutely true, then the inverse conclusion (B) "Cutting government spending is good for the economy" follows logically. Nobody disputes (C) "The Sequester is a large cut to government spending." Ergo, it follows logically from Republican orthodoxy that (D) "The Sequester is very good for the economy".
Republicans must believe that the sequester is good if they are to be logically consistent with their own ideology. Now, I don't actually think that Republicans believe their own ideology in most cases, but if you say something often enough, it can insidiously infect your thinking. Within the party as a group, there is at least an undercurrent, and perhaps a full tide, that internally thinks along these lines and just espouses token party line opposition to "Obama's Sequester" to cover themselves from blame, rather than fearing the sequester and espousing token party line opposition to government spending.
Are there enough of these people in Congress and in the party's base that they would actually rather go through with sequester, seeing it as their only real chance to cut spending? Are there enough Rand Pauls who would see the government shrink at all costs because they value economic libertarianism more than a healthy, functioning economy? What side do the plutocrats take if faced with the choice of the sequester and a recession vs. a tax hike that specifically targets them? How many times can John Boehner alienate the Tea Party and the base before risking a credible primary challenge? I fear the answers to these questions make a productive resolution unlikely.
Too bad the good people of Utah find themselves politically in the hands of Orin Hatch, because his head seems to be up his ass! -Kevo
"Sequesteratin is great for other districts, just not mine" said every Republican ever.
When really kicks in, they will learn otherwise. When some of these cuts begin to take money out of the hands of Wal-Mart customers, something may get done.
It was the big banks who got them the compromise on the fiscal cliff. When all the poeple who are getting paid by all these programs, no one is going to be able to ignore the fact that cuts are bad for the economy.
angel77 i have the same problem with your avatar. maybe
someone much more computer literate might be able help.
I am using firefox browser. It doesn't mess up with google chrome
john m are you out there? Can you help?
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Angel#77
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angel 77
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sorry about double post
Hatch started his 7th term last month, turns 79 next month, has been having more than his share of senior moments for quite a while now . . .
Regarding Boehner and McConnell complaining about having no prior "substantive" talks with Obama: Perhaps Obama is learning that in crisis government, substantive talks can only begin when the deadline is within a few days. He can work on other issues until the deadline is near.