With all eyes in Washington focused on the upcoming budget battle in Congress over the automatic Sequestration spending cuts, Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Assistant Democratic Leader in the Senate decried the policy as being designed "as a budget threat, not as a budget strategy."
Durbin cited the "dramatic negative impact" it would have as reason for both parties to work together towards an agreement that is "evenly split between revenue and cuts."
On the Republican side, House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) chided the president and congressional democrats for continuing to push for more revenue in negotiations. "Every time you turn around, the answer is to raise taxes," he said.
He hopes the president will work with the GOP for "much smarter cuts" than those that will take place because of the sequester.
Watch the entire program on our website including a lively debate on our roundtable about the administration's use of drones in the war on terror.
We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
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Did I just hear David Gregory on Meet the Press that there are "liberal" critics of the use of drones and then went on to use the examples of domestic use of drones? Really?? The liberals are in charge of the policy. They embrace it.
I'm a liberal, and personally, I don't think we should be sumarily judging and then executing Americans on the spot. What if it's a mistake and the person is not a terrorist at all, and what about our judicial system that dictates that everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. It just doesn't sound right to me.
The sequester will not be easy, nobody said it would be easy. It will be devestating to have to actually pay for the things we buy for a change. And, this sequestration is only the start. Another sequestration should be implemented each year until there is a surplus, not a deficit.
The country may not be able to afford Obama's agenda? It's laughable you think that is news. The country could not afford the $5 Trillion of new debt Obama has racked up in 4 years. That's why it is called debt. It hasn't been paid for.
OK so the bailouts didn't achieve anything. You live and learn. So, let's take time out from spending and pay off Obama's $5 Trillion in new debt first, then perhaps borrow a little more later. But I hope not.
But if both Democrats and Republicans alike quit on even the sequester because it might be a little tough for awhile, then they are wasting their time in Congress, and the American people are in big trouble.
Oops, you forgot about the old debt that Obama added to the debt numbers that was NOT included cause "debt doesn't matter" Cheney. Face up to it!
It's a Republican culture of hate. Going back to Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey, and yes quick study students John "weeper" Boehner, Eric Cantor, and Mitch McConnel. These sample examples would rather hate than help. It's still a war on Obama even though they can't touch him. They are only hurting the nation and our citizens. Case in point: GOP governers will not aceept 100% federal money for medicaid in their states. Their hate for Obamacare is hurting someones's grandma, not Obama. Voters are sometimes slow to figure out who knifed them, but when they do states like Wisconsin and Texas will beg to vote Democrat for several election cycles to come. As a Democratic organizer, the GOP hate machine is unmatched. By the way: THANKS. I can type this and take the day off.
If the GOP is adamant about cuts (which Obama has already done) and they have to have their big defense budget (larger than the next 16-18 countries combined), then they should be willing to get rid of the tax loop holes for the wealthy which they already said during the 2012 campaign needed to be addressed. If they refuse to do this, then let the sequestration take its course. We don't need this big of a defense budget as we are not responsible for the rest o the world. England, France, Japan, Germany, and out other allies are more than welcome to take on the burden. It is hard to worry about national security when we have millions of children starving, not getting adequate health care, who are living in poverty. Plus instead of wanting a secure Iraq and Afghanistan, then how about a secure Chicago, Detroit, LA, etc. Take care of the citizens at home who are worried about their security in their neighborhoods.
Mike: Agreed. But to hear Eric Cantor tell it, the elderly and the poor Americans in this country are nothing but a bunch of lazy slobs, no American is "entitled" to have health care, American workers get paid waaay too much and should be the only ones paying taxes and shouldering the national debt, Republicans ought to be allowed to confiscate the American People's retirement and pension accounts, and no multi-billion dollar corporation should ever be forced to pay a dime in taxes.
No mystery who backs Cantor!
David Gregory needs to be fired and replaced as moderator of Meet the Press. He is destroying the image of fairness and unbiasness over and over! When he tells Senator Durbin that he and his party can always come up with excuses to not cut spending after Senator Durbin talked about cutting programs for phyciatric mental programs for our returning vets is over the top and shows how narrow minded and how one sided his is on issues! He is telling us that it is more important to cut programs like this than to raise enough revenue to offset the spending cuts that Pres. Obama and the democrats already have done, some $2.2 Trillion dollars worth. Taxes have been raise of some $700 Billion, so we have a short fall of $1.5 Trillion dollars to balance this deal! Eric Kantor and the rest of his republicans talk about closing loopholes, but then turning around and lowering rates, which raises absolutely no more new revenue as the nation goses broke makes no sense and will not move this nation forwasrd, but David Gregory has blinders on or is so biased that he cannot see this! Every top economist tells us that we need additional revenue at this time because we have the lowest tax rates in some 60 years(something David Gregory should know but apparently does not know) to address Americas debt! This man is incompentent and biased and needs to go to England and see how well their austerity progam is working, something he does not seem to want to believe! In these times, this nation needs someone with some vision, this man is a political hack and corporate puppet!This last election, if not for gerrymandering, would have put the House, the Senate and the Presidency into the hands of the democrats and David Gregory has not even recognized this fact the way he talks. Please get a wiser, smarted and more intouch with the American people to moderate this program!
99niner, ever since David Gregory got that plum job on with the big paychecks he has become more and more outspoken for Republican causes like "never tax the rich".
Why don't the House and the Senate each pass a bill the way they would each like to resolve the sequester and work out the differences in a conference committee and then send the bill to the president for signature or veto? Isn't this the way it's supposed to work according to our constitution?
Jayne, yes, that's the way it's "supposed" to work except that the GOP is bound and determined to stall any sign of economic recovery, and then they want to blame the Democrats because they still think that hurting the American People will turn into votes for them. If you've heard Eric Cantor speak lately, it's all the elderly and the poor's fault, not multi-billion dollar corporations that enjoy tax loopholes and earn all their money tax free.
David Gregory is the problem! This man just does not have a clue as to how the majority of the Americn people are thinking!
David Gregory is the biggest problem in helping move this country forward or for the two parties to work together! He loves to pit one party against the other and defy any common sense direction to carry the discussion because he does not have a clue as to what the majority of the American people are thinking and does not even realize that if not for gerrymandering, the House, the Senate and the Presidency would all be in the hands of the democrats! He continues to challenge the democrats when they clearly have the public support in their favor and the polls all support them and yet he defies logic and pushes the likes of the Eric Kantors and Mitch McConnell's and the Michael Murphy's who's dpg food is just not being accepted by the majority of the Americn people!
Cantor came off as the phoney he is.
Dick Durbin gets the award this week for the best "weasel side step." Based on how many are doing that dance, that is quite an award.
Senator Durbin deserves an award to try and talk any sense into David Gregory, Eric Kantor and Michael Murphy's heads! Kantor has no ideas, will not tell us what cuts he will make and what programs he will cut because Gregory will not ever ask him these follow up questions, but Gregory will attack Senator Durbin when Durbin states that we need balance in revenue and spendig cuts! This nastion does not need to spend nearly $1 Trilliond dollars per year on the military industrial complex while talking about cutting social programs and food stamp programs for the elderly and poor! We seem to have a mentality in this country that we need war forever! The costs of doing this are really showing up now when the rubber will be meeting the road and the republicans will have to start telling the American people what they will cut if they do not want to cut the military spending or raise any revenue! Eric Kantor, I think the balls in your court! Let's see who blinks this time!
TO: 99niner, who wrote:
Cantor was on "Meet the Press" a week or 2 ago and named some cuts he'd like to make, and each and every item he wanted to cut would take away money from the elderly, the poor, students, American Workers, and the middle class.
Regarding ill will caused by drones, I would ask Katty Kay if she thinks the Pakistanis love us?
And to Kaseem, who thinks the pres is passionate about fighting terrorism, if he knows where the pres was during Benghazi? No one seems to know. He was voting present again. Seems the pres, vice pres, and entire national security team were observing bystanders during those murders.
When you hold a high security clearance, you will know a lot more! Until then?
I couldn't hardly believe Durbin actually referred to a "war on terrorism". It's a start.
The start of what?
heres a thought on saving money, cut our politicians rediculus salaries, why they always try to cut what little bit of money we make, why dont they every offer to sacrifice anything, do you know when a pilitician retire we pay them a six figure salary the rest of there lives, why cant they live off of a regular pension like most hard working americans, o thats right they consider themselves to be elite, in other words there better than you. our politicians dont serve us the serve the almighty dollar. ask youself has democracy made your life better, have no respect for the cowards in washington. they are a threat to freedom. wake up america!!
Clearly, nothing has changed in Washington. And nothing has changed in who controls the media. The American empire continues to be dominated by corporate interest which is consuming our nation's resources whether they be human,monetary,or material. Our nation's government is on record to use torture, violate our people's own constitutional rights, allow Wall Street to commit the greatest crime of theft of our country's treasury in world history, and drones are a problem?
Until the media does its job and finally reports on the corruption that has been described as," systemic, epidemic, and total," within Washington, and until truth and justice are restored for all Americans, and congress decides to represent all our people,what should middle and poor Americans hope for?
All they talk about cutting s.s medicare food stamps reduce fed penison. why not talk taxes are the lowest in 60 years so why not have them pay more in taxes.
Rick, that's the $64,000 question. It sounds to me like Republicans want to stomp out the middle class while billion dollar corporations earn all their money tax free with goo-gobs of loopholes to enjoy while regular Americans get stuck paying all the government's bills.
Money makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round! HUM
I don't understand why objective, factual questions on the debt aren't asked. Following are some easy facts leading to objective questions: 1) the Federal debt is about $16.5 Trillion 2) at an average of 2.5%, the annual interest will be about $412.5 Billion 3) In 2001, the Federal Government paid an interest rate of about 6%. If economic growth doesn't pick up substantially, leading to much higher tax revenues, the credit worthiness of the USA will come under further questioning - leading to much higher interest rates. If economic growth does pick up substantially, demand for money will increase - leading to much higher interest rates.
How does the USA pay the increasing interest on an increasing Federal debt that becomes an increasing proportion of the Federal budget, noting interest will reach over 22% of the Federal budget?