Another Rethuglican Blame Game

Rethuglicans are notorious for blaming bad things they've caused on Dems. For example, when they caused the housing collapse by deregulating the financial markets, they blamed low-income Dem voters. Now, their latest dishonest gambit is to blame the upcoming sequester on Dems. The sequester would cut some $85 billion dollars from domestic and defense programs in the next seven months, and result in the layoff of roughly 1 million people working in government support jobs. The New York Times editorial today gives a breakdown of the cuts. They also note the real culprits are the Rethugs, who forced the sequestration by holding the debt ceiling hostage in 2011:

"These cuts, which will cost the economy more than one million jobs over the next two years, are the direct result of the Republican demand in 2011 to shrink the government at any cost, under threat of a default on the nation’s debt. Many Republicans say they would still prefer the sequester to replacing half the cuts with tax revenue increases. But the government spending they disdain is not an abstract concept. In a few days, the cuts will begin affecting American life and security in significant ways." (emphasis added)

So the next time you hear a Rethug politician or pundit dishonestly blame the sequestration on Dems, remember which party is always demanding cuts cuts cuts with no compromise on corporate tax loopholes and other goodies for the wealthy.