GOP Budget Proposal: Massive Tax Cuts For Wealthy
Republicans have unveiled their own alternative to President Barack Obama’s budget plan. It's a big TV-friendly stack of "budget blueprints" and graphs and charts called “The Republican Road to Recovery.”
That’s to counter the president’s budget title, “A New Era of Responsibility.”
The House Republicans’ budget document makes sure no one can miss the point. Each chapter begins: “The Republican Plan.” Each section is divided into “The President’s Budget” and “Republicans’ Solution,” just in case there might be some confusion over which party's plan it is.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced the GOP proposal is “in response to the administration and the president himself, who continues to say that Republicans don’t have any ideas.”
“We’re here today to say, 'Yes We Do,' Cantor added.
The GOP budget "Blueprints," and the showmanship in releasing them, are the result of nearly a full month of excuses, accusations and evasion - - but no counter proposals. GOP leaders who repeatedly hear on TV that the Republican Party has no alternative ideas was also a factor.
The GOP budget blueprints, however, didn’t get much attention. Republicans apparently can't agree among themselves what the budget should include. A top House Republican official simply said, “We need to hold something up and say, ‘Here are our charts. Here are our graphs. It’s real.’”
Besides the graphs and charts, the platitudes in the Republican budget will be familiar: “limits the federal budget from growing faster than the family budget, ... provides universal access to health care and secures entitlements, ... lowers taxes, ... keeps energy and fuel costs low, ... ends the bailouts and reforms the financial system, ... keep the cost of living low.”
The trouble is it doesn't say how.
"It took me several minutes to read it," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs quipped in his daily news briefing at the White House. He also noted that surprisingly, the GOP budget proposal "doesn't actually contain any numbers."
Mainstream, liberal and conservative reporters also greeted the Republican document with a collective scoff. "Are you going to have any further details on this today?" one reporter asked.
"On what?" replied Republican National Party chairman Boehner.
"There's no detail in here!" observed the reporter. Instead of details, the GOP budget simply repeats the cliche accusation that the Democratic budget is too expensive.
Someone in the press later observed, "No wonder we've inherited a budget deficit of $1.3 trillion and a debt that's out of control."