Obama lies about sequester
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:22 am
Indeed, Republican leaders at the time touted the law as "a victory" and "a positive step forward" for reducing the deficit.
In a press release shortly after the Senate passed the Budget Control Act in August 2011, House Speaker John Boehner celebrated the law as "a positive step forward that begins to rein in federal spending" while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor touted the law as a "significant move" and said it "will finally begin to change the way Washington spends taxpayer dollars."
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan declared the law a "victory for those committed to controlling government spending and growing our economy."
In total, 174 Republican representatives and 28 Republican senators -- a majority of Republicans in both chambers -- voted for the Budget Control Act of 2011.
But in recent weeks, Fox News and other right-wing media outlets have been aggressively pushing myths about the sequester, including that President Obama is single-handedly responsible for the looming spending cuts.
On Wednesday's edition of Special Report, Fox News' chief White House correspondent Ed Henry framed a report on the sequester around the narrative that it was an Obama initiative and quoted Republican Congressman Randy Forbes blaming Obama for it. Though the report included Democratic Sen. Max Baucus saying that Congress shares the blame for the automatic cuts, Henry did not point out that Republicans not only actively supported the idea but overwhelmingly voted for the law.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/02/20 ... the/192748
Washington Post: Sequester Was A Product Of Bipartisan Negotiations. According to The Washington Post's resident fact-checker Glenn Kessler, while the sequester may have originated in the White House, its final adoption was the result of bipartisan negotiations. From The Washington Post:
No matter who first came up with the idea, it took bipartisan votes to make it a reality. In other words, the sequester was part of a negotiation in which the two sides were haggling over an enforcement trigger that would cause pain on both sides.
[...]
In other words, Republicans cannot hide from the consequences of their own actions, especially because at the time they crowed that they had won a great victory. [The Washington Post, 2/11/2013]
Woodward: "Republicans Definitely Have A Role In This." On the February 17 edition of Fox News Sunday, Washington Post editor Bob Woodward, who is frequently cited as the original source for placing blame for the sequester on Obama, noted that Republicans were also involved, saying, "The White House -- and they really don't want to talk about the origins of the sequester now. But the Republicans definitely have a role in this. [Fox News, Fox News Sunday, 2/17/2013, via Media Matters]
Boehner: Budget Control Act "A Positive Step Forward." Following the passage of the 2011 Budget Control Act, which included the sequester, Speaker of the House John Boehner lauded the deal, touting it as "a positive step forward that begins to rein in federal spending."
Ryan: Budget Control Act "Represents A Victory." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan also praised the passage of the Budget Control Act, claiming:
The Budget Control Act represents a victory for those committed to controlling government spending and growing our economy. I applaud Speaker Boehner's leadership in stopping tax increases on job creators, rejecting President Obama's demands for a blank check to keep borrowing, and advancing real spending cuts and controls
http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/0 ... esponsible
News Flash!!!!
John Boehner produced a Powerpoint presentation way back in 2011 arguing for sequester!
So it seems more likely Obama proposed it during negotiations because he already knew it was something the Republicans had already proposed at an earlier point in time and it would be something he could use to meet them half way. Saying Obama came up with the idea of drastic spending cuts like these is counter intuitive, especially for Right Wingers who have already branded him a tax and spend guy. So which is it?