I have kind of a reverse "drinking game" with the Sunday morning talk shows. I turn one of them on and see how long I can last before nausea sets in.
Today, at 11:00, I turned on MTP and there was David Gregory, asking Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the following:
How irresponsible was it for President Obama to let the national debt increase by 41% since he was President?
It was just five minutes, but I already felt the bile rising up in my craw. So much fail and propaganda in one question!
Fact: Obama's policies raised the debt by 10% or less.
Fact: The approximately other 30% is the result of the 2008-2009 recession.
Fact: The question assumes Obama's policies are "irresponsible." Far from being irresponsible, some increase in debt is required during a recession.
The bile subsided a bit because Wasserman did a pretty good job of answering, listing the debt incurred under Bush -- the two wars, Medicare D, the tax cuts.
But she should know enough to challenge all of the GOP false talking points embedded in the question itself. Her answer should have been:
To the contrary, David, Obama's policies raised the debt by 10% or less. The rest of the increase stems from the Great Recession. In reality, Obama has acted responsibly in the face of the unprecedented economic crisis he inherited.
She could refer to this accounting of the debt as evidence:
Bush Tax Cuts: $3 Trillion
Bush Unfunded Medicare D: 300 Billion
Bush 2008 Stimulus including TARP: 200 Billion
Bush Domestic/Defense Spending: 1.7 Trillion
Bush Afghan and Iraq Wars: 1.4 Trillion
Bush additional policies (e.g., Farm Bill): 400B
Bush Total: $7 Trillion
Obama Recovery Act: $800 Billion
Obama 2010 Tax Cut Deal: 250 Billion
Obama One-Time emergency costs (sm. bus., etc.): 400B
Obama Total: $1.4 Trillion
Other components of the debt not attributable to either administration:
Lower Tax Revenues caused by 2008 Recession: $2.6 Trillion
Debt for govt financing, e.g., student loans: 700 Billion
Finance Debt: 700 Billion
Additional Govt. Debt: (e.g., social security trust fund) 3.6 Trillion
If one question could encapsulate the corruption of the so-called "liberal" media, it would be that question from Gregory today.
