Dems “Don’t Quit” Caring About Elections More Than Debt

Treasury Secretary Admits Dem Maneuvering Motivated by Re-election Politics, Much Like Other Obama Policies

• The House Democrats’ launched a fundraising drive recently saying that they “don’t quit” demanding more government spending with no strings attached. What Democrats also “don’t quit” is caring more about getting through the next election than tackling America’s debt and deficit in any serious way.  
• Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Sunday appeared more concerned that a debt limit increase would get Democrats “through the election” than controlling wasteful Washington spending, which is nothing new since Democrats have a long history of putting campaign politics first.
• With their policies making a bad economy worse, it’s not hard to see why Democrats are more focused on their campaigns instead of solving serious problems.

The House Democrats’ campaign arm launched a fundraising drive last weekend saying that they “don’t quit” demanding a new credit card for more government spending with no strings attached: 

DEMOCRATS LAUNCH “WE DON’T QUIT” FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO TOUT THEIR DEMANDS FOR A NEW CREDIT CARD WITH TAX INCREASES ON WORKERS AND FAMILIES TO PAY FOR MORE WASHINGTON SPENDING:(Fundraising E-mail from Rep. Steve Israel, “We Don’t Quit,” DCCC, Sent 7/23/2011)

What Democrats also “don’t quit” is caring more about getting through the next election than tackling America’s debt and deficit in any serious way. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Sunday appeared more concerned that a debt limit increase would get Democrats “through the election” than controlling wasteful Washington spending: 

GEITHNER: WE NEED A NEW CREDIT CARD TO GET US “THROUGH THE ELECTION”: WALLACE: “Congressional Republicans are working on a two-stage plan that would cut over a trillion dollars in spending right away and raise the debt ceiling into early next year, then there would be a mechanism for more cuts that if approved, the debt ceiling would be raised past the 2012 election. Will the president sign that into law?” GEITHNER: Chris, let me tell you what we’re trying to do, what the president is trying do, is, first and most important,we have to lift this credit default from the economy for — you know, for the next 18 months. We have to take that threat off the table through the election.” (Remarks from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace”, 7/24/2011)

Democrats have a long history of deploying these transparently political tactics in serious policy debates, from the structure of the Democrats’ government healthcare takeover to President Obama’s push for tax hikes – in 2013:

OBAMA SAYS HIS TAX HIKES WON’T TAKE PLACE UNTIL 2013, AFTER HE’S RE-ELECTED: “That is a reasonable proposition. So when you hear folks saying, well, the President shouldn’t want massive, job-killing tax increases when the economy is this weak — nobody is looking to raise taxes right now. We’re talking about potentially 2013 and the out-years.” (“Press Conference by the President,” The White House, 7/11/2011) 

WAIVERS FOR GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTHCARE “GOOD THROUGH 2013,” END IN 2014: “Larsen said no new applications for waivers will be considered after Sept. 22. Approvals or renewals received by the deadline will be good through 2013. Starting in 2014, the main coverage provisions of the health care law will take effect, and such waivers will no longer be needed.”(Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Obama Admin to End Health Care Waivers,” Associated Press, 7/18/2011) 

HEALTHCARE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE GOES INTO EFFECT IN 2014. (Jerry Markon, “Appeals Court Upholds Healthcare Law’s Individual Mandate,” The Washington Post, 7/29/2011) 

ABC’s AMY WALTER: APRIL DEBT SPEECH NOT ABOUT “COMING UP WITH A BI-PARTISAN PLAN,” BUT “SETTING UP BATTLE LINES” FOR 2012: “This speech wasn’t so much about coming up with a bi-partisan plan to tackle the deficit as it was about setting up the battle lines for a 2012 campaign.

“While politicians on both sides of the aisle have stressed the need to ‘put it all on the table,’ the President made clear that he was leaving a lot on the floor.“ (Amy E. Walter, “Analysis: Obama’s Debt Speech Sounded Like Campaign Fare,” ABC News, 4/13/2011) 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: OBAMA’S DEBT SPEECH “WAS THE REAL KICKOFF FOR THE 2012 CAMPAIGN”: “Last week, President Obama announced that he was running for reelection, but his speech yesterday at George Washington University was the real kickoff for the 2012 campaign, a spirited defense of activist government that should reassure liberals about Obama’s adherence to basic progressive principles.” (Michael Cohen, “The Post-Post-Partisan Barack Obama: In Debt Speech, the President is Unabashedly Progressive,” New York Daily News, 4/14/2011) 

It’s not hard to see why Democrats are more focused on their campaigns instead of solving serious problems. The verdict on Democrats’ economic record is so bad that they’re now trying to convince themselves that “maybe it’s not the economy” that will be at the forefront in 2012. Never mind that Obama’s policies have made a bad economy worse:

NY TIMES: WHITE HOUSE HOPING “MAYBE IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID”: “Maybe it’s not the economy, stupid. White House officials have begun to entertain the idea that they can run for re-election without being able to point to a strengthening economy. For one thing, they may not have a choice.” (David Leonhardt, “Negotiating Election Headwinds,” The New York Times, 7/19/2011)

CNN: GEITHNER FAILS THE SMELL TEST, AS ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE AT LOWEST LEVEL IN 15 YEARS: “Americans are more pessimistic about where the economy will be a year from now than they have been at any time in almost the last 15 years, a new poll Monday showed.

“In all, 59 percent of those surveyed for a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll said they expect economic conditions in the United States to be poor a year from now, while 40 percent expect conditions to be good. That’s the highest percentage since CNN began asking the poll question in October, 1997.” (Jennifer Epstein, “Poll: Pessimism Hits 15-Year High,” Politico, 7/25/2011)

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES IN 28 STATES, STAYS THE SAME IN 14.(“Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7/22/2011)

“COMPANIES ARE LAYING OFF EMPLOYEES AT A LEVEL NOT SEEN IN NEARLY A YEAR.” (Conor Dougherty, “Layoffs Deepen Gloom,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/21/2011)

“MORE THAN ONE IN THREE” JOBLESS AMERICANS OUT OF WORK FOR MORE THAN A YEAR IN SOME STATES. (Sara Murray, “Long-Term Unemployment, By State,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/21/2011)

GALLUP: AMERICANS’ ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE AT LOWEST LEVEL SINCE MARCH 2009. (Dennis Jacobe, “U.S. Economic Confidence Sinks to Lowest Level Since March ’09,” Gallup, 7/21/2011)