18 pages? Bush wouldn't even have bothered to read it.

As yes, the GOP budget pamphlet. It's not even a summary of their proposed changes to the Democrats' budget. but it's a wishlist.

Compared to Obama's budget it is.

When Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) was asked what his goal for deficit reduction would be -- President Obama aims to halve the nation's spending imbalance within five years -- Boehner responded simply: "To do better [than Obama]."

it's amazing to see the shambles that the republican party has become.

I don't trust white people or their budgets.

"We got some ideas here. They're better than his. Proof? What the hell is that? I told you they were better, so just believe it and do what I want."

Adjective Bird Whiskey: I don't trust white people or their budgets.

then you'll love the republican party. it's led by a black guy and an indian, and instead of a budget they have a crayon drawing of a bald eagle high-fiving jesus.

Hang On Voltaire: Compared to Obama's budget it is.

So, is Boehner lying like he did with the GOP response to the stimulus package? I didn't see your response...

thomps: Adjective Bird Whiskey: I don't trust white people or their budgets.

then you'll love the republican party. it's led by a black guy and an indian, and instead of a budget they have a crayon drawing of a bald eagle high-fiving jesus.

LOL.

thomps: instead of a budget they have a crayon drawing of a bald eagle high-fiving jesus...

doling out tax cuts to the needy, like middle class people who make over $5,000,000 a year.

Adjective Bird Whiskey: I don't trust white people or their budgets.

Being part Native American, I've learned to distrust such blanket statements...

IXI Jim IXI: Being part Native American, I've learned to distrust such blanket statements...

they do tend to bring a pox upon those who make such statements

thomps: then you'll love the republican party. it's led by a black guy and an indian, and instead of a budget they have a crayon drawing of a bald eagle high-fiving jesus.

Awesome.

Here's the kind of logic Boehner's using...

"Two nights ago the president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of Republicans.' Well, it's just not true because -- Here it is, Mr. President,"

This is a real chart from the budget:



Link (new window)

if by "budget" you mean " a series of poltical talking points about why we don't like Obama's budget" then yes, that 18 page pamphlet is a budget.

It's pathetic, but there it is, Boehner is reduced to "pulling a McCarthy": Wave a piece of paper in front of the cameras, make grandiose claims about what's on it ,and hope like hell no one actually reads it

Republican Budget:

Why, just look at all the details they provide regarding the military budget!


"...rebuilding our military..."


Seriously. That's it. The word "military" is found once in the whole pamphlet.

After Obama delivered a prime-time speech previewing his budget, Boehner said, "he didn't offer his details until days later."

There you go. One of the leaders of the GOP basically saying, with their plan to save the country from budgetary disaster,"But Obama..."

DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

I could have sat down to think up some sort of fake graph, but that is so much more effective at making the Republicans look incompetent than anything I could have thought up.

hillbillypharmacist: I could have sat down to think up some sort of fake graph, but that is so much more effective at making the Republicans look incompetent than anything I could have thought up.

It's ok. Some of the graphs have people.

DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

dude, that can't be real. if all you have is political theater, at least splurge for some decent props.

IXI Jim IXI: "Two nights ago the president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of Republicans.' Well, it's just not true because -- Here it is, Mr. President,"

Damn Obama, using that uppity "linear" time. Real Americans know that time is a cube.

thomps: DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

dude, that can't be real. if all you have is political theater, at least splurge for some decent props.

Unless their reporting is wrong, its real.

what_now: IXI Jim IXI: "Two nights ago the president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of Republicans.' Well, it's just not true because -- Here it is, Mr. President,"

Damn Obama, using that uppity "linear" time. Real Americans know that time is a cube.

And yet, it's still true. Obama--or anyone else, for that matter--hasn't seen a budget out of the Republicans.

what_now: Damn Obama, using that uppity "linear" time. Real Americans know that time is a cube.

I guess we HAVE turned that many corners in Iraq.

Someone get Stephen Hawking.

DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

How about this one instead?

DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

Link (new window)

WTF? Did somebody need to fill up blank space and only had five minutes and Visio. This is pitiful.

thomps: DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:

dude, that can't be real. if all you have is political theater, at least splurge for some decent props.

It's on page 17 of the PDF. (new window, very short PDF)

Code_Archeologist: WTF? Did somebody need to fill up blank space and only had five minutes and Visio. This is pitiful.

Come on, give them a break. They were two days late on their homework.

Well, you can't have rainbows without trickling down...

OUR PROPOSAL:
curbs spending
• Limits the Federal Budget from Growing Faster
than Family Budgets
Instead of spending money on wasteful
programs under the guise of "stimulus" and
"investments," Republicans seek to ensure that
the federal budget cannot grow faster than
families' ability to pay the bill.

How is this a proposal?

Hender: It's on page 17 of the PDF. (new window, very short PDF)

i dunno, that family does look pretty happy. i'm almost completely convinced.

Rev.K: How about this one instead?
HAHAHAHA

A good blog post on it from Ezra Klein - a little long:



If you're having a bad day, I highly encourage you to spend some quality time with the Republican budget proposal. It's reads like what would happen if The Onion put together a budget. "Area Man Releases Proposal for 2010 Federal Spending Priorities." One of my favorite lines comes on the first page. "Instead of spending money on wasteful programs under the guise of 'stimulus' and 'investments,' Republicans seek to ensure that the federal budget cannot grow faster than families' ability to pay the bill."

Forget the scare quotes are the word "investments," which is reminiscent of nothing so much as a good Paul Rudd line in Role Models ("Why did you put air quotes around the word 'present?' Are you implying we're not really here?"). The two clauses don't connect. The ability of families to pay the bill will depend on total spending levels, economic growth, and long-term spending trends. If there's no stimulus and four million Americans who would otherwise be employed don't have jobs, then then the federal budget would have to rapidly shrink.

But this sort of epic disengagement with policy is laced through the whole of the proposal. The health care section, for instance, is just a stack of lies. They say that Democrats propose "nearly $1 trillion" in health care spending as a downpayment" on reform. The actual number is $634 billion, which someone who's more familiar with, you know, numbers, might have characterized as "more than $600 billion," or, alternately, "$634 billion." The Republicans say that "the prime focus of [the Democrats] agenda is the establishment of a government-run health insurance plan," a policy idea that doesn't appear in the President's budget. They say that the Lewin Group has analyzed this policy that doesn't exist and found that it will force three out of four Americans onto government-run health care (the Lewin Group analyzed the Economic Policy Institute's proposal, which is not the President's budget). And so on, and so forth.

The Republican proposal, as you might expect, doesn't actually have a health care plan. But it does have this: "Republicans will be on the side of quality versus mediocrity, affordability versus unsustainable debt, and freedom of care versus bureaucrats in control. And we will be on the side of patients, doctors, and the American people." They are also in favor of good things rather than bad things, moving forward rather than going backwards, and the hobbits rather than the orcs. That said, the GOP does understand that some voters might be looking for specificity on their health plan. So they included this graphic:
repubchart.jpg

It's like someone showed them a flowchart. Once. And only for a few seconds. (My editor Ann Friedman just walked into the room. "It looks like they're building a budget molecule.")

But that flowchart is about the most detail their budget contains. The Republicans hammer Obama and quote British patients who sued the NHS, but they don't actually offer any, you know, numbers. They talk about balancing the budget but don't balance it. They don't offer estimates for their tax cuts or specifics on the programs they'll eliminate or projections on economic growth under their proposal. The threat going around the Capitol is that some impish Democratic chairman will ask the CBO to try and score the Republican proposal.

thomps: Hender: It's on page 17 of the PDF. (new window, very short PDF)

i dunno, that family does look pretty happy. i'm almost completely convinced.

Holy shiat, I thought it was satire from the first link, but this is real. This is something the GOP actually put out. And the great thing is you can replace "Republican Road to Recover" with "Magic" and it actually makes more sense.

1: Reform Fannie and Freddie
2: End Bailouts
3: MAGIC!
4: Keep the Cost of Living Low
5: Happy Family Picture.

1: Lowers Taxes for Working Families
2: Tax Reform
3: MAGIC!
4: Increases Energy Exploration

1: Reforms Medicare & Medicaid
2: Universal Access to Affordable Coverage
3: MAGIC!
4: Limits Federal Spending

hehe, I love the chart the ends with "EXPLORE ECONOMIC AND CHEAP FUEL" and then has a picture of an oil derrick.

DamnYankees: This is a real chart from the budget:



Link (new window)

"Cantor and Ryan were reportedly "embarrassed" by the document -- believing it was better to absorb a week of hits from Democrats than to be slammed for failing to produce a thoughtful and detailed alternative. The goal, aides say, was to make Obama's team eat their words by producing a "killer" alternative with far less spending and greater tax cuts."

Source. (new window)

At least there are a few brains in the party leadership. Just not the ones calling the shots.

IXI Jim IXI: hillbillypharmacist: I could have sat down to think up some sort of fake graph, but that is so much more effective at making the Republicans look incompetent than anything I could have thought up.

It's ok. Some of the graphs have people.

what_now: images.icanhascheezburger.com

LOL! That's great

what_now: images.icanhascheezburger.com

*steals*

I hope to god this becomes a new meme. I love it so much already.

That's seriously it? They don't have a real one hiding somewhere?

We should thank the GOP for their "We Have A Real Republican Grasp At Responsible Budget Layouts" pamphlet.

It's comedy gold.

That's not a farking budget. Does the GOP have anyone intelligent still working for them? There's no excuse for a national party to put out that laughable pile pamphlet of shiat as their alternative to Obama's budget proposal. It's embarrassing.

Obdicut: That's seriously it? They don't have a real one hiding somewhere?

They're keeping it in an offshore account.

thomps: instead of a budget they have a crayon drawing of a bald eagle high-fiving jesus.