This is really something isn't it? Rich white men are no longer content to disguise their oppression of the rest of us in America. Today it's all about "Say it Loud, I am rich, white and proud."
I was struck the other day by a photograph that appeared on KOS of 10 white male Republicans in suits standing behind Paul Ryan as he presented his hatchet budget. Their smug smiles belied the sheer immorality of what they were out there selling to the public.
Today I checked the coverage of the budget showdown only to find that the rich white men of the GOP now would also like to strip women of our health care access. Stunning! I know that these legislators have mothers, sisters, daughters, spouses, female relatives. How could they not be hearing from all of these women suggesting that this assault on our bodies is beyond the pale?
I have actually been heartened over the past few days to see much more press coverage calling Ryan out on his horrible budget plan. Business Week suggests today that Ryan's budget cuts are based on economic theory that is rejected by both Ben Bernanke and the IMF. Here's the key paragraph in that story:
The idea that cutting government spending will so improve business and consumer confidence as to cause an immediate upswing in growth finds little support on Wall Street. “Realistically, most of the evidence leans toward an adverse impact on growth in the near term,” said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at J.P. Morgan Securities in New York.
Well there you go. If the other rich white men on Wall Street think that your plan is bunk then there is not much more to say.
Michael Grunwald of Time takes on the rich, while male pundits of the press in a terrific article today. Here are some of the key parts to his article:
You may not like Congressman Paul Ryan's budget plan, but you must admit that it's courageous. You simply must. By order of the Washington establishment, you may question whether Ryan's plan is sensible or humane or even remotely honest, but you have to confess that it is undeniably an extraordinary act of bravery, or else pundits will beat the confession out of you with swoony prose.
This is so true. It has been an truly EMBARRASSING display to read Andrew Sullivan, David Brooks etc... gush over this ridiculous "plan."
I just don't understand what's so brave about fuzzy math in the service of Tea Party ideology. Ryan's plan certainly could become unpopular, but only if people realize what's actually in it. And he certainly isn't bragging about the elements that could alienate the public. For example, his plan would presumably require tax hikes on the middle class in order to achieve its stated goals of keeping revenue levels steady while slashing rates for high earners and corporations. But Ryan doesn't get into those details. To the extent that identifying specific and immediate cuts is politically courageous, House Republicans deserve far more credit for their insistence on slicing $61 billion in spending out of the current budget — at the risk of a government shutdown — than for Ryan's vague pledges about the distant future.
The entire Grunwald piece is a MUST READ.