Republicans on the debt and taxes! An anniversary! 14-years ago today!
Aug. 11, 2011.
RNC presidential debate at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Participants: Rick "Don't Google My Name!" Santorum, Herman "Tip your waitress" Cain, Ron Paul, quality aluminum siding salesman, Mitt Romney, Michele "Satan Stole My Vote!" Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., and the plump and wretched jolly fornicator, Newt Gingrich.
Fox News' Bret Baier is moderator.
Mid-way through the debate
Byron York: “Democrats will demand that savings come from a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, maybe $3 in cuts for every $1 in higher taxes. Is there any ratio of cuts to taxes that you would accept? Three to one? Four to one? Or even 10 to one?”
Rick Santorum: “No. The answer is no.” (And then conceded that revenues are down.)
Following up...
Bret Baier: “I’m going to ask a question to everyone here on the stage. Say you had a deal, a real spending cuts deal, 10-to-1, as Byron (York) said, spending cuts to tax increases…. Who on this stage would walk away from that deal? Can you raise your hand if you feel so strongly about not raising taxes, you’d walk away on the 10-to-1 deal?”
All eight Republican candidates raised their hand.
A disbelieving Bret Baier: "Just making sure everyone at home and everyone here knows that - they all raised their hands, and say that they feel so strongly about not raising taxes, that a 10 to 1 deal they would walk away from. Confirming that."
Literally, all of them, if offered a debt-reduction deal that’s 10-to-1 in their favor, would simply refuse. Each 'believed' a 10-to-1 ratio simply wasn’t good enough. Worse, the crowd of Iowa Republicans roared their approval.
Anyone wanting to know why compromise has been deemed impossible need look no further than these eight clowns raising their hand to reject a debt-reduction deal that was overwhelmingly tilted - in their favor!
And when the congressional super committee failed to reach agreement on a deficit reduction package later that year? Well, that was just (another) failure "of Washington,” of course.