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Ignoring media's failure to inform, Guthrie says Americans not "buying" economists' view on deficit spending

June 19, 2009 2:32 pm ET

From the June 19 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

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Previously:

Media reports on polling reinforce public's view of deficit, rather than informing it

CNN's Bash didn't note economists' argument that spending is necessary in recession

REPORT: Lack of demand: Cable channels, Sunday shows leave economists on the sidelines in recovery debate

REPORT: Despite warnings from many economists that stimulus may be too small, network news rarely raised the issue

Ignoring CBO, AP uncritically reported GOP claim that recovery bill is Dem "spending spree unlikely to jolt the economy"

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    • Author by shaggles (June 19, 2009 2:36 pm ET)
      8  
      Funny how when it's a Republican admin deficit spending is a stroke of genius (eg: Reaganomics) but when it's a Dem administration it's bad, bad, bad. So bad in fact that they won't even give any credence to economists who say it's the right thing to do at the moment.
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      • Author by kfraz43 (June 19, 2009 2:43 pm ET)
        7  
        It's apparent that all of us just forget that the Bush tax cuts not only prevented a financial crisis, but they paid themselves back with interest.

        Just remember Cheney's words: "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter". Stunning ignorance that is unfortunately rampant on the right.


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        • Author by NiceguyEddie (June 19, 2009 2:55 pm ET)
          7  
          I'd say that the WH press office should be running that clip of Cheney saying "deficits don't matter" over and over, as often as possible. (Kind of like a Left Wing version of Reverend Wright.) Unfortunately I'm not sure that having Cheney be Obama's great defender would really HELP any.
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    • Author by mk3872 (June 19, 2009 4:47 pm ET)
      6  
      This is the fault of the WH.

      We're not going to change the behavior of the media.

      They are now trained to perk up at the loudest, most headline-catching voices.

      The WH needs to have their economic team and surrogates making this case unless they do not care about the country being lied to by Fox News and their poll numbers tanking.
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      • Author by nerzog (June 19, 2009 5:28 pm ET)
        2  
        I think you're right. 15 years after Clinton was effectively hamstrung by the same propaganda tactics, you'd think the Democrats would have learned how to fight back by now. Apparently not.
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        • Author by snoopy (June 19, 2009 5:40 pm ET)
          2  
          Obama has to be in campaign mode 24/7 because of the hate eminating from the reich. Sad, really.
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          • Author by nerzog (June 19, 2009 5:57 pm ET)
            2  
            Apparently that's the Republican strategy. By throwing lies at Obama faster than a manure spreader, they keep him so busy defending himself that he can't get anything done.

            Hey, it worked on Clinton... no surprise that they'd do it again.
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            • Author by mk3872 (June 19, 2009 10:17 pm ET)
              1  
              That's correct. Notice how the GOP congressional minority has no interest at all in legislating or taking American's problems seriously.

              Instead, they stake out the exact opposite position of EVERYTHING Obama does and rail against him on the floor of the Senate and on cable news programs.

              It is all just part of an attempt to regain power by bringing his numbers down.

              BTW, it is working ...
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    • Author by Bad News (June 19, 2009 4:48 pm ET)
         
      Short term borrowing is on thing.

      Debt as a way of life is very dangerous.


      Mr. News
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    • Author by LiberalAvenger (June 19, 2009 6:31 pm ET)
      1  
      While deficits are an issue, addressing them at the expense of even economic recovery is absolute fallacy in this case. If they are going to address the deficits, it should be in other areas other than the economic recovery. This same mentality during the Great Depression led F.D.R. to cut back on spending to revive the economy, and that very year, 1939 I believe, unemployment shot back up after declining steadily every year prior to that year, signaling a resurgence of the depression. According to Keynesian theory, the government going into deficits for the short term to revive the economy is an instance where such spending is permissible, whereas during Bush's presidency he went deeply into the red to provide tax cuts geared toward the upper brackets and fight a nonessential and illegal "war" in Iraq. I doubt you could have found many instances of conservatives at the time being overly critical of those deficits while now they claim such deficits to be the epitome of fiscal irresponsibility for Obama. It's instances of hypocrisy such as this that demonstrate that the right-wing media clearly has no credibility or integrity left.
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    • Author by rkcomments (June 19, 2009 7:24 pm ET)
      2  
      When Republicans run deficits it's to protect capitalism.
      When Democrats run deficits it's Socialism.
      Aaah, the hypocricy. Priceless!!
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