White House retreats from doomsday spending cuts predictions

       

Gene Sperling... Spin Doctor Extraordinaire :

"Nobody ever suggested that this was going to have all its impact in the first few days," he told "NBC's "Meet the Press.

This idiot must live in an alternate universe!

Did this not occur or was it a figment of my imagination? 

☟

WASHINGTON — The Associated Press has learned that the Homeland Security Department released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants facing deportation from immigration jails in recent weeks because of looming budget cuts. It also planned to release 3,000 more during March.

And the sequester didn't even kick in yet!!!

I guess the nation experienced a collective coma when Napolitano said, "All I can say is, look, we're doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester. But there's only so much I can do. I'm supposed to have 34,000 detention beds for immigration. How do I pay for those?"

They're undocumented Democrats.

White House is retreated from its doomsday predictions about the impact of the $85 billion in federal spending cuts as they enter a second week -- with Republican leaders appearing at least satisfied about delivering on their promise to limit government spending and hold down taxes.

Gene Sperling, the White House's top economic adviser, repeatedly said Sunday the cuts will not hurt as much on "Day One" as they will over the long haul. 

"Nobody ever suggested that this … was going to have all its impact in the first few days," he told "NBC's "Meet the Press." "It is a slow grind."

His remarks are in contrast to weeks of President Obama and his Cabinet warning that the cuts will result in furloughs or pay cuts for middle-class wage-earners such as teachers, Capitol Hill janitors and air traffic controllers, which they said could cause 90-minutes delays at major U.S. airports.

Sperling declined at least twice to directly answer questions about whether the worst-case-scenario rhetoric has hurt the president's credibility on the issue. He instead stuck to his argument that independent economists forecast the cuts will result in 750,000 fewer jobs and that corporate executives now anticipate slower economic growth.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN's "State of the Union" Americans absorbed similar cuts once already this year.

"This modest reduction of 2.4 percent in spending over the next six months is a little more than the average American experienced just two months ago, when their own pay went down when the payroll tax holiday expired," the Kentucky Republican said.

Congress agreed to the cuts, known as sequester, in 2011 after failing to agree on more measure reductions -- to defense and some domestic spending. However, the cuts were intended to be so drastic that Democrats and Republicans would be forced to compromise before they started.

Still, Sperling rejected several Republican-backed plans and said no compromise would be reached unless the party agrees to tax increases.

Barry came up with sequestration and signed it into law. The whole idea was to cut spending. Tax increases were never part of it and only serves to defeat the purpose of the bill. The words "Cutting Spending" are not in a Democrat's vocabulary.

White House retreats from doomsday spending cuts predictions

Rodman's a gas in North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman met North Korea's Kim Jong Un on Thursday on the third day of his improbable journey to Pyongyang, telling the leader "You have a friend for life," a delegation spokesman said.

Rodman and Kim sat side by side at an exhibition game in Pyongyang on Thursday, chatting as they watched players from North Korea and the U.S. play in mixed teams, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company, told The Associated Press.

Rodman later addressed Kim before a crowd of thousands, telling him, "You have a friend for life," Detrick said.

The encounter makes Rodman the most high-profile American to meet with the young North Korean leader, said to be a diehard basketball fan, and comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.

North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the provocative act was aimed at sending a warning to the United States.

Rodman, three players from the professional Harlem Globetrotters exhibition team, and a VICE television crew are in Pyongyang to shoot a documentary about North Korea for HBO.

Thursday's game in a packed gymnasium ended in a 110-110 draw, with two Americans playing on each team alongside North Koreans, Detrick said.

I'm sure it was just a coincidence it ended in a tie.

Rodman's a gas in North Korea

Obamageddon

On a tip from Phil McCafferty

Weren't we all supposed to die today or has that been cancelled? 

Barry's looking out for your best interest by threatening to veto a bill to let him do less harm.

Article by the WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578332613534040162.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

If you're reading this after midnight on Friday, March 1, the dreaded Beltway hour of doom known as the "sequester" has arrived and the news is that the world has not ended. You can pinch yourself to make sure. This does not mean there won't be more political histrionics, but the beginning of applying reason to Washington is understanding that it is possible to cut at least some federal spending.

President Obama's goal, by contrast, is not to cut any spending in the here and now, only sometime in the "out years," to use the Washington phrase, presumably when he'll be out of office. That's the only way to comprehend the White House statement Thursday that the President will veto any Republican bill to give him more flexibility to minimize any sequester damage.

We think the President already has more than enough authority to avoid harm to air traffic control, national parks and the like, as we wrote earlier this week ("The Sequester Revelation," February 27). We wish Republicans like Paul Ryan would say so. But in any case House Republicans are offering to give Mr. Obama even more flexibility, yet the President won't take yes for an answer.

Mull that one over: The President wants to deny himself and his executive branch the authority to do less harm. Don't stop me before I kill again.

The White House political calculus seems to be that if Americans see that cutting 2.3% of federal spending is possible without catastrophe, they might learn something from the experience. They might even conclude that government doesn't need to be as large as it is, or that government should do some things well but not many others poorly. They might even learn that governing is about choosing, as opposed to merely allowing the government to grow willy-nilly year after year to gather more clients who depend on government.

Thus we get Obamageddon. Mr. Obama and his Cabinet officers feel they must cry havoc so loudly, and try to implement the sequester in such a malicious fashion, that the public will blame Republicans, who will then cancel all of the $85 billion in sequester cuts—which are really only about $43 billion for the rest of fiscal 2013 through September 30.

But that's not all. Mr. Obama doesn't want merely to cancel the sequester cuts. He says he won't even sign a bill cancelling those cuts, or letting him do less harm, unless Republicans also agree to raise taxes again. He calls this a "balanced" approach to deficit cutting, but his fiscal cliff bill in January was all tax increases and no spending cuts. Now his sequester demand is more tax increases and no spending cuts.

For a look at this "balance" in action, consider the sequester-reprieve bill offered Thursday by Senate Democrats and endorsed by the White House. To replace the $85 billion in cuts this year, the bill proposed various tax increases and some defense and farm-subsidy cuts over 10 years that add up to—zero net spending cuts.

The Congressional Budget Office "estimates that S. 388 would increase direct spending by $62.4 billion and revenues by $55.1 billion over the 2013–2023 period. Thus, the cumulative deficit would increase by $7.2 billion from those changes," said CBO in its report on the Senate bill.

So a bill that purports to reduce the deficit as much as the sequester, only in a more "balanced" fashion, doesn't even reduce the deficit at all. It increases it. And it does so despite imposing the "Buffett tax" that amounts to a minimum tax rate on capital gains of 30%, only two months after the capital-gains rate increased to 23.8% from 15%.

No wonder the bill failed to pass the Senate, 51-49, as three Democrats running for re-election in 2014 voted no. They are Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Apparently they also disdain the President's "balance."

Perhaps the real political question is how long this catastrophe charade can continue before it's laughed out of town. Some of the Beltway's older hands seem to be losing patience, including journalist Bob Woodward, who is being excommunicated from the Revelation Church of Obama by the more devoted media worshipers.

Mr. Woodward's sin was to report that the sequester was Mr. Obama's idea in 2011 and that the terms did not then include a tax increase. The blogs have been filled with pseudo-drama over whether White House aide Gene Sperling threatened Mr. Woodward, or not, for reporting facts so impertinently. But the bigger news is that someone in the establishment press is finally pointing out the Obama habit of dissembling about what he once committed to. This is why John Boehner and senior Republicans don't believe a single word Mr. Obama says.

All of this suggests that Republicans, for once, may be winning the political argument. If they hold firm on the sequester, they know the government will have to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond March 27. If no such bill passes, the government shuts down.

Do Democrats really want to be responsible for shutting down the government because Republicans won't raise taxes but will give Mr. Obama more flexibility to reduce the harm from spending cuts? With this willful President, you never know. But some adult Democrats may want to whisper to the President that if he keeps up this Obamageddon act for too long, the voters may figure out how they're being conned.

In all likelihood this will turn out to be another crutch for him. Blaming Bush is wearing pretty thin. Condemning that "do nothing congress" is also getting long in the tooth. The next time the unemployment rate goes up or a negative quarter of GDP he'll use the sequester as the fall guy.

Why?

Because even though he's the quarterback it's alway's somebody else's fault. What's funny is Barry described himself as at least the fourth-best president in history.

I guarantee you when the history books are written it ain't going down like that!

Obamageddon

Chavez about ready to cash in

Any friend of Ahmadinejad is a friend of ours.

Already signed on to be pallbearers.

Stone...is seeking (won't take much) the movie rights for his epic new film 
HUGO

So overwrought at the news they had to be sedated. 

Hugo Chavez Fighting For His Life, Venezuela's Vice President Maduro Says

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life while he continues to undergo treatment more than two months after his latest cancer surgery.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on television that Chavez "is battling there for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him."

The vice president has used similar phrasing in the past, saying on Dec. 20 that Chavez "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health."

Chavez hasn't spoken publicly since before his latest cancer operation in Cuba on Dec. 11. He returned to Venezuela on Feb. 18, and the government says he has been undergoing more treatment at a military hospital in Caracas.

Maduro also called for Venezuelans to keep praying for Chavez and to remain loyal to the president. He said Chavez's health had suffered because he had dedicated himself "body and soul" to his work as president.

Chavez himself has previously acknowledged that he was neglecting his health in recent years, often staying up late and drinking dozens of cups of coffee a day.

The president has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments since June 2011, when he first announced his cancer diagnosis. He hasn't specified the type of cancer or the exact location in his pelvic region where his tumors have been removed.

It's not clear if Barry will attend the funeral of his mentor who once espoused...

[Shower the peasants with gifts and you shall forever hold them in the palm of your hand]

Chavez about ready to cash in

Illegals Released Ahead of Automatic Budget Cuts

Barry is rooting for anarchy. A grandstanding son-of-a-bitch he truly is! Of all the areas in government which are so bloated and bursting at the seams with wasteful spending (see below) this is the best he could come up with .. releasing illegal prisoners??? Here's a novel idea. Why not "release" them in Mexico instead of the United States?

 If one or more of these illegals should kill someone he'll squeal...Boehner made me do it. 

 Do you think by taking this indefensible drastic step he cares more about the country... or advancing his own political agenda? BTW...sequestration hasn't even kicked in yet!

America... what does it take for you to see through this scam artist?

Now he can use the sequester as an excuse to fulfill his wet dream of closing down Gitmo

Looming Cuts Spur Mass Release of Illegal Immigrants

In a highly unusual move, federal immigration officials have released hundreds of detainees from immigration detention centers around the country, an effort to save money as automatic budget cuts loom in Washington, officials said Tuesday.

The government has not dropped the deportation cases against the immigrants, however. The detainees have been freed on supervised release while their cases continue in court, officials said.

But the move angered some Republicans, including Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte of Virginia, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said the releases were a political gambit by the Obama administration that undermined the continuing negotiations over comprehensive immigration reform and jeopardized public safety.

"It's abhorrent that President Obama is releasing criminals into our communities to promote his political agenda on sequestration," said Mr. Goodlatte, who is running the House hearings on immigration reform. "By releasing criminal immigrants onto the streets, the administration is needlessly endangering American lives."

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., also said "these savings could be much more safely and rationally achieved."

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more than 500 detainees in his county alone over the weekend. A spokesman for Babeu told FoxNews.com that ICE officials have said they plan to release a total of nearly 10,000 illegal immigrants.

Babeu described the move as a "mass budget pardon" and suggested the administration was going to unnecessary lengths to demonstrate the impact of the so-called sequester.

"President Obama would never release 500 criminal illegals to the streets of his hometown, yet he has no problem with releasing them in Arizona. The safety of the public is threatened and the rule of law discarded as a political tactic in this sequester battle," he said.

The government-wide budget cuts, known as the sequester, are scheduled to take effect on Friday. Immigration officials declined to say whether they intended to make any further cutbacks in detention programs this week.

Officials did not reveal precisely how many detainees were released or where the releases took place, but immigrants' advocates around the country have been reporting that hundreds of detainees were freed in numerous locations, including Hudson County, N.J.; Polk County, Texas; Broward County, Fla.; and New Orleans; and from centers in Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and New York.

While immigration officials occasionally free detainees on supervised release, this mass release — so many in such a short span of time — appears to be unprecedented in recent memory, immigration advocates said.

At a White House news briefing on Monday, Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security secretary, seemed to hint at the move. "All I can say is, look, we're doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester," she told reporters. "But there's only so much I can do. I'm supposed to have 34,000 detention beds for immigration. How do I pay for those?"

A few examples of the government's wasteful spending and this doesn't even scratch the surface:

Government auditors spent the past five years examining all federal programs and found that 22 percent of them -- costing taxpayers a total of $123 billion annually -- fail to show any positive impact on the populations they serve.

Washington spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties.

Washington will spend $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job. WTF!!!

A GAO audit classified nearly half of all purchases on government credit cards as improper, fraudulent, or embezzled. Examples of taxpayer-funded purchases include gambling, mortgage payments, liquor, lingerie, iPods, Xboxes, jewelry, Internet dating services, and Hawaiian vacations. In one extraordinary example, the Postal Service spent $13,500 on one dinner at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, including "over 200 appetizers and over $3,000 of alcohol, including more than 40 bottles of wine costing more than $50 each and brand-name liquor such as Courvoisier, Belvedere and Johnny Walker Gold." The 81 guests consumed an average of $167 worth of food and drink apiece.

The Defense Department wasted $100 million on unused flight tickets and never bothered to collect refunds even though the tickets were refundable.

Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 on admission to entertainment events, $48,250 on gambling,$69,300 on cruises, and $73,950 on exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.

Congress recently spent $2.4 billion on 10 new jets that the Pentagon insists it does not need and will not use.

Audits showed $34 billion worth of Department of Homeland Security contracts contained significant waste, fraud, and abuse.

Congressional investigators were able to receive $55,000 in federal student loan funding for a fictional college they created to test the Department of Education.

See anything here that could be cut instead of releasing illegals?

Funny thing is Barry proposed sequestration and signed it into law. But as usual it's always someone else's fault.

Illegals Released Ahead of Automatic Budget Cuts