Sequestration Follies

As elements of the Mass Hysteria Media question their role in promoting Obama's 'Apocalpyse Now' approach to the upcoming sequester, even the NY Times finds itself wondering about its commitment to cheerleading against the sequester.

First, they point out that there are liberals who love the idea of cutting defense and sparing entitlements:

Parties Focus on the Positive as Budget Cuts Draw Near

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

WASHINGTON — With time running short and little real effort under way to avert automatic budget cuts that take effect Friday, substantial and growing wings of both parties are learning to live with — if not love — the so-called sequester.

...

For weeks, President Obama has barnstormed the country, warning of the dire consequences of the cuts to military readiness, educators, air travel and first responders even as the White House acknowledges that some of the disruptions will take weeks to emerge.

The reverse side has gone unmentioned: Some of the most liberal members of Congress see the cuts as a rare opportunity to whittle down Pentagon spending. The poor are already shielded from the worst of the cuts, and the process could take pressure off the Democratic Party, at least in the short run, to tamper with Social Security and Medicare.

My, my. The Times also wonders about the devastation we should expect at one minute after midnight of the sequestration. Or even one month...

White House Counts on G.O.P. to Bend as Cuts’ Effects Are Felt

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s team concedes that the almost certain arrival of across-the-board budget cuts on Friday will not immediately produce the politically dramatic layoffs and airport delays that the administration has been warning about for days.

But White House strategists say they believe that a constant drip of bad news will emerge in Congressional districts across the country in the weeks ahead, generating negative headlines and, they hope, putting Republicans on the defensive for their refusal to raise taxes.

The mission of the Mass Hysteria Media is clear - somewhere out there a granny will be eating catfood or have a cat stuck in a tree because of the sequester, and it is their job to find that person, or cat, and bring them to John Boehner.

Yet the Times seems to be having a bit of angst about their assignment:

In accepting the inevitability of an extended Washington stalemate, the White House is risking the possibility that Americans may eventually blame the president, not members of Congress, for job losses, smaller paychecks, longer lines at airports, a reduction in government services and a less well-equipped military.

Mr. Obama could also ultimately emerge as a kind of president who cried wolf if Americans just shrug at the slow-rolling budget cuts and think the crisis atmosphere that he created was more hype than reality. On Wednesday night, the president acknowledged to a group of business leaders that “a lot of people may not notice the full impact of the sequester” for weeks.

Well, yes, the public may think the President cried wolf and the media played along.

The battle lines are clear:

Republicans are trying to make the case to the American public that the president and his staff are trying to frighten people by overstating how difficult it will be for government agencies to trim their spending. Mr. Boehner said in an interview on Wednesday on the CBS program “This Morning” that the president had “traveled over 5,000 miles in the last two weeks doing campaign-style events,” adding, “this is a time to lead.”

Every news organization covering this has gone through cutbacks in the last few years. Yet they are now supposed to report to us that the provision of basic services will end if the government is cut back to funding levels last seen in, oh, 2008. One worries about an impending botox shortage as anchormen strain to keep a straight face.

Comments

[Sandy Daze]

Hello?

[Sue]

Holy Moley! That seemed like an eternity. I am not addicted...I am not addicted...

[cathyf]

I can quit anytime I want!

[narciso]

That's my line.

[Jane: Mock the Media]

Do we have an explanation?

[JeanD]

Is it too late to buy Jane a hostess gift for her emergency hosting?

Thanks, Jane! And thanks to TM for bringing us all back home. I was getting perilously close to doing some housework or something.

Perish the thought.

[narciso]

Thanks, Jane, for being the safe house,

[Old Lurker]

First gin. Then JOM.

I am an addict.

But what, at this point, does it matter?

[centralcal]

Well, gee, aren't we gonna even get a little explanation for why the lights went out yesterday?

And, NO, I didn't do it ;)

[Old Lurker]

Jane, my Chrome browser told me your site was too dangerous...wazzupwitdat?

[Sue]

Jane

Thanks for preparing the methadone house for us.

[narciso]

They ought to call him, 'Mikey' from the Life Cereal commercials

http://twitchy.com/2013/02/28/gov-jindal-wh-is-fighting-woodward-instead-of-out-of-control-spending-time-reporter-sneers/?utm_source=autotweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter

He's the one that believed the stimulus worked,

[Captain Hate]

I think narc and I were both trying to post when the lights went out.

[Neo]

Maxine Waters indicates that the "sequester" will cost up to 170 million jobs (109% of the workforce).

[centralcal]

SandyDaze came by and dusted and vacuumed, Jane - you will hardly know we were there.

[Neo]

President Obama’s budget will probably be released in March, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday, but has been delayed in part by “manufactured crises” including sequestration.

“The series of manufactured crises around budget issues, certainly has resulted at least in part in those experts in the administration who work on those issues having to spend a lot of time dealing with those crises rather than on that,” Carney said during his daily briefing. “But that’s part of the job and they’re working on the budget.”

31 USC § 1105 - Budget contents and submission to Congress (a) On or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February of each year, the President shall submit a budget of the United States Government for the following fiscal year. Each budget shall include a budget message and summary and supporting information.

I guess the "sequester" ate his homework.

[narciso]

This seems to have been what really started the kerfluffe with the White House;

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/madness_of_king_bam_XX4ZxtSccJf2S4F8u2MBNO

[centralcal]

Frightening, isn't it Neo? I shudder to think what the "cumulative" IQ of the CBC must be, cuz we see evidence daily that it is nigh on zero individually.

[Dave (in MA)]

All the cool kids were over at YouTooCongress carrying on as usual.

These bastards are pulling the same shenanigans that local MA politicians do when they're trying to get a Proposition 2 1/1 override (A tax measure put in place to restrain politicians from jacking up property taxes as fast as they'd like) through. They hold the public safety (firefighters, cops) hostage or threaten to cut the high-visibility programs instead of doing anything about waste.

[narciso]

Sorry, got the drones confused, he was the one that pondered whether Fox News could be banned,

[Janet]

I was getting perilously close to doing some housework or something.

Hahahaahah! Too funny!

[Dave (in MA)]

Actually, this Howie Carr column says it better than I ever could.

[narciso]

'F Chuck' earns his title;

http://minx.cc/?post=337952

[Janet]

Exactly, Dave.

" Senator Pat Toomey ✔ @SenToomey

What to cut: $50,000 for a Cowboy Poetry Festival. $5M for sports diplomacy. $1M to taste test food on Mars. Think we can manage? #sequester"

How about the money for fixing up mosques in the ME?...or the electric charging stations in Austria? Maybe we could get our money back from Q'a'dd'a'f'i's kids? Are they even still alive? Did the Arab Spring lads rape & torture them too?

[jimmyk]

Is it too late to buy Jane a hostess gift

I think they went bankrupt.... But yes, that was a great relief.

My colleagues were wondering why I was suddenly so productive the last 24 hours.

As I've said, or tried to say yesterday, Obama is throwing a tantrum like a 2-year-old. Because he's not getting what he wants, he's throwing his dinner against the wall. For the sake of their kids, I hope the MSM (not including Woodward) are better parents than they are journalists in how they respond to this.

[Rob Crawford]

Maxine Douchbag:

We don’t need to be having something like sequestration that’s going to cause these jobs losses, over 170 million jobs that could be lost

There aren't 170 million people of working age in the US.

[BB Key]

Sperling is a sawed off little SOB spin artist with a Napoleon complex

TM glad you are back .

[Clarice]

I hated to think CC was going to have the last word forever. XOXO

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Jane showed us all once again what an invaluable trooper she is.

Read a Forbes article earlier whose author looks for a growing cavalcade of items that could be cut before, say, first responders or teachers are laid off. Could be lots of fun. Who knows, people may begin to wonder "why the hell has the federal government been funding first responders and teachers?"

[Porchlight]

All the cool kids were over at YouTooCongress carrying on as usual.

Aw man, I missed the YouToo hangout!

Thanks TM for rescuing us from withdrawal.

[hit and run]

Rob:
There aren't 170 million people of working age in the US.

Yeah, but Obama has created or saved like 1.3 trillion jobs in the past four years.

[hit and run]

Porch:
Aw man, I missed the YouToo hangout!

Yeah, I'm not a cool kid either.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

For a brief, breathless moment I was at YouToo alone with Sue--but alas, my hopes were dashed.

[hit and run]

But I did get an instalanche today, so there's that.

[NK]

TomM- nice to see you again.

First casualty of sequestration PR-- la familia Obama vacas. No TP money for those; when rich folk step up to pay, bad PR and visuals scotch that idea. Mooschelle locked up in the WH with JEF and no vaca break??...heh.. hehHEH...HEHhah.. HAHHAHHAH... HO... JEF's gonna need a food taster.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

Those Sues will break your heart every time.

[Porchlight]

I wish I could figure out Woodward's game here. He is a loyal prog so what's the deal? He's not getting enough respect? I don't trust any of these people.

narciso's earlier link from the NY Post is worth a read:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/madness_of_king_bam_XX4ZxtSccJf2S4F8u2MBNO

as is this one from Reason:

http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/28/the-most-openly-and-transparently-thin-s#comment

[NK]

TomM-- BTW-- your quote is excellent snark: "Yet the Times seems to be having a bit of angst about their assignment"

[Chubby]

cc, that was a great link to the Fournier story, but I think he is partially delusional:

((This can’t be what Obama wants. He must not know how thin-skinned and close-minded his staff can be to criticism. “I have the greatest respect and admiration for what you do,” Obama told reporters a year ago. “I know sometimes you like to give me a hard time, and I certainly like to return the favor, but I never forget that our country depends on you.”))

[Rob Crawford]

Chubby -- Woodward had the same tic. I call it the "if only Stalin knew!" tic, from the lamentations of gulag prisoners who believed that if Stalin knew how horribly they'd been treated, he'd make it all right.

The "lions" of the left can't accept that Obama set the policy of intimidating the press into compliance.

[centralcal]

Chubby and Rob: They are in denial about Their Great Leader. It cannot be HIS flaws, HIS failings, it MUST be his courtiers' flaws and failings.

[Clarice]

You betcha, DoT. Obama's game is to cut critical services and the rest of us have to keep punching up all the crap he has wasted and continues to waste our money on.

[Jack is Back!]

This one act play between POTUS and the Press reminds me of the old joke about the sadist and masochist.

Masochist: Beat me, Please
Sadist: No

[Porchlight]

http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/28/the-most-openly-and-transparently-thin-s#comment

So Woodward famously insisted that Watergate went all the way to the top, but the Woodwards of today maintain that their own guy in the Oval Office can't possibly know what his West Wing staff are yelling about on the phone every other day.

How amusing.

[Porchlight]

Oops, I meant to quote Rob C above, not post that Reason URL again:

Chubby -- Woodward had the same tic. I call it the "if only Stalin knew!" tic, from the lamentations of gulag prisoners who believed that if Stalin knew how horribly they'd been treated, he'd make it all right.

The JOM temporary shutdown still has me rattled.

[Stephanie]

cc, hope I didn't offend with my 'too late' comment. I was attempting a little lite humor when you noted that you were daring to post again with a "dare I post again" comment. Similar to the announcer's hex in golf where the announcer (usually Johnny Miller) makes a 'he hasn't missed a putt of that length all day' and voila, he misses the putt. Thank goodness Miller wasn't commenting on your posting abilities as QED would have broken the blog...

[hit and run]

In case no one sees the article from my post that Instapundit linked, here you go...

It's not quite eight in the morning and Barack Obama is on the phone screaming at me. He liked the story I wrote about him a couple weeks ago, but not this garbage.

Months earlier, a reporter friend told me she overheard Obama call me an asshole at a political fund-raiser. Now here he is blasting me from hundreds of miles away for a story that just went online but hasn't yet hit local newsstands.

It's the first time I ever heard him yell, and I'm trembling as I set down the phone. I sit frozen at my desk for several minutes, stunned.

Yeah, if Obama only knew how his underlings were treating reporters that were reporting bad things about him...

[Threadkiller]

Tom McClintock on the Sequester.

Text:
http://mcclintock.house.gov/2013/02/sequester-the-last-tool-we-have.shtml

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqOXlRVd_Vk

Welcome back Tom!

Off to thank Jane.

[centralcal]

Steph - it made me chuckle. Plus, I was a little nervous when I hit the "post" comment icon!

[narciso]

Well I was posting a review of a book where I first heard of Brazile, she started as an organizer in N. Orleans, was with Jackson until the 'HymieTown' flap, then she was on Dukakis's team, at last check she was with Team Hillary,
maybe that's why she didn't get a waiver.

[Chubby]

((by -- Woodward had the same tic. I call it the "if only Stalin knew!" tic, from the lamentations of gulag prisoners who believed that if Stalin knew how horribly they'd been treated, he'd make it all right.))

exactly, Woodward too. When I was working in a corporate job, a new CEO came in, and a wag in the company asked, Who will we become now? the idea being that the corporation would take on the personality of the CEO.

[Chubby]

I thought Fournier's description of how reporters and sources work together a bit creepy. When people are in each others pockets like that, what hope is there of honest and unbiased reporting?

[Appalled]

Porch:

I wish I could figure out Woodward's game here. He is a loyal prog so what's the deal? He's not getting enough respect? I don't trust any of these people.

Obama's line directly contradicts Woodward's reporting. If, for no other reason, ego would cause him to continue to insist. Plus, I think Woodward really does try to tell the truth.

[narciso]

It does put everything he has written, including that glowing portrait of Hagel, into perspective,
('I'm speaking of Fournier, here) how they ignore his actual stances.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

This is some funny stuff from Hit's link;

I was 25 and had no problem interviewing big-wig politicians. But I always had to steel my nerves when calling Obama. His intelligence was intimidating, and my hands inevitably shook with sweat.

It's funny how narcissists are able to project a facade of intelligence far beyond their actual candlepower. They are truly gifted manipulators.

The rest is text book narcicissim also.
A pat on the head and a tasty treat for the fawning article:
A preemptive bullying attack for even the slightest criticism.

[GUS]

I thought JOM was the first casualty of the sequester.
Since Obama took office, spending is up over FOUR THOUSAND BILLION in 4 years.
Cutting 85 is going to do nothing except cut our the extra snickers bar.
Jack Lew is on the job. NO need to fear.

[Jane - Mock the Media!]

I was quite thrilled to have some traffic for a few hours. Altho I have no idea what chrome has against me. I think that happened one time before too.

[Clarice]

'Xactly, Iggie/ Frauds down to their toes.

[Beasts of England]

Yea, comments!

I thought I was gonna have to get a job. Or interact with an actual human being.

Scary...

[rse]

Yeah!!

I kept wanted to take a break and come visit but the place was closed.

http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/who-needs-pitchforks-to-get-political-and-economic-revolution-education-and-time-will-do-fine/ is what I wrote this morning that is really the economic endgame that all the ed and CAGW hyping is getting us to.

And the Swedish research I did earlier in week agreed that that eco democracy and an equality welfare state was the premise for the same reforms there in the 50s and 60s. And their ability to export non raw goods is enhanced if we join in.

[narciso]

this vaunted intelligence, is apocryphal, his vindictive nature, we have more evidence of, however.

[Porchlight]

Obama's line directly contradicts Woodward's reporting.

Possibly but IIRC that's happened before without a similar protest from Woodward.

There's something else going on, I think. I wonder if the Woodwardgate distraction isn't welcome to the WH right now. Any ink spilled on this is ink not spilled on Obama's handling of the sequester battle.

[Jane - Mock the Media!]

If Maxine Waters is correct about that number, her job is toast. It might be worth it to just see that happen.

I think they went bankrupt.

I saw a bunch of hostess cookie products at ocean state job lot. So maybe a comeback is on the way.

No need to thank me guys. I had to remember how to post at You Too - which took about 4 minutes. That was the totality of my contribution.

[Jane - Mock the Media!]

BTW if you want to be on the JOM mailing list - and aren't, email Hit. (tee hee)

[Chubby]

the floodgates of these kind of stories seems to have opened

[MarkO]

Jeez, Jane. After those years we had together in Costa Rica I thought you'd include me.

[narciso]

Well the Sequester is just a pretext, like Rush was pointing out, how they've been contracting intelligence and defense contractors since 2010,
also where on the bubble is the gun control ploy,

[Chubby]

Jane, it was nice while it lasted, and I thought it would be for much longer

[jimmyk]

I wish I could figure out Woodward's game here. He is a loyal prog so what's the deal?

I'm not sure that's quite fair to Woodward. He's shown some independence before. I didn't read it, but wasn't his first book about W pretty positive? In general I've found him to be a bit more objective and honest than the typical journalist, which isn't saying much, but still.... Certainly a huge contrast with Bernstein, who's a complete toadie for the Democrat party line.

[sailor]

Well, I must admit I did have withdrawal pains. I don't post much but do try to peruse JOM once a day. I even went so far as to email Insty and ask what he knew. He replied that he had written JOM but hadn't heard from him.

[Chubby]

((Jeez, Jane. After those years we had together in Costa Rica I thought you'd include me. ))

you had to "self include"

at least that's what I did. I checked out Jane's site from Tom's link to You Too Congress, thinking she might have posted something about the JOM closure, and lo and behold, the party was in full swing.

[MarkO]

Why are all the conservatives bashing Woodward? Here we have a shot at Obama and NRO says it was not a threat. This is why we lose.

This piece is a good summary of Obama's hatred of free speech and his thugs.

[hit and run]

Jane:
BTW if you want to be on the JOM mailing list - and aren't, email Hit. (tee hee)

Any and all are welcome.

But....um......were there emails going around during the black out? I mean direct emails, not those generated by posts to the google group.

I can't grant access to the google group. that's Chaco's gig.

[MarkO]

Failed to include the link. No wonder I wasn't invited.

http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/28/the-most-openly-and-transparently-thin-s

[Porchlight]

I believe Woodward when he says it was a threat. I just think Woodward might be being played somehow. These things almost always turn out to have been ginned up by the Obama WH as a distraction from whatever they need a distraction from.

[Threadkiller]

"Here we have a shot at Obama and NRO says it was not a threat."

They said the same thing about Article II.

[Porchlight]

I think that Reason piece is very good, MarkO. Obviously the more journos who come out and tell similar stories, the better. My sense is that most will not come to Woodward's defense, however, but I hope I'm wrong.

[Sue]

For future reference always go to Jane's in an emergency. She had the good vodka.

[Sue]

I meant has the good vodka but had may be appropriate. We might have...hiccup...drank it all.

[centralcal]

Exactly, MarkO. Even Steven Hayes of Weekly Standard is doing the same thing.

[Janet]

Also from hit's link - "I never heard him launch into the preacher-man voice he now employs during speeches."

[NK]

Threat? Course it was a threat-- why else would that punk Sperling write that smarmy email to cover his pathetic butt.

[Frau Altersheim]

(Too bad Maxine's job will not be one of the first to be lost.)

Geezers Unite! From David Steinberg (the Tattler):

Moments ago, American Seniors Advocates President Randy Lewis responded to PJ Media via phone regarding the White House’s not-so-subtle attack on Bob Woodward’s age:

David Plouffe is an ass. No one is ever too old to contribute to the national dialogue. And Bob Woodward and his distinguished career deserves more respect from someone with so little professional achievement.

With a name like Plouffe...isn't that a cartoon sound effect?

Ka-pow! Thwonk! Plouffe!!!

You betcha..."someone with so little progessional achievement."

[Frau Altersheim]

er, professional achievement. (Giddy to be back.)

[Janet]

Here's the VIMH link.

[Rob Crawford]

Here we have a shot at Obama and NRO says it was not a threat.

Do they ever pull their heads out of the Beltway?

[centralcal]

From MarkO's link:

“Basically," the editor said in her email, "the reporter said that the First Lady didn’t speak to the pilots but acknowledged them by making eye contact."

I laughed. In another week, or perhaps sooner, her new, stylish bangs will completely cover her eyes. Then how will Her Imperial Highness "acknowledge" her underlings and servants?

[sailor]

Well, this is all fun to talk about, but the LIVs could care less. Our termite man came today, and we had Rush on on the radio, and the termite man started talking about his wife's government job being furloughed to the cost of $300 a pay check. I suggested that members of congress and Barack should take a pay cut. He agreed. He seemed very worried and also was afraid that his position in the National Guard would be affected. He is a nice, but ill informed, LIV.

[jimmyk]

why else would that punk Sperling write that smarmy email to cover his pathetic butt.

Exactly. Let's see the original message, not the coverup. Apparently it was verbal, not written, so no one really knows except the two of them, but obviously it was nasty enough to generate a public apology.

[Threadkiller]

Master...
Sequester...

(if only I was a photoshop wiz, Mini Obama would be in the saddle)

[hit and run]

An oldie but a goodie from Ramirez, to which we can add Woodward:

Funny. Woodward never even made it onto Nixon's list.

[Porchlight]

In another week, or perhaps sooner, her new, stylish bangs will completely cover her eyes.

That would be true only if they were real hair that actually grows. ;)

[lyle]

Then how will Her Imperial Highness "acknowledge" her underlings and servants?

I'm surprised she even allows them to cast their gaze upon her. Impudent little serfs.

[lyle]

OT: Despite being quite sure I'm not the first person to think about this, I nevertheless hope John F'ing Kerry gets all the protection afforded to those four Americans in Benghazi. He deserves no less.

[Porchlight]

Congrats on the Insty link, hit. Good memory - I'd forgotten about that article.

[Sandy Daze]

Just a Friendly Call at Belmont Club recalls this comment from Goldfinger to James Bond:

"Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action’."

Woodward, Davis, Fournier & the line up at the Reason piece.

Enemy action. Just so.

[MarkO]

Maybe more folks will come to realize that Obama's a liar and a nasty little man.

[NK]

Lyle@4:57-- heh, heh

[NK]

Lyle@5:00-- harsh... but fair

[Sandy Daze]

The wording of the current oath of enlistment in the Armed Forces:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”