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Politics White House Chief of Staff and former OMB Director Gaffes on Sunday news shows
- Posted on February 12, 2012 at 3:47pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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If you needed any more more glaring evidence that the White House and Democrats in the Senate may not be as committed to passing a budget resolution as their Republican rivals, White House Chief of Staff and former OMB Director Jack Lew gave it to you Sunday. With the President’s budget set for delivery this Monday, Lew appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, This Week and State of the Union. On both CNN and NBC Lew made a gaffe that has left stunned Republicans in disbelief that such a high-ranking White House official could, whether intentionally or not, mislead the country on budget law.
While being questioned by CNN’s Candy Crowley in regards to remaks made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicating that for the third straight year Senate Democrats did not plan on passing a budget, Lew responded with a statement that is patently false.
CROWLEY: “I want to read for our viewers something that Sen. Harry Reid, the Democrat Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate, who said, ‘We do not need to bring a budget to the floor this year. It’s done, we don’t need to do it’….”
LEW: “…..He’s not saying that they shouldn’t pass a budget. But we also need to be honest. You can’t pass a budget in the Senate of the United States without 60 votes and you can’t get 60 votes without bipartisan support. So unless… unless Republicans are willing to work with Democrats in the Senate, Harry Reid is not going to be able to get a budget passed.”
The Filibuster is a popular target and scapegoat for the Obama administration but in this case it does not apply. In accordance with the Congressional Budget Control Act of 1974, a budget, under law, requires only 51 votes to pass the Senate—not 60. As former director of the Office of Management and Budget (the top budget post in the administration) and current Chief of Staff, one would assume that Lew would be aware of budget law and the official must have misspoke on State of the Union.
However, Lew said the same thing again on NBC’s Meet the Press:
While House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan has been actively working with Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon on a budget that includes a bipartisan plan to deal with health care and Medicare reform, the White House and Democratic leaders in the Senate look set on pushing a political, rather than practical, proposal to deal with out-of-control Washington spending going into this year’s election.
Ranking Republican Member on the Senate Budget Committee Sen. Jeff Sessions recently said in a statement while describing the shirking of responsibility from the Senate’s leaders: “By refusing to lay out a budget plan for public examination the Democrat Senate has forfeited the high privilege to lead this chamber.”
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MATT IN MN
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 10:21pmThese people should be held accountable.
Another example of lying. The MSM not calling it on them. A conservative write up the next day saying it was a lie. Millions of Democrats across the country never hearing that he lied. He obviously knew it was a lie (or I suppose it could be ineptitude (not that I believe that) but if that is the case then he should be fired anyway).
Why not lie? May as well. It fools most of the people. It works.
Report Post »DSTSS2010
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 10:41amLiar, liar, pants on fire! Is there anyone on Obama‘s staff that doesn’t lie?
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 10:13amAhhh more examples as to the pratical NEED for term limits in Congress!! There is a LAW on the books that says “congress must pass a yearly budget” of course when the “law of the lnad” i.e. The U.S. Constitution is treated like toilet paper why should the democrats follow law? Clean sweep the White House and Congress!!!! I already know what obama the dumb dumb’s budget will be!! “tax the rich.” of course it will be 50,000 pages long and not even double spaced and every sentence will say “tax the rich.”….when the Republicans shoot it down it will be one more piece in the chicago machine to “blame congress” i.e. those Republicans……
No Obama in 2012!!!
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 1:07am‘Peter Principle’. The White House is operating over their collective heads.
Report Post »Xpressed
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 12:04amIt doesn’t matter that its not true since nobody is really going to call them on it and it will spin out there for sheep to believe since an authoritarian figure said it. The man in the suit said it, it must be true!
Report Post »paperpushermj
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 12:10amWe have fallen into the Fascist Well.
Report Post »paperpushermj
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 11:37pmOh What a Tangled Web We Weave .
Report Post »When First We Practice To Deceive
SKIPIG
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 10:31pmSitting here watching a train wreck from which we will all suffer fatal injuries. Suddenly I realized we are to blame, not the politicians. We have let them lie to us for years and have not take action. Imagine the Speaker of the House telling the people a 2000-page law must be passed so we the people will know what’s in it. Imagine another member of Congress bragging he is a lawyer and he didn’t read it. We the people should write an Amendment making Dereliction Of Duty, a high crime. All good citizens should come together to stop the fraud. We elect and pay people to write, read and vote on laws.
Report Post »1TrueOne55
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 8:09pm* * i *****
Report Post »* * / \ * *
* * / i i \ ******
******* * / \ i \
1TrueOne55
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 8:10pm^^^^^^^ It is supposed to say LIAR…
Report Post »RayOne
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 7:32pmHe Dont Need No Stinkin, BUDGET !!!
Report Post »RayOne
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 7:29pmWith Cain back in the news, the lady living in the apartment building that Axelrod knows of can make some ‘walk around money’ on the interview TV tour.
Report Post »jon.weiss
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 7:08pmSo we now have proof that Tim Geithner is not the only fiscal moron that Obama has hired, Lew is just as clueless as Geithner.
Report Post »Stehekin912
Posted on February 12, 2012 at 5:30pmGaffes are errors done by mistake. Is this not by design? Then it is not a gaffe. It is intentional misinformation, at best. There is another word for that.
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