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Posted: February 21, 2011 07:15 PM

The Huffington Post's Senior Political Editor Howard Fineman, along with The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight to discuss the House GOP's recent budget cuts and the possibility of a government shutdown.

Fineman reiterated his belief that Tea Partiers in the House "might make the mistake of standing up and cheering if the government is shut down." He also stated that in polls, "the American people...say they want to cut the budget, but they also don't want social programs touched." He elaborated on this contradiction, explaining that "even though they [the American people] talk a great game about being concerned about the deficit, they really aren't willing to give up anything that they have" in terms of programs like Social Security.

When it comes to the possibility of the government shutting down, Fineman said that the Obama Administration is already warning of potential consequences such as social security checks not arriving in the mail. He also thinks that GOP House leadership is prepping for the chance of a shutdown by explaining to fellow Republicans how to blame it on the Democrats should it occur.

WATCH:

 
The Huffington Post's Senior Political Editor Howard Fineman, along with The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight to discuss the House GOP's recent budget cuts and...
The Huffington Post's Senior Political Editor Howard Fineman, along with The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight to discuss the House GOP's recent budget cuts and...
 
 
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06:27 PM on 02/22/2011
Mainstream media says we're a classless society. Here's the truth: If the total U.S. income was $100, and our total population was 100 people, the richest guy would get $34.60. That leaves 66 cents each for the rest of us -assuming we split it evenly, which we don't.
I figured this out using the 2007 Total Net Worth data from the UC Santa Cruz research paper, "Who Rules America".
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
01:42 PM on 02/22/2011
Is anyone else bothered when people say Barack Obama instead of The President or President Obama, or even just Obama?

I feel like when people call him by his first and last name that its not only a sign of great disrespect but it feels like that person has to emphasize the fact that he has a Middle Eastern / Muslim sounding name to fuel the Obama is a Muslim crazies on the right.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Duane7
01:29 PM on 02/22/2011
It's a simple formula income + debt = outlays. If we spend more the income must come up or the debt must increase. The debt has been increased. It's time to increase the income. You can't cut taxes for the top 2$ and see this country prosper. They made their money here and have a duty to support the infrastructure that made them rich.

The other half of the equation is the outlay. We can't afford our present military spending plain and simple. It's 533 billion ton elephant sitting in the room. Cut it in half and we will be near the rate of spending that scared Eisenhower in the 1950's. This madness has no place in our country. We've seen what happens when military spending gets too high. One only needs to look to the history of the Soviet Union. We all know how that ended.
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TitaniumAvatar
Sinister yet Dexterous
01:10 PM on 02/22/2011
How to blame the Dems and more specifically President Obama?

Just leave that to Faux News.
01:27 PM on 02/22/2011
I think most clear minded people blame the Progressives because they are the people who want a very large federal government and have been working towards this goal for about a hundred years. This is in contrast to what the founding fathers new would be the downfall of our country. They understood that big governments are oppressive in many ways and should be feared.

Here’s a very good example. Remember LBJ’s “War on Poverty”? Tax payers have spent Trillions to eradicate poverty and how is that working out? I would contend that it has failed miserably. At least Bill Cosby recognizes this fact and is working to correct it. You see, this so called “help” has hurt the black community more than any other.

Unintended consequences don’t seam to be ever looked at by progressives. They think and bleed from the heart, not the head.

Progressives like Obama, Nancy, Bush, Clinton, Carter, FDR, LBJ, etc. have put this country in its most dangerous, vulnerable position in over fifty years. The jig is up, time to pay the pauper.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sposton
right to tell what they don't want to hear
12:50 PM on 02/22/2011
Typical BS talk in which everything is reduced to image, "optics", and horse racing. Someone must win and other lose. The salient fact in all of this is that American are being fleeced no matter what happens. You will never hear that this bunch, handsomely paid to give you daily bromides. MSM media is part of the problem.
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conservicide
I don't play nice.
12:41 PM on 02/22/2011
GOP = the party of corporate welfare!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
repugnicansfearme
Here endeth the lesson.
12:11 PM on 02/22/2011
The total costs for all the missions the ONE space shuttle to be launched this weekend over its 39 flight career: over $17 billion. Multiply that by the other shuttles in the fleet, and one can ask - what have we gained from these flights? Were the billions and billions well spent? It kept NASA employees in jobs, and defense contractors with huge bonuses. But what else?
exclintonsupporter
Forgive your enemies...it messes with their heads!
11:28 AM on 02/22/2011
"How to Blame the Dem's, should it occur?"...that is RICH...those who voted these clowns in office, only need to hold up a mirror and see who is to blame!!! If they would have used half their brain cells in November and cut through all of the spin and lies that were being told, then they would have realized that this government shut-down is the only thing that could have happened. You can't tell me that the majority of those who identify with the extreme right-wing of the Repubs are not collecting SS, Vet Benefits, Medicare, Medicade...or something...they could not really believe that this was not going to affect them...if they did...because they did...no better for them!!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
den1953
The best politicians are for free!
10:49 AM on 02/22/2011
I suppose rolling back all those Bush disasters to post Clinton years is harder for Washington then first thought at least that would be a start?
10:41 AM on 02/22/2011
I would like to believe Republicans have solutions, but I cannot escape the feeling that their only interest is control of the senate, the house, and the White House. That their real agenda is to effect change through social issues for the working classes and to impliment economic change for the benefit of the wealthy only.
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Raccoon1
These are the times that try men's souls........
10:27 AM on 02/22/2011
So, what's wrong with the American people wanting their tax dollars to be spent on American people rather than fighting unending wars abroad?
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TitaniumAvatar
Sinister yet Dexterous
01:13 PM on 02/22/2011
That option is very unsatisfying to Bullies and Cowards (AKA the GOPTP)
09:34 AM on 02/22/2011
i think the preident should ask big busines to donate money for the social programes that the repss want to cut. after all they would get tax deduction.
09:25 AM on 02/22/2011
of course they will.
09:19 AM on 02/22/2011
this country is getting it wrong...

we are cutting already scant social services and extending ridiculous tax cuts to the oogle wealthy...

...its morally wrong
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
truthsayer4ever
Veritas In Caritate
10:35 AM on 02/22/2011
It is soooooooooo morally wrong! And it just won't stop. Most of these cuts amount to a hill of beans in the money department, i.e., Planned Parenthood, when real cuts in defense spending and a few tax hikes on corporations (Exxon/Mobil) and the uber wealthy would pretty much solve these problems. Illinois is gearing up for the big slash. They have been "borrowing" (stealing) from the pension plans for over 40 years and have given a smidgen back and now, who has to do the paying back? Mr. Average Joe and Ms. Average Jill. People are so very fed up and it's gonna hit the fan as we are now witnessing in Wisconsin.
Political Piggy
Free comments and ideas are worth every penny paid
09:01 AM on 02/22/2011
The significant majority of the long term structural deficit consists of 3 things -

1. The sharply escalating costs of health care causing sharp increases to the costs of programs like VA health, Medicare, etc.
2. The reduction of tax revenues below the histiric percentage of GDP
3. Defense, largely the result of the costs of the undfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

It is not from the 12ish% of the budget the Republican Tea Party is pretending to cut, and it is not from the childish mantra of "waste, fraud and abuse". Cut 100% of non-defense discretionary and find and eliminate 100% of waste, fraud and abuse and the long term structural budget deficit will be virtually identical to what it is right now.

By the way, how are the job creation efforts coming Republican Tea Party?