Tea Party Patriots Co-Founder Speaks Out Critically on John Boehner and Debt-Ceiling Debate

Mark Meckler, Co-Founder of the Tea Party Patriots, answers some questions from Patricia Murphy of The Daily Beast on John Boehner and the GOP, the debt-ceiling debate, and the August 2nd default on our debt obligations meme.


In the president’s speech Monday night, he blamed the breakdown in the debt negotiations on House members, who were obviously people who have been supported by various Tea Party groups.  Should the Tea Party groups get the blame for all of this?

I think the Tea Party movement should get the credit for elevating the debate about the debt limit to the national stage. We’ve raised the debt limit 10 times in the last nine years. In the last five years, we’ve almost tripled the amount of debt this country is holding. This has all been done relatively quietly while politicians have mortgaged our futures. So the fact that we’re having a spirited debate about this now is good for the nation and I think the Tea Party can take credit for it.

Do you think that the most recent election is the reason Congress is not just quietly raising the debt ceiling, as has happened scores of times before?

Yes, the fundamental difference is that the entire political dynamic has been changed by the Tea Party movement.  The core values of the Tea Party Patriots—fiscal responsibility, the Constitution, limited government and free-market capitalism—are now defining the debate around virtually every issue in the nation.

What do you think is the ideal solution to this impasse right now?

The ideal solution is to cut spending so that we stop spending beyond our means. The ideal solution is what you would have to do if you were in the same situation personally that the country is in. The ideal solution is what each of us as citizens have to do when we get in financial trouble personally or what companies have to do, or what states have to do or what cities have to do. Frankly, the only entity in our nation that continues to defy reality is the federal government. It’s just time to pay the piper.

Is there any scenario where you think it would be OK to raise the debt ceiling?

No.

What do you think about the proposal that Speaker Boehner has put out?

It’s an embarrassment. He proposes $1.4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. Legally, no Congress can bind a future Congress. Anything he promises about what future Congresses will do, they simply can’t make that promise. In the real world, we call that a lie. If you promise something that you have no control over, that’s called a lie. In Congress, it’s called a promise. We don’t understand how the American people don’t get that. Number two, no Congress has ever been able, by wish or by promise, to bind future Congresses to spending cuts. When past Congresses cut spending under their own budgets, those spending cuts will never and have never materialized. It’s smoke and mirrors and the American people understand this.

The interview is continued here. 

Dialogue On the Economy and the Budget Between Rep. Paul Ryan and Archbishop Dolan

I just received this article in an email highlighting a worthwhile exchange between Paul Ryan and Archbishop Dolan on the budget  and the state of our economy.

Here is an article from Catholic Advocate by Deal Hudson and Matt Smith:

Since offering his recommendations to cut the federal budget, Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, has been accused by the Catholic Left of destroying Medicare and ending funding of programs to help those in poverty. That none of this is true was explained clearly by Quin Hillyer in “The Catholicity of Paul Ryan’s Budget” published at Catholic Advocate.

Speaker John Boehner, also a Catholic, was on the receiving end of a letter signed by over 70 Catholic academics claiming he, too, was abandoning the poor and destroying the “safety net” of programs mandated by Catholic social teaching. The total lack of regard by these same academics for the settled issues of abortion and marriage has been noted.

But, Congressman Ryan did something that most Catholic members of Congress before him have not done. He took seriously the public debate among Catholics and wrote a letter, dated April 26, to the president of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York.  His letter conveys his respect for the social Magisterium of the Catholic Church and how it can “contribute to the ongoing healthy dialogue about the nation’s budget and the economic foundations that make possible the exceptional generosity of Americans of every faith.”

Ryan’s letter puts his budget recommendations in the context of the world’s economy, underscoring the consequences of ignoring the economic downturn and the growing deficit. The nations of Europe, Ryan explains, by ignoring the problem too long, were forced to make “drastic cuts in benefits to the retired, the sick, the poor, and millions of public employees. Unsurprisingly, this austerity has generated widespread protests, riots, and violence. The social concerns of the Church cannot be addressed under these conditions.”

Ryan warns that the “U.S. has been traveling on a similar path for years,” and that if our nation continues to ignore the need for fiscal responsibility “the weakest will be hit three times over: by rising costs, by drastic cuts to programs they rely on, and by the collapse of individual support for charities that help the hungry, the homeless, the sick, refugees, and others in need.”

On May 18, Archbishop Dolan responded with a letter to Congressman Ryan that begins by stating his appreciation for Ryan’s “continued attention to the guidance of Catholic social justice in the current delicate budget considerations in Congress.” The Archbishop notes his agreement with religious leaders who claim “budgets are moral statements.”

But, where some religious leaders focus entirely on concern for the poor, Archbishop Dolan makes a broader statement:

“Thus I commend your letter’s attention to the important values of fiscal responsibility; sensitivity to the foundational role of the family; the primacy of the dignity of the human person and the protection of all human life; a concrete solicitude for the poor and the vulnerable, especially those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty; and putting into practice the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, here at home and internationally within the context of a commitment to the common good shared by government and other mediating institutions alike.”

Dolan’s inclusion of fiscal responsibility is clear recognition of Congressman Ryan’s basic point that without a sound economy the safety net of programs for the poor, both governmental and private, are put at risk. The Archbishop also points out the importance of human life, a point completely ignored by the Catholic academics who wrote Boehner, and which led all the bishops to urge Catholics in Congress not to pass the health care legislation, now the law of the land.

It’s also significant that Archbishop Dolan writes that Ryan, “rightly pointed out Pope John Paul’s comments on the limits of what he termed the ‘Social Assistance State.’” Dolan explains this by stressing the interrelation of subsidiarity to solidarity, quoting the Blessed John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus (48):

“… the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good. (Centesimus Annus, 48).”

Archbishop Dolan concludes by telling Congressman Ryan that he, along with Bishops Blaire and Hubbard, who wrote a public letter on budget issues, “would be pleased to make ourselves available.”  We at Catholic Advocate hope that Congressman Ryan accepts this invitation, because both the Church and our nation will be the beneficiary of a continued discussion of these foundational issues.

A copy of Chairman Ryan’s letter is available here.

A copy of Archbishop Dolan’s letter is available here.

Upon receipt of Archbishop Dolan’s letter, Chairman Ryan issued the following statement:

“I thank Archbishop Dolan for his leadership and guidance on how policymakers can best serve the common good of our nation.  The perilous fiscal and economic challenges facing our country require solutions that reflect our shared values and are rooted in timeless principles.  The House-passed budget – The Path to Prosperity – seeks to strengthen the economic security of seniors, workers, and families, and averts the debt-fueled economic crisis before us.  Our budget upholds the dignity of the human person and is especially attentive to the long-term concerns of the poor.  I hope Americans of every faith and political background will continue in constructive dialogue to address these great challenges in their economic and moral dimensions.  I am deeply grateful to Archbishop Dolan for his inspired engagement in this dialogue.”

Speaker John Boehner (R, OH-08) followed with this statement:

“I welcome Archbishop Dolan’s letter and am encouraged by the dialogue taking place between House Republicans and the Catholic Bishops regarding our budget, the Path to Prosperity. Our nation’s current fiscal path is a threat to human dignity in America, offering empty promises to the most vulnerable among us and condemning our children to a future limited by debt. We have a moral obligation as a nation to change course and adopt policies that reflect the truth about our nation’s fiscal condition and our obligation to future generations, and to offer hope for a better future. Our duty to serve others compels us to strive for nothing less. As Chairman Ryan notes in his letter to the Archbishop, Americans are blessed to have the teachings of the Church available to us as guidance as we confront our challenges together as a nation.”

The Rubber Backbone Award Goes To . . .

There are times when compromise is good and times when compromise is bad.  When compromising occurs one must not abandon principles, they must not push principles to the side like leftover scraps.
After coming home last night from spending a nice evening at the movies I was surprised to find out that the Republicans and Democrats had struck a budget deal. Did the GOP wave the white flag and surrender just like General Robert E. Lee did on this date in 1865?  It seems like we got a mixed-bag where some deals the GOP made were good, and some of the items the GOP caved on.

Well, let's see here... The budget is only $1.049 trillion for the remainder of 2011 fiscal year.  This is ONLY $39 billion less than last year. This country is so close to bankruptcy we are about to fall off of the cliff and this congress is so utterly incompetent and complacent that they think cutting a measley $39 billion is "historic" as Sen. Reid stated.  These cuts are just a drop in the bucket. Congress needs to reverse course on their fiscally insane spending policies and make the tough calls needed in order to save this country from going bankrupt.  Military spending may even be able to be reduced instead of increased from last year's budget.

These jelly fish lacking a spine Congressman caved on eliminating funding to both Planned Parenthood and NPR.  The GOP should have held firm on these two items.  We need to stop letting these radicals who are so in love with abortive infanticide make us play along in their deceitful word games and start calling things exactly what they are so from now on I will be referring to Planned Parenthood as Planned Killerhood.  If NPR really wants to be considered a successful business instead of a news group filled with Left-wing extremists who are reliant on government assistance and can't hack it in the real world then they should refuse to accept money from the taxpayers immediately.  There is absolutely no reason, when this country is on the brink of financial insolvemcy, that the taxpayers should be funding NPR.

The GOP dropped provisions that would have barred the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases and the FCC from implementing "net neutrality" rules.

This is simply inexcusable.  The GOP leadership are a bunch of cowards.  They should have demanded that these provisions be included.

Here comes the good news.  There will be no funds used for the transfer of prisoners from Gitmo to the U.S. mainland.  This forces the Senate to take up or down votes on separate bills to stop funding for the health care law.  The budget deal also bans public funds from being used for abortions in Washington D.C. This re-establishes the school voucher program for low-income families in the District of Columbia.  This creates a mandate for the audit of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which was created via the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law.  

Once again, it's worth repeating, the GOP leadership are a bunch of cowards!  They have failed to lead and stand on principle at a time when it is very important.  The GOP leadership is given the rubber backbone award.

A Plan to Inoculate the Contagious Infection Obamacare

David Catron from The American Spectator has an excellent plan on how to inoculate the contagious infection - Obamacare -  from spreading more than it has infected our lives already.  Did you know before there was RomneyCare in Mass. that there was DukakisCare? Thankfully the GOP halted that by defunding the DukakisCare "reform" debacle.  Hopefully we can do the same with Obamacare.  Rep. John Boehner made the most magnanimous pledge on repealing and replacing the health care law during his interview with Bret Baier saying, 'I'll make sure Obamacare is never implemented'. This is wonderful! He also hinted that he and the newly elected Republican majority in Congress has "a lot of tricks up our sleeves" to follow through on that promise.  You go Boehner!!  Inoculate Obamacare!!