CNN’s idea of incisive reporting is to count how many times a week Obama mentions his predecessor’s name in public. Last week’s count? Two.
The Republicans have so far refrained from offering any kind of positive agenda because they see no upside. As they see it, offering actual policies only provides a target for both Democrats and their own rabid base to attack. The Republican leaders keep promising to unveil something (the latest promise is for late September) but so far, they haven’t done anything beyond letting Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) act ridiculous.
The Republicans can’t actually provide an agenda that bears arithmetic scrutiny because they refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy and that means they’d have to abandon all talk of fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets or campaign on decimating people’s retirement security. They are a dishonest party, but they think they have all the momentum. Hopefully, that momentum is going to stall on the shoals of reality before November. The American people deserve an honest debate. But they won’t get one unless they see through the smoke and demand honest answers from the Republicans.
