Tom Delay Declares All Fat Gone From Federal Budget

[Lemur]

I saw this item and was curious what the Org would have to say about it. Tom Delay told the Washinton Times a most curious thing:

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.

Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans' choice to borrow money and add to this year's expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn't seem possible.

"My answer to those that want to offset the spending is sure, bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been able to come up with any yet," the Texas Republican told reporters at his weekly briefing.

Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good."

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

What a complete ass.

[Xiahou]

This has to have been a calculated effort to spur more talk on spending. Any idiot knows the government is still full of pork and he'd have to know that people are well aware of that. People may think he's lots of things, but I don't think a drooling moron is one of them.

[Proletariat]

Gotta go with, 'What a complete ass' on this one as well.

[Lemur]

I like how Andrew Sullivan summed this one up:

This is what conservatism has now come to mean: the worst aspects of big government liberalism with the worst aspects of meddling in the moral decisions of people's private lives. And the people who have done this seem oblivious to it. I will remind you, Tom DeLay equated a balanced budget with fiscal sanity in the Clinton years. But now it's his budget, and his constituents and interest groups who get to feed at the trough, and the sky is the limit. A reminder to fiscal conservatives: today's GOP isn't just not what it used to be; it's your main enemy now. Conservatism has been hijacked by puritans and spendthrifts. Their unifying philosophy is meddling in other people's lives and spending other people's money.

[Zharakov]

Can Russia have some money?

We'd pay you back... ...

[Crazed Rabbit]

Bah, we already give $2B a year to Israel and $1B a year to Egypt. We just gave $50m to the Palestinian Terrorist...er...'Liberation' Orginization. That could be cut, along with a heck of a lot of stuff. (Congress' staffs and budgets, cut a whole bunch of department budgets, etc.)

What a stupid thing to say. Is it a calculated ploy? Perhaps, and then I may rejudge my evaluation. But not until then.

Crazed Rabbit

[Red Harvest]

Their unifying philosophy is meddling in other people's lives and spending other people's money.

Pretty much hits the nail on the head.

[Azi Tohak]

I smell... wait... what is that smell? It comes from a Bull... and is made of twinkies...

Yup! There it is! Found it!

Too bad I stepped in it

Their unifying philosophy is meddling in other people's lives and spending other people's money.

Isn't this sad? It is perfectly applicable to the GOP as well as Democrats now.

Azi

[Red Harvest]

Isn't this sad? It is perfectly applicable to the GOP as well as Democrats now.

Huh? The dems have the rep of NOT meddling in private issues. So I don't see how the "lives" part of the quoted statement would apply to them.

It is no real surprise. The last couple of elections have been decided on "binge politics." Promise free money, get elected. It's a reversal of the responsible approach that had life breathed into it by Perot's focus on the deficit. Now, life's just a big party as long as we never have to clean up. The GOP has control of the govt. now, and with weak opposition there is nothing to force them to restrain themselves. Whether it is Dems or GOP in control it is best if there is healthy opposition.

[drone]

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.

I think he was misquoted, what he really said was:

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending in Democratic regions and districts that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget without endangering Republican seats in the next election.

We are talking about a Congressman, after all.