Eastwood disappointed by lack of bipartisanship
The actor and director says Simpson-Bowles may have been our last chance for political cooperation.
The actor, director and Man With No Name went on CNBC on Friday to lament the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Congress and to give some credit to former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles for at least trying back in 2010. He worried aloud that the intractable disputes between both sides of the aisle will lead to political complacency that will only further complicate national politics.
"It's almost like they don't give a damn," Eastwood said. "If they don't give a damn, why do they expect anybody else to?"
It's been an unusually active political cycle for Eastwood, whose appearance in Chrysler's "Halftime in America" Super Bowl ad last year in the middle of primary season made onlookers speculate which side he would take in the 2012 presidential election. He supported John McCain in 2008, but his dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama's economic policies led him to the Republican National Convention and his conversation with a piece of furniture standing in for the president.
With Obama re-elected and the nation's economy facing more cliffs than Wile E. Coyote, Eastwood longed for 2010 and the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, best known as Simpson-Bowles. The plan would have cut the federal deficit by $4 trillion, reduced debt by 60% by 2023 and eliminated the deficit altogether by 2035.
Despite support for the measure from Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and McCain, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman sniffed at it as "unserious." The measure's tax tinkering was criticized and its spending cuts, especially those applied to Social Security, were savaged by detractors.
"They were just dismissed, and that was the end of it," Eastwood told CNBC.
The plan died in committee, with votes against it from such notables as failed Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and Democratic Senate fixture Max Baucus. Amid recent drama, including the fiscal cliff, the "sequester" of spending cuts and the debt ceiling debate, Simpson-Bowles is getting a fresh look. Eastwood suggests it should be a long one, as Simpson and Bowles may be our last example of bipartisanship for a while. Why focus on them?
"They're probably smarter than most."
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"If they don't give a damn, why do they expect anybody else to?"
Eastwood hits the nail on the head here. Every day people are feeling more disappointed with the lack of seriousness on money matters that the government displays. Then they get to feeling like why fight it? I'm a lost breed. Responsible is out of style. Charge up the cards and join the deadbeats. It needs to change from the top down...... and soon.
Things with change when people vote for financially responsible politicians, rather than those who promiss them the most freebees. Eventually you run out of money and we will end uplike Greece, etc.
Unfortunately Washington doesn’t get it either, most of Washington is run by political dynasties exacerbated by both political parties buying votes and taking care of family dynasties, and family businesses, and party agendas rather than providing the leadership and stewardship needed to ensure the survival and growth of our nation.
I could care less if anyone takes part in this BS called bipartisanship, I do care thatmy rights are under attack, freedom to travel,freedom of speech,freedom to disagree, freedom to spepnd my money I make on whatever I want and of course my freedom to have a firearm and use self defense instead of being a victim......so I'd like DC to solve the debt crisis they created,end these stupid wars,bring our troops home and drop some bombs instead of vegan meals and while your at it stop making every damn thing so expensive.
The poor should not have birth control,a house, a car,cell phone ,internet or food that they didn't work and pay for.
And as for you fair share people,stop hiding behind tax free programs and pay your own taxes!
Bring on the revolution, the bloodier it is, the longer before it will be needed again!
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants": Thomas Jefferson
Everyone should read Dr. Joseph Stigletz's book, The Price of Inequality. He outlines how government should work for us all and how money and those at the very top (.01%) have gerrymandered the law and the rules to have governement and economics working against all of us. When only a very, very few (around 400 or so out of a population of 300 million) prosper and the rest of us suffer that is a recipe for disaster.
That disaster is currently brewing. Politicians and talking heads have us turning against each other. Eventually the only way out will be another civil war. Should that happen the US will cease to exist as China, India and the rest of the world move in to divide up the spoils of what was once a great nation. Unless we begin to forcefully hold those in public office accountable to us, the people and to the actual constitution (not the one cherry picked by folks like Rush Limbaugh) we will end this great experiment known as democracy.
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[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 ended this week with a bang, roaring to a new all-time high on the back of stronger-than-expected economic data, influential leadership, and an ongoing appreciation for the Fed's monetary policy support.
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