Sen. Jon Kyl (R, Az) Will Quit Deficit Commission If He Doesn’t Get His Way on Defense Spending

News That Will be Largely Unreported Because It Would Look Bad for Republicans

The Deficit Commission that was created as part of the deficit reduction/debt ceiling agreement is a 12 member group, six Democrats and six Republicans. Their charge is to work together to find a deficit reduction package. 

 Of course Republicans don’t like the idea of “working together”.  They believe so strongly in the fact that their way is absolutely correct, regardless of any other opinion, regardless of any other facts, regardless of any other information or data.  They beleive their ideas to be infallible and so compromise cannot be tolerated because in their minds it is betrayal.

So the idea that the Deficit Commission  will come up with anything other than massive budget cuts on social programs for the poor, the low income individuals, students, children the elderly and the sick is dreaming.  Senator Jon Kyl, at the very first meeting of the Commission made this clear when he said that he would leave the Commission if they included any cuts in defense spending.



Sen. Kyl Has a Temper Tantrum
Because He Might Not Get His Way



"I'm off of the committee, if we're going to talk about further defense spending," Sen. Kyl said at a luncheon organized by the conservative Foreign Policy Initiative, the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, referring to a conversation he had with panel members.



Unconfirmed reports were that Sen. Kyl also said he would hold his breath, not eat his vegetables, throw a temper tantrum and bawl and bang his fists on the floor if he did not get his way.  Sen. Kyl is leaving the Senate at the end of his term, no one so far has said they will miss him, and the report of his childish intransigence shows why.



Goodby Sen. Kyl, Don't Let it hit  you in the
butt on your way out.



This story was reported by the news (not the editorial) section of the Wall Street Journal.  So far it doesn’t seem to have been picked up by any other news organization.  The reason for that is obvious, reporting the story would be considered “liberal bias” and an “attack on Conservatives” and “anti-American” by Conservatives.  News organizations just don’t want that.

Imagine though the headlines, the outrage, the chest thumping and the angry screaming of outraged Conservatives if one of the Democrats on the Commission had made the same statement about a Democratic priority.  It would be headline news and right wing talk show fodder for days. 

The Founders placed the principle of a free press in the Constitution because they knew that an informed electorate was vital to democracy.  They never envisioned an intimidated press that self-censors itself for fear of attacks by Conservatives who themselves fear the reporting of facts.