Mike Pence Doesn’t Know What the Deficit Would Be if Mike Pence’s Budget Were Implemented
I’ve been saying this for a while now, but something people need to understand about the current state of American politics is that Rep Mike Pence (R-IN) is not a smart man. He lacks intelligence. He’s been able to rise into the House leadership and even somehow acquire a reputation as a policy thinker of the right larger because it’s extraordinarily rare for the media to ask a politician to answer a question about a policy issue. But when Pence is asked to do this—as Norah O’Donnell did below—he’s completely unable to deal with it.
Basically, Pence is very upset that Obama’s budget proposal would lead to high deficits. Pence is also the author of an alternative “budget” “plan.” O’Donnell, sensibly, asks him what the deficit would be under his plan. It’s not a tough question, it’s not a gotcha question, it’s not an ideological question. Indeed, if Pence knew the answer to the question, and if the answer made sense, it would actually count as an absurd softball. But Pence doesn’t know!
Now we’re told the Republicans will have more details next week. If so, it’ll be interesting to see if they submit the thing to the CBO for rigorous scoring.
44 Responses to “Mike Pence Doesn’t Know What the Deficit Would Be if Mike Pence’s Budget Were Implemented”
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March 26th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
This is not a party that wants to govern or has any serious intention of governing.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
“It’s not a tough question, it’s not a gotcha question”
But it is a question the OMB and the CBO can’t answer consistently with respect to Obama’s budget.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I think we should be careful of calling every Republican who opens his mouth stupid, or, OK, “not smart”.
I don’t claim to know anything at all about Pence, but judging from the interview, he is pretty clearly not being stupid, not even being ignorant. He’s being evasive! He knows his plan will explode the deficit and he does not want to say so.
Really, saying Republican politicians are evasive, untruthful, and just plain wrong is much better politics than saying they’re stupid. It also has the advantage of being far closer to the truth.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Rob Mac,
Pence isn’t some evil genius. He’s just a retard.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I didn’t watch the video, but does anyone think that whatever the figure is it will be higher than what’s going to happen with BHO’s plan? Should anyone expect him to have an exact answer right now?
P.S. I just posted an open letter to CAP (MattY’s employer) regarding one of his posts today. I sent the link to Jennifer Palmieri asking her to route it to the correct person and let me know whether CAP will be getting behind that pro-American plan.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Trying to avoid talking about parts of your own plan that undermine your credibility does not make you an evil genius. It just makes you a politician.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Quick! Somebody wake up JT so he can eat this shit sandwich and mumble something about budget numbers being teh gay. Then Al can chime in with “Blarg Journolist (Snarf!) liberals are intolerant aa-OOGA.”
March 26th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Rob Mac you can search the archives for Matt’s first hand account of Pence’s dumassedness.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Wow. I think Matt may have stirred up a nest of wingers by making fun of Michelle Bachman.
@5: Yes, when you propose an alternative budget, you should be expected to have a figure for the probable effect on the deficit. Especially if you’re trying to argue that your plan is fiscally more responsible than the alternative.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
“Should anyone expect him to have an exact answer right now?”
Um, yes. It doesn’t have to be the CBO’s estimate. But presumably his budget has, you know, numbers in it. Levels of spending and projected revenues. Even if they’re not realistic or accurate, they should be there, yes? For him to not be able to answer what the deficit of his budget is means it doesn’t actually contain anything at all.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
that Bachman turned them to overdrive.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
New GOP theme song:
“I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire
The ring of fire”
March 26th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
This is not too difficult to understand. Deep down, the Republican ideology has, for some time, not been grounded on any rigorous understanding of economics or in general the fact at any given time. Rather, it is a belief system, based on emotion and a 100,000 foot level understanding of socio-economic issues. It also just so happens plays into the hands of big business.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Of course, putting aside whether or not Mike Pence’s functional IQ is higher than than his life expectancy, the reason he doesn’t have a good answer is that a budget that
a) doesn’t make any significant cuts to entitlements or defense spending
and
b) massively cuts taxes
is going to produce a WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY HIGHER DEFICIT than Obama’s budget, even with any number of dishonest gimmicks.
However, whereas someone even moderately cognizant of the color of the sky may have simply hemmed and hawed for a while (see Cantor, Eric), Pence ludicrously name-drops the website and claims that his budget is awesome because it’s being attacked. What a doofus.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
These neanderthals are substituting overdue spending on human rights like health care and education with massive tax cuts for the rich. The precious deficit would be the same…
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/
March 26th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
@ You could say: you could say that . . .
March 26th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Shut the fuck up, Lonewacko.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
There are three kinds of people: Those who can do the numbers, and those who can’t.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
You know what the truly sad thing is? Mike Pence is arguably only my state’s second-most ridiculous congressional rep.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I think he was letting the cat out of the bag when he said, “this morning we didn’t have a plan…” It’s like the kid that bought his term paper and is questioned about what’s in it by the teacher.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
It is very pertinent to any budget argument in that the party that controls the White House has a staff advantage when it comes to assembling spending proposals.
I applaud the Republican’s attempt to offer a alternative, but they just do not have the horsepower to produce anything that would have my confidence.
so STFU!
March 26th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
So they had a crew of congresscritters and a bunch of GOP working groups writing this thing, and they only managed to come up with 19 pages? I mean, wouldn’t CATO or AEI have some quick and ready numbers that could pad it out to at least 50 pages?
March 26th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
“It is very pertinent to any budget argument in that the party that controls the White House has a staff advantage when it comes to assembling spending proposals.”
As it turns out, Republicans in Congress actually refused to reduce the number of their staffers despite the losses in 2008, and threatened to filibuster some bill a couple months ago because of it (Congress pays for them). So they have all the staff of the Republicans who lost (8 Senators, 30+ Reps) still on payroll, doing…who knows what. Apparently not assembling spending proposals.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL:
March 26th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
There are PLENTY of numbers in the Republican recovery plan.
PLENTY.
Uh…could you give me a number?
No.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Wow, that was impressive. This is the sort of thing that ought to make the opposition in a small state embarrassed. Can’t they just make up some numbers, even if it is just by talking to some lobbyists and making crazy assumptions about growth and health care costs to make their plan look good? God, I could do a better job than this with almost no staff.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I agree with the earlier comments that I don’t think its a good move to call Pence “not smart” or dumb. I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence – its just not becoming.
I would prefer buffoon — because largely, these republicans that could be coming up with something that actually is conservative and budget restraining are instead making themselves out to be clowns through these silly antics.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
“We don’t need yer damn book larnin’ and yer fancy ‘facks’ to tell us our plan is better ‘an ‘at Muslim Indonesian guy’s!”
March 27th, 2009 at 12:32 am
I’m delighted that the party of no ideas whipped up a 19 page equivalent of an all-nighter term paper. They’re getting a much deserved D- for their vapid and slipshod work, and I bet tomorrow they’ll be all mad because they didn’t get the grade inflation they think “those people” get.
Geithner took it on the chin from Republicans for announcing a plan that was just an outline a few weeks ago. Shoe’s on the other foot, how’s it fittin’?
March 27th, 2009 at 2:05 am
It seems that all he knows is that someone told him 5 seconds ago to say the phrase “The Republican road to recovery” as many times as possible.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:01 am
The Republi-tards wouldn have been better off sticking with just saying no. There’s a reason they didn’t put any numbers to their plan; they can only wildly exaggerate growth or propose killing social security, medicare and cutting defense. Pence committed himself to a lose/lose donnybrooke and yes, he is a buffoon who’s i.q. is highly suspect.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I take offense at the slurs being cast upon all-night last-minute term papers.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:48 am
All indications are that Mike Pence is indeed a goddamn idiot. I am slightly disturbed that my university gave him a law degree and that anyone gave him a decision-making role in government.
http://tinyurl.com/cp4s63
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence
March 27th, 2009 at 7:48 am
But presumably his budget has, you know, numbers in it.
You presume wrongly.
It has a windmill, though.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Look, Matt has met Pence. He’s talked to him. He came away with the conclusion that the guy is dumb. I know that’s a harsh word, but we’re not having a tea party here — or a strategy session — we’re trying to ascertain the truth. So I appreciate his willingness to use a four-letter Anglo-Saxon word when the case requires it.
I have to say that the evidence of Pence’s manoeuvres yesterday strongly supports the assertion. If he was indeed — as reported — the guy who rushed this half-baked non-plan into the media spotlight, then I would conclude the guy is
one cracker shy of a barrel
not focused like a laser beam
the opposite of sharp
markedly imperceptive
aka
dumb.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:48 am
While I agree that it is overused, and should not generally be used as an insult, in this case it is accurate and acceptable. He is not a man of average intelligence or above. He is in a position of power, therefore people should know of his shortcomings.
It isn’t like the case of George Bush. He was inaccurately referred to as stupid because of his disdain for expertise. Pence really does not have the capacity to understand things that a man of his position should.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Rob Mac — This is really pretty simple:
1. Not every Republican is dumb.
2. Mike Pence, however, is as dumb as a bag of hammers, and demonstrates this to be the case every time he steps in front of a camera and opens his mouth.
3. The House Republicans have elected Mike Pence to a leadership position, despite having met him.
4. Therefore, even though not all Republicans are dumb, the fact that they have selected Mike Pence to lead them indicates that they are not particularly invested in being led by people who are not dumb.
5. Therefore, we should point out instances of dumb Republicans saying dumb things about important issues they don’t understand until they select better leaders and start keeping their dumb members away from cameras.
(Rinse and repeat argument with George W. Bush, Michael Steele, Sarah Palin, etc., etc.)
March 27th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Great interview! Indiana is poorly served by Mike Pence.
March 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
one cracker shy of a barrel
not focused like a laser beam
the opposite of sharp
markedly imperceptive
I always liked, “peeling an empty banana.” (A Steve Martin line.)
March 27th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Mike Pence had the EXACT same expression on his face and evasive grovel in his voice that my old boss at a restaurant had when i showed up with a co-worker to ask why our checks were bouncing and why he couldn’t just simply walk with us to the bank and take out the money from an ATM and hand it to us.
‘Well… I …. It’s not…. You don’t under—’
Pathetic.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Uh! They did have a few numbers plus the windmill. They wanted to make the marginal tax rate for people earning under $100,000 10% or 15%. And they wanted to reduce the marginal rate for over $100,000 from 35% to 25%. Wow! a whopping 10% decrease for the rich. Typical Repricklican mantra. Sock the poor, give tax breaks to the rich. Hell, Their hero GWB only wanted to reduce the top marginal rate to 33%. The reason, as stated in many of these posts, is they don’t have a clue as to what to propose, so propose the same old thing.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
I can tell that this is not the first time you write about the topic. Why have you decided to touch it again?
April 10th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
FANTASTIC!