What is the supercommittee waiting for?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The so-called Congressional super committee has a gigantic task ahead: they need to cut $1.5 trillion from the federal deficit in the next decade.
Which means these 12 lawmakers will have to address the politically sensitive issues of entitlement programs and tax increases – all coming up on an election year.
So far, the super committee has done... wait for it... nothing. In fact nobody even knows where they are.
Politico reports these dedicated public servants are enjoying the August Congressional recess along with the rest of Congress and don't plan to even convene until after Labor Day.
Even though their deadline to come up with these cuts is Thanksgiving.
Several of the members tell Politico they're ready to get to work sooner … but don't hold your breath.
One aide says that one of the co-chairs has been reaching out to every member of the committee - but so far those conversations are more introductory than substantive. And no work on cutting the deficit or raising taxes has been done. Nothing.
Critics are putting a lot of pressure on this committee to make sure its meetings are open to the public and transparent.
One committee member says he's "confident we will have public hearings." Really…the same kind we had with the health care reform bill? All done behind closed doors and rushed onto the floor for a vote before anyone had even read it? The law doesn't require the meetings to be open to the public and earlier this year other debt ceiling negotiations were held behind closed doors.
It's your money, but your government would rather you not know what's being done with it.
Here’s my question to you: What is the supercommittee waiting for?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
U.S. allergic to brains in presidential politics?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
In an election where the Republican candidate actually stands a chance against a weakened incumbent president, so far, a couple of intellectual lightweights are stealing the show.
Since Michele Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll and Rick Perry entered the race, these two have been sucking up most of the media's attention for saying stupid things: Like Bachmann's claim that as president she would bring gasoline down to $2 a gallon, or Perry's highly inappropriate shot at Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke - saying his actions could be "treasonous."
Meanwhile, some Republicans, including Karl Rove, suggest that the former half-term dropout governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, will join the race as well. Swell.
Palin's people are pushing back against the speculation, saying that anyone who claims to know about her plans is misleading the American people. But Palin has certainly been acting like a candidate, what with that visit to Iowa during the straw poll and an Iowa-themed political video ahead of her Labor Day speech in Iowa.
If Palin runs, we'll have another Mensa candidate to join Bachmann and Perry. There's no doubt these three would consume the lion's share of the media coverage.
At the other end of the intellectual spectrum, there's Ron Paul, who placed a close second in the Iowa straw poll. He continues to talk sense - whether or not enough people are listening. And there's Newt Gingrich - love him or hate him, he's a very smart guy.
There's also Jon Huntsman, who says candidates like Bachmann and Perry are too far to the right and have "zero substance."
He may be right, but I venture to say none of those three has a prayer against Curly, Moe and Larry.
And that's a sad commentary on the state of our politics.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to presidential politics, why does America seem allergic to brains?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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