Why The GOP “Pledge” Is A Bust

Ezra Klein at WaPo put it best:

Their policy agenda is detailed and specific — a decision they will almost certainly come to regret. Because when you get past the adjectives and soaring language, the talk of inalienable rights and constitutional guarantees, you’re left with a set of hard promises that will increase the deficit by trillions of dollars, take health-care insurance away from tens of millions of people, create a level of policy uncertainty businesses have never previously known, and suck demand out of an economy that’s already got too little of it.

The Republicans complain about debt and then come up with proposals that increase it. They talk about “greater liberty” and then go on to confine that to “traditional marriage” (i.e. no gays).  Keeping the Bush tax cuts increases the deficit by $4 trillion over ten years, and repealing the health care law increases the deficit by $100 billion over ten years.  They want to minimize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which account for 9 out of 10 new loans.

There is theory with few specifics, and conflict between the desire to reduce the deficit and policies that would do the opposite. It’s a disaster.  I’ve written about it in my AOL column.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.