Obama Aides Weigh Bid to Tie the GOP to the Tea Party (617 hits)
By JACKIE CALMES and MICHAEL D. SHEAR
The advisers are considering a range of ideas, including national ads, to cast the Republican Party as all but taken over by extremists, people involved in the discussion said. White House and Congressional Democratic strategists are trying to energize dispirited Democratic voters over the coming six weeks, in hopes of limiting the party’s losses and keeping control of the House and Senate.
Obama: Tea Party "Misidentifying" Deficit Culprits President Obama said today that members of the Tea Party movement are "misidentifying... who the culprits are" in blaming Democrats for the nation's deficits and debt. The president did offer some words of encouragement for the largely conservative movement, saying it fits in America's "noble tradition of being healthily skeptical about government...[and] saying that government should pay its way."
But he stressed that the administration of George W. Bush that left him with massive deficits in part by spending on two wars without paying for them while at the same time lowering taxes.
"The challenge, I think, for the Tea Party movement is to identify specifically, what would you do?" Mr. Obama said. "It's not enough just to say, 'Get control of spending.' I think it's important for you to say, 'You know, I'm willing to cut veterans' benefits,' or, 'I'm willing to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits,' or, 'I'm willing to see these taxes go up.'"
