Inside the Beltway: A cautionary tale

“Is Obama the liberal Reagan?” asks a National Review online poll.

And the answer: 79 percent of the 8,800-plus respondents said “no.”

‘Do your jobs’

Here comes the big push. FreedomWorks is “activating” its membership of more than 2 million fiscal conservatives to contact their lawmakers and demand a “no” vote “on the debt ceiling legislation proposed by Republican House leadership that would raise the debt ceiling, minus the long-term budget solutions.

“Once again, Republican leadership is negotiating with itself to temporarily bail the big spenders out by lifting the U.S. debt limit for four months, with no immediate accompanying budget reforms or spending reductions,” says Dean Clancy, the group’s legislative counsel.

“It’s been almost four years since the Senate fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to pass a budget. Our government is almost $16.5 trillion in debt. That exceeds the entire annual output of the U.S. economy and equals more than $52,000 for every citizen,” he warns.

“If that’s not scary enough, those numbers don’t include the more than $100 trillion in unfunded entitlement promises. If this pattern continues, the major credit agencies have threatened once again to downgrade our nation’s credit. This will make paying down the debt even more difficult. And amid all of this, House leadership wants to raise the debt ceiling clean? Get serious, guys. Do your jobs.”

Target practice

“When cats are outlawed, only crazy old lady outlaws will have cats. Dozens of them.”

— National Rifle Association radio host Cam Edwards, reacting to news that New Zealand environmental activist Gareth Morgan proposes a ban on cats because they kill native birds.

Poll du jour

• 63 percent of Americans favor President Obama’s “Dream Act” which would shield illegal immigrants brought here as children from deportation under certain conditions.

• 48 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents agree.

• 62 percent of Americans overall favor providing a legal way for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to become citizens.

• 53 percent of Republicans, 72 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents agree.

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