How Republicans Confront Facts

Wednesday was a test study in how Republicans handle truth when it hits them square in the face.

At a meeting called by President Obama at the White House to make leeway on raising the debt ceiling so America can still function as a nation, Republicans in attendance rolled their eyes and laughed off an attempt by the president to bring the discussion to some sort of grounding in reality.

GOP members engaged in a lot of “eye-rolling,” according to a member who was on hand to hear Obama, who invited House Republicans to the White House for discussions on the debt ceiling. The White House and Republicans are trying to reach a deal on spending cuts that could allow the $14.3 debt ceiling to be raised.

“[The President] made a comment like the tax rate is the lightest, even more than (under former President) Reagan,” Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) told The Hill following the meeting.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) joked that during the meeting, “We learned we had the lowest tax rates in history … lower than Reagan!”

In the Republican Fantasy World things were never better when Reagan was president. He cut spending, shrunk government, raised revenues and the nation even had the lowest taxes ever.  This is really how they perceive Reagan's legacy.  Though in reality, nothing of the sort ever happened.  But we aren't talking about real Reagan here. We are talking about the Fantasy World version.

For those of us who don't live in dreamworld, today's tax rate is much lower than it was during the 80s.  In fact, it's the lowest it's been since Eisenhower.  And what we really need to do is what the real Reagan did, raise taxes!  That's right, in reality, Ronald Reagan raised taxes many, many times.  He had to.  Revenues were dropping, unemployment was rising and the economy was in a big slump.  Plus Reagan wanted to expand government so he knew he had to raise taxes to pay for his huge military buildup and Social Security expansion.  He still didn't raise enough revenue, however. He tripled the national debt in 8 years. Yes the same debt that now accounts for 1/3 of the national debt the Republicans want us to default on.

When you confront Republicans with this stuff they roll their eyes and tell little jokes to their buddies.  They snicker at the thought Reagan grew government, raised taxes and tripled the national debt. They can't fathom a world where any such thing happened under Republican rule.  I wonder what they would do you if approach them with the fact that Reagan armed, funded, and supplied intelligence to Osama bin Laden?  Have you arrested and/or deported probably.