The Myth of GOP ‘Fiscal Responsibility’ and Paul Ryan as ‘Fiscal Conservative’

Share article:

Guest blogged by Ernest A. Canning

No doubt during this election cycle, like every election cycle over the past forty years, we’ll hear from the GOP about “tax and spend” Democrats.

Even though it doesn’t detail how every Republican since Reagan has combined massive, unpaid-for tax cuts for the wealthy with runaway, unpaid-for military spending — creating a great excuse to destroy the New Deal safety net, in order to slash their runaway deficit-spending — this chart is, nonetheless rather revealing…

None of that, of course, has kept the bulk of the “Lamestream Media” from repeating the myth of Republicans as “fiscal conservatives,” a concept this site has spent many years attempting to debunk. Last night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow did exactly the same thing when it came to the claim that Mitt Romney’s newly chosen Veep pick, Paul Ryan, is a “fiscal conservative.”

To borrow from CNN’s Soledad O’Brien yesterday, “I understand that this is a Republican talking point because I’ve heard it repeated over and over again” — in this case by the Beltway Media — but “you can’t just repeat it and make it true.”

Maddow dispatches with the “Ryan as ‘fiscal conservative'” nonsense in the unforgiving video below, in which she notes:

If we really are going to be stuck with Paul Ryan as the face of Republicanism for a long time, and if the term “fiscal conservative” is supposed to mean anything, we should get clear there may be a lot of great stuff to say about this guy, but “fiscally conservative” is not one of the things you really can say about him. … If that counts as fiscal conservative for you, you don’t speak English

Share article:

--- COMMENTS follow below Ad Content ---

Reader Comments on

The Myth of GOP ‘Fiscal Responsibility’ and Paul Ryan as ‘Fiscal Conservative’

12 Comments

(Comments are now closed.)


12 Responses

  1. 2)
    Adam said on 8/15/2012 @ 9:25am PT: [Permalink]

    It is time to call out the Democrats with same vigor. Obviously the US government is primarily housed by corporate eunuchs.

    Adam8 (Unjustly banned by RawStory’s Dear Dear Roxanne Cooper for a mistake “*they* made and for having the audacity to defend myself)

  2. 3)
    karen said on 8/15/2012 @ 10:20am PT: [Permalink]

    Ryan plan should be characterized for what it is, slashing social safety net and general fed govt ventures like infrastructure, federal policing etc, it is NOT reducing deficit.

  3. 4)
    Ancient said on 8/15/2012 @ 10:37am PT: [Permalink]

    It has become soooooooooo apparent to everyone with a mind of their own these guys can’t win without CHEATING. If ryan is their intellectual shiny boy, they still have a looooooooooooooooong way to go to even get back on the same planet with the rest of us. Any hey Adam, any word on the justice dept’s investigation. It royally pisses me off that we’re sending kids overseas to die in the name of democracy, but sit back and let even one legal voter be disenfranchised by the big losers. It shows just how inept or worse how selective are justice department has become!

  4. 6)
    Lora said on 8/15/2012 @ 12:13pm PT: [Permalink]

    Oh, well, y’know, military spending doesn’t count. It’s our God-given mission to make the world safe from democracy. (Oops, that’s “for” democracy. Just a li’l typo, there.)

  5. Avatar photo
    7)
    Ernest A. Canning said on 8/15/2012 @ 1:15pm PT: [Permalink]

    Lora @6. I like to think of it as making the world safe for the Chevron & Exxon/Mobil bottom line.

  6. 8)
    Newman Tomes said on 8/15/2012 @ 3:23pm PT: [Permalink]

    Ancient, you pretty well described what is going on now. I heard a-yes a democrat- say that Bush’s appointments to the justice system will hurt (our) country for years to come. We see it day after day with what is going on in the voting system and the way the republicans are going after the AG. It is a shame that the media doesn’t have more investigation on what is going on. At least Brad is trying to get the word out.
    On the debate about news reporters holding someone to account. One rightwind critic was saying how much Mika talked over Joe on morning joe. Makes you wonder where the minds are being programed. Fox News

  7. 10)
    Smedleyb said on 8/28/2012 @ 8:25am PT: [Permalink]

    I have one question about the asterik at the bottom of the chart. Does that reasssignment of ’09 stimulus change the numbers that are shown?

  8. Avatar photo
    11)
    Ernest A. Canning said on 8/28/2012 @ 9:58am PT: [Permalink]

    Obviously, Smedleyb, the reassignment increased the numbers assigned to Obama and decreased the numbers assigned to GWB — and appropriately so since Bush had nothing to do with the stimulus.

(Comments are now closed.)


--- Ad Content ---

BB SIDEBAR NOTICE

Thanks to you, The BRAD BLOG has been trouble-making and muckraking for … 22 YEARS!!!

Please help The BRAD BLOG, BradCast and Green News Report remain independent and 100% reader and listener supported in our 23rd YEAR!!!

ONE TIME
any amount...

MONTHLY
any amount...

OR VIA SNAIL MAIL
Make check out to...
Brad Friedman / BRAD BLOG
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028

RECENT POSTS

‘Green News Report’ – July 21, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

Sunday ‘CSI: Trump’ Toons

THIS WEEK: Where There's Smoke ... ICE ... Blanche ... Iran ... In Memoriam ...

Energy, Interior Chiefs Beclown Selves for Trump, Fossil Fuel Industry as America Chokes, Drowns, Burns: ‘BradCast’ 7/16/2024

Corrupt stooges Wright and Bergum dutifully try to hoax U.S. about wind, solar, data centers; Relatedly: Hochul signs first-in-the-nation data center moratorium...

‘Green News Report’ – July 16, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

Former Correspondents Charge VOA Being Unlawfully Used for Propaganda Amid Iran War: ‘BradCast’ 7/15/2026

Guest: Steve Herman, former Voice of America White House Bureau Chief; Also: Trump Nat'l Intelligence nom won't say who won 2020; Musk referred for 'election bribery'; Trump endorses 'Pillow Guy' for MN Guv...

Trump Losing Everything Everywhere All At Once: ‘BradCast’ 7/14/2026

Court battles, policy fights, Iran War, more; 'This is very much a story about what a loser does'...

Court Finds ‘Bad Faith’ in Trump’s ‘Untenable’, ‘Collusive’ Lawsuit, ‘Settlement Agreement’ with IRS

Ruling negates $1.8 billion 'weaponization' fund; exposes illegality of effort to create immunity from IRS audits; refers Acting AG Blanche, Asst. AG Woodward, Plaintiffs' attorneys to Bar Associations for discipline...

‘Green News Report’ – July 14, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

Trump Fires All Commissioners on U.S. Elections Assistance Commission — Should We Worry?: ‘BradCast’ 7/13/2026

Guest: Election security expert Susan Greenhalgh; Also: Lindsey dead; Mitch alive (theoretically); U.S. restarts forever war in Iran, with Trump vowing to charge tolls on Strait of Hormuz...

Sunday ‘Everything F**ked Up’ Toons

THIS WEEK: Pacific Persians! ... Red Menace! ... Sex Pests! ...

LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71

UPDATES: Medical examiner cites 'aorta rupture' as cause of Graham's death; McConnell issues first statement, photo on his own recovery from fall, hospitalization, pneumonia, silence about condition...

Dead Ends: Iran, Platner, McConnell: ‘BradCast’ 7/9/2026

Guest: Prof. David Faris, Roosevelt University author, political scientist...

‘Green News Report’ – July 9, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

John Roberts and his Corrupt Republican SCOTUS Majority Winning the Long Game: ‘BradCast’ 7/8/2026

Guest: Former Dep. Asst. A.G. Lisa Graves on the Chief Justice's decades-long fights to undermine voting rights, expand Presidential power...

About Brad Friedman...

Brad is an independent investigative journalist, blogger and broadcaster.
Full Bio & Testimonials…
Media Appearance Archive…
Articles & Editorials Elsewhere…
Contact…

He is featured in these documentary films…
…And has contributed chapters to these books…

BRAD BLOG ON THE AIR!

THE BRADCAST on KPFK/Pacifica Radio Network (90.7FM Los Angeles, 98.7FM Santa Barbara, 93.7FM N. San Diego and nationally syndicated, Monday-Thursday, on many other affiliate stations! ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts/iTunes | iHeart | Amazon Music
GREEN NEWS REPORT, nationally syndicated, with new episodes on Tuesday and Thursday. ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts/iTunes | iHeart | Amazon Music
Media Appearance Archives…

--- Ad Content ---

ADDITIONAL STUFF

Brad Friedman/
The BRAD BLOG Named...

Buzz Flash's 'Wings of Justice' Honoree
Project Censored 2010 Award Recipient
The 2008 Weblog Awards