“Gang of Six” Gangs Up on Older People Again. Media Cheer.

Honorary Catfood Commissioner, Mark Warner, is at it again. He’s all over the fawning media trying to talk Americans into turning against their own interests, while he feeds the Peter Peterson crowd. Richard Eskow laments that a different bipartisan commission threw the book at Wall Street, and yet all the media does is suck up to the so-called Gang of Six–and, of course, Paul Ryan, the ignorant fool pedaled to Americans as “serious” about the budget, except he isn’t.  Paul Ryan’s proposal does nothing to solve the deficit, but more about that in a moment.  It’s pitiful, really.  Between the Gang and Ryan its all egoism, all the time. Ayn Rand would be so proud.  (See lowkell’s article also on the front page here at BV.)

Yet as Eskow notes, the self-seeking Gang gets an appalling 25 times more media coverage than a serious, committee, not hell-bent on ramming a radical right-wing Republican agenda down our throats. Don’t we have the so-called Tea Party for that?

The Gang of Six (Senators Mark Warner, Saxby Chambliss, Mike Crappo, Tom Coburn, Kent Conrad, and (gasp) Dick Durbin) and the media who love them are at it again. Here is what they are up to courtesy of Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly blog.    

When it comes to “budgets,” this week you would think their ideas are the only game in town, besides the twerp Paul Ryan who never met a millionaire he wouldn’t throw OUR money at. He collects it from us, then hands it over to companies not evening paying any taxes.  Not only do these companies pay no taxes, but they take what we pay and pocket it.

Meanwhile, there ARE other budgets.  There is the President’s.  There is the Progressive Caucus Budget (aka “The People’s Budget”). And then there is what we the people really want (via what we all tell pollsters), which is actually quite progressive. Loyal Americans, they are willing to and DO pay their fair share.  They expect the wealthy to do so as well. But Warner admits what he is really about.  Yesterday he claimed they (the Gang) are not going to raise taxes. Just what does he call the theft of Social Security benefits so that the rich can get richer? It is a tax for the non-rich, the 99%. Why won’t the Tea Party, Republicans, and the infernal Gang of Six get it. The answer is as close as a look at just who sponsors some of the Gang’s appearances.  You guessed it the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity via a spin-off group.  

It’s bad enough that Alan Simpson bashes older Americans (even while he is a rich older American). It’s bad enough that the entire Republican Party has gone all out to destroy the lives of older Americans and anyone now 55 years of age or younger (that would be everyone except themselves and their rich sponsors).  Now we have more action from the Gang which relishes in angering everyone, especially, it seems older average Americans.  Warner boasted about as much on Face the Nation this week.  

Here’s what Eskow thinks of the Warner group:

Last week also saw yet more coverage of the relentlessly publicity-grubbing “Gang of Six.” It’s hard to imagine a more stale story. The Gang’s just the latest in a series of right-leaning groups that throw a few persuadable Democrats in with Republicans, label them ‘bipartisan’ or even ‘centrist,’ then start issuing calls for a conservative agenda that cuts entitlements and keeps taxes low for the wealthy. We’ve seen that story a thousand times, both in general and specifically about these six Senators. What’s more, the Democratic Gang members have been bypassed by the President and Harry Reid, so a few more interviews with this over-exposed crowd aren’t exactly “man bites dog” stuff.

Maybe Mark Warner could take an honest look at what has been going on for the past 30 years, especially the last ten. And then decide whose side he is really on. I am not optimistic that he would make the right decision, but he will make the “right” one.  It is our job to make sure the rest of the Dems do not support him.