Hastings blasts budget deal, says fellow Democrats Obama and Reid should be ‘ashamed’
by George Bennett | April 11th, 2011
Hastings
“Obama and Harry Reid ought to be ashamed of themselves and John Boehner ought to be doubly ashamed,” Hastings said today of the agreement to cut about $39 billion over the next six months. Details are still being worked out, but Hastings said it’s already apparent that “you’re getting ready to hurt poor people. I can tell you that without knowing where the cuts are coming from.”
Hastings in early March criticized Obama for being “slow out of the box” in budget talks. He reiterated that criticism today.
“I thought Obama should have been in much earlier. Quite frankly I think Obama is (concerned) about his 2012 election and couldn’t care less,” Hastings said.
Hastings was in the minority of a 348-to-70 vote at 12:40 a.m. Saturday to fund the government for a few more days until the Obama-Reid-Boehner deal could be put into legislative language and brought to a vote this week. The “no” votes were an odd ideological mix that included conservative Rep. Connie Mack, R-Cape Coral, and tea party-backed Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., as well as liberal Reps. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.
Other members of Palm Beach County’s congressional delegation — Reps. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, and Allen West, R-Plantation — voted for the stopgap measure.
West is leaning against the final budget deal, his office said today. Deutch is awaiting final details, a spokeswoman said. Rooney expects to vote for it, his spokesman said.
In Saturday’s wee-hours vote, the government would have shut down if Hastings’ side had prevailed. If that had happened, Hastings said, negotiators would have been forced back to the table and “by Monday (today) we would be voting on a measure that wouldn’t hurt poor people.”
Hastings said he was also displeased that the deal, while sparing federal money for Planned Parenthood, restricts abortion funding by the District of Columbia government.
Hastings, who recently came out against President Obama’s approval of air strikes in Libya, says he’d like to see more defense cuts in the budget deal and an end to the Bush tax cuts for upper-income earners.
Tags: Harry Reid, John Boehner
April 11th, 2011 at 11:35 am
Several Observations:
1. Why does the article begin with and emphasize one of the 70 against, rather than the 348 for? Why not Deutsch, Rooney, or West?
2. Oh well: At least Hastings had more people on his “side” than he did when, in 1989, the House impeached, by a 413 – 3 vote, and the Senate convicted by a 69 – 26 vote, him for accepting a $150k bribe when he was a federal judge.
April 11th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Hastings voted for ObamaCare which will penalized those selling their homes.
An ObamaCare tax will be levied on those selling their homes to help to for Medicare. So, if you’re buying up or downsizing, you will pay big TAXES.
And Hastings and all politicians are EXEMPTED from ObamaCare!
April 12th, 2011 at 8:53 am
Alcee,
You are just a corrupt, greedy, ignorant nigga. There is nothing in this agreement to line your pockets. Even your own people see right through you.
April 12th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
I don’t have any character assasination to add, but I share Hastings’ disbelief that our prez and the leader of the senate and of the house think only poor people and students should bear the pain of keeping the gov’t open. That none of them thinks that this is unfair is very bothersome to me. In the near future negotiations, somebody should be in the room who realizes that everybody should share the pain.
April 13th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Hastings should be in prison, not congress, although both institions are filled with criminals.