Why Can't the NYT Drop the Deficit Morality Tales?

May 02, 2011

What is wrong with news outlets who can’t report on the deficit/debt without giving us silly morality tales? The NYT tells us this morning that:

“Republicans see the vote over raising the debt limit as leverage for immediate and concrete progress in their efforts to cut spending and reduce the size and reach of the government.”

Really? How does the NYT know how the Republicans “see” the vote over raising the debt limit. It would be equally valid to say that:

“Republicans see the vote over raising the debt limit as leverage for cutting spending on broad-based social programs like Social Security and provide more tax cuts to the wealthy as part of their efforts to redistribute income upward.”

Is there any evidence that upward redistribution on income is the Republicans’ goal? That certainly is the impact of their policies (actually of many of the Democrats’ policies also) so a newspaper could with considerable validity make this assertion.

Serious newspapers don’t pretend to know what politicians’ motives are. They just tell their audience what they do and say.

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