McCain: I Respect Palin, Am Saddened By Attacks On Her
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he respects Sarah Palin and her decision to resign as Governor of Alaska. “I think she will continue to play a major role in the future of the Republican Party. And I have to respect the decision she made,” said McCain, who also added that he is “saddened by the fact that there are still such vicious attacks on her and her family.”
McCain: Stimulus Has Had Effect, But Still “Generational Theft”
Also during his State of the Union appearance, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) conceded that the stimulus program has had some positive effect, though he still does not think it is worth the high price-tag in national debt. “I think it’s very clear that the stimulus has had some effect,” said McCain. “But, what I worry more than anything about is the long-term effects, because we are committing generational theft.”
DeMint: Americans Should “Take To The Street In August” Against Health Bill
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Jim DeMint said that during the August recess: “Americans take to the street in August, and go to their congressmen’s office. They’re going to go to town halls, and I think they’re going to let congressmen and senators know that they need to keep their hands off their health care.”
Rangel: DeMint Being “Negative”
Also on Fox News Sunday, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) scolded Jim DeMint for being negative, and not working constructively with Democrats. “I’m really surprised at Jim being so negative with a problem that all Americans recognize face this nation,” said Rangel. “There’s not any American, any adult American at least, that doesn’t have a horror story of what has happened to them under this terrible system.”
Geithner Doesn’t Rule Out Middle-Class Tax Hikes
Appearing on This Week, Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner did not rule out a middle-class tax increase, saying that “hard choices” would have to be made to bring the deficit down: “We will not get this economy back on track, recovery will be not strong and sustained, unless we convince the American people that we are going to have the will to bring these deficits down once recovery is firmly established.”
Greenspan: Collapse Is “Now Off The Table”
Also on This Week, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan agreed that the worst of the economic crisis is now over. “Collapse, I think, is now off the table,” said Greenspan, later adding: “Well, I’m pretty sure we’ve already seen the bottom. In fact, if you look at the weekly production figures for various different industries, it’s clear that we’ve turned, perhaps in the middle of last month, the middle of July.”
Summers: Economic Progress A “Tribute” To Administration Policies
Appearing on Face The Nation, National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers argued that the stimulus is working, compared to where things were before. “We used to be — six months ago, when the president took office, we were talking about whether recession would become depression,” said Summers. “Today, we are talking about when recession is going to end. That is a tribute to the strength of the policies that have been put in place and the expectation that they are going to have growing impact.
Summers: White House Could Potentially Extend Unemployment Benefits
Appearing on Meet The Press, National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers said that there could potentially be further extensions of unemployment benefits. “We’ll work with Congress to make sure that unemployment insurance continues to perform its basic function of protecting the unemployed,” said Summers. “That was an important element in the recovery and reinvestment program. It’s helped people who’ve become unemployed; it also helped the economy by maintaining spending. And we’ll do what’s necessary to make appropriate, appropriate unemployment benefits available.”
