General Discussion

Skip Intro

(19,768 posts) Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:18 PM Aug 2012

Clinton Admin's Erskine Bowles Praises Paul Ryan, Budget Plan

Don't shoot the messenger or "concern troll" me, but we might be seeing a first salvo from the Romney camp on Ryan - maybe a tease of a new commercial. At any rate, a Yahoo story it is:

-----------------

A video of former Clinton White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles began circulating in conservative news outlets today. In the clip, the Democratic co-chair of President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform gives high praises to Paul Ryan's budget plan.

"I'm telling you, this guy is amazing. I always thought I was OK with arithmetic. This guy can run circles around me," Bowles tells a class of students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"He is honest, he is straightforward, he is sincere. And the budget he came forward with is just like Paul Ryan. It is a sensible, straightforward, honest, serious budget and it cut the budget deficit just like we did by four trillion dollars."

The video was shot on September 8, 2011, but was just uploaded to YouTube yesterday. What's striking is that not only does Bowles, a former U.S. Senate candidate from North Carolina, praise Ryan's effort, but he is also highly critical of the budget offered by President Obama. More from the video:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/erskine-bowles-praises-paul-ryan-budget-plan-video-003642883.html

15 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Clinton Admin's Erskine Bowles Praises Paul Ryan, Budget Plan (Original Post) Skip Intro Aug 2012 OP

Is Bowles the new Zell Miller? nt Deep13 Aug 2012 #1

I've never, ever been sold on Bowles....this is no surprise to me, sadly. n/t NRaleighLiberal Aug 2012 #2

The "Oh! Isn't Ryan so smart.." stuff is makng me sick. Ranec Aug 2012 #3

This will slowly build to a crescendo in the streets...we are in deep shit BeyondGeography Aug 2012 #4

Exactly. Lex Aug 2012 #8

I never understood what Bill Clinton saw in this guy. Zen Democrat Aug 2012 #5

The blue dog barks Tom Ripley Aug 2012 #6

Bowles felt rejected by Obama when he passed up the committee's deadlocked recommendations berni_mccoy Aug 2012 #7

Ezra Klein says he's going to replace Geithner. sabrina 1 Aug 2012 #11

The answer is simple,he is out, the Bowles Simpson bullsit was rejected by the WH still_one Aug 2012 #9

Maybe not. Ezra Klein says he will be the new Treasury Secretary. sabrina 1 Aug 2012 #12

We will see, I hope not, especially after what this clown did. /nt still_one Aug 2012 #13

Ezra Klein initially ProSense Aug 2012 #14

I never liked Ezra Klein, he's always been very right-leaning. Never got the fascination with him sabrina 1 Aug 2012 #15

No "shooting" from me; people need to know... WorseBeforeBetter Aug 2012 #10

Deep13

(39,154 posts)

1. Is Bowles the new Zell Miller? nt

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:19 PM

Aug 2012

NRaleighLiberal

(60,018 posts)

2. I've never, ever been sold on Bowles....this is no surprise to me, sadly. n/t

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:21 PM

Aug 2012

Ranec

(342 posts)

3. The "Oh! Isn't Ryan so smart.." stuff is makng me sick.

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:23 PM

Aug 2012

I'm really glad that Bowles thinks that Ryan can add.

BeyondGeography

(39,379 posts)

4. This will slowly build to a crescendo in the streets...we are in deep shit

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:29 PM

Aug 2012

"Didn't you hear what ERSKINE BOWLES said?"

Lex

(34,108 posts)

8. Exactly.

Reply to BeyondGeography (Reply #4)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:36 PM

Aug 2012

Even people here in NC didn't care to elect this guy to anything.

Zen Democrat

(5,901 posts)

5. I never understood what Bill Clinton saw in this guy.

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:34 PM

Aug 2012

Bowles has always been on the extreme right of the DLC. Over there with Harold Ford, Jr.

Tom Ripley

(4,945 posts)

6. The blue dog barks

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:35 PM

Aug 2012

and the caravan moves on

berni_mccoy

(23,018 posts)

7. Bowles felt rejected by Obama when he passed up the committee's deadlocked recommendations

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:36 PM

Aug 2012

Obama wanted consensus, not divided effort from the fiscal committee to raise revenues while cutting spending. The committee failed, and Bowles was co-chair. He couldn't get the job done.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)

11. Ezra Klein says he's going to replace Geithner.

Reply to berni_mccoy (Reply #7)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:37 AM

Aug 2012

still_one

(92,372 posts)

9. The answer is simple,he is out, the Bowles Simpson bullsit was rejected by the WH

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Mon Aug 13, 2012, 11:56 PM

Aug 2012

He is only speaking for himself, and he can go fuck himself also

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)

12. Maybe not. Ezra Klein says he will be the new Treasury Secretary.

Reply to still_one (Reply #9)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:38 AM

Aug 2012

I just posted a link to Ezra Klein's article on this. Seems to think it's a 'sensible' idea.

still_one

(92,372 posts)

13. We will see, I hope not, especially after what this clown did. /nt

Reply to sabrina 1 (Reply #12)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:45 AM

Aug 2012

ProSense

(116,464 posts)

14. Ezra Klein initially

Reply to sabrina 1 (Reply #12)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:46 AM

Aug 2012

praised the Ryan plan. He's makes good points, but he's got some right leaning tendencies.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/wrong-is-right-2/

So my answer to the guessing game is simple: If Barack Obama wins reelection this year, I’d bet that Erskine Bowles will be our next Treasury Secretary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/10/will-erskine-bowles-be-our-next-treasury-secretary/

Guessing is fine, but it's just his opinion.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)

15. I never liked Ezra Klein, he's always been very right-leaning. Never got the fascination with him

Reply to ProSense (Reply #14)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:49 AM

Aug 2012

He likes Bowles and would be happy to see him in Treasury. I remember him when he started, no one was impressed with him, yet, he seemed to have financial backers. He's not impressive, but he does have access to inside info.

WorseBeforeBetter

(11,441 posts)

10. No "shooting" from me; people need to know...

Reply to Skip Intro (Original post)

Tue Aug 14, 2012, 12:31 AM

Aug 2012

the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Reply to this discussion