ABC Frets a Lower Deficit May 'Hurt the Economy' Because It Will Delay a Sequester Deal
ABC, the network that has been relentlessly pushing an apocalyptic view of what sequester could do to America, on Wednesday suggested that a lower deficit could be a bad thing. Good Morning America's Josh Elliott relayed the news that a budget surplus in April could lead to a lower 2013 deficit by $200 billion.
Elliott lectured, "But some do worry this may actually hurt the economy because it may tempt Congress to delay a long-term budget deal." Elliott didn't explain who the "some" are, but the attitude shouldn't be surprising. In April, after sequester started, GMA's hosts warned of a dark future, of "airport armageddon" and "airplane apocalypse."
On March 1, GMA's Stephanopoulos warned of jobs being "vaporized" and "criminals walking free."
On February 22, the show hyped a "fiscal emergency" that would "cripple" America.
It's now May 15, 2013. How do warnings of "armageddon" and "apocalypse" sound?
ABC won't give up, however. The graphic for Wednesday's news brief warned, "Deficit Shocker: Debt Crisis Averted...for Now
A transcript of the May 15 segment is below:
7:07
ABC GRAPHIC: Deficit Shocker: Debt Crisis Averted...for Now
JOSH ELLIOTT: And a surprising headline impact the economy. After a U.S. budget surplus in April, this year's government deficit is expected to shrink far more quickly than we thought, coming in roughly $200 billion lower than expected thanks to spending cuts, tax increases and higher payments from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But some do worry this may actually hurt the economy because it may tempt Congress to delay a long-term budget deal.
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
