Bob Schieffer Falsely Claims Ryan Budget 'Really Slashes Into Social Programs'
On Monday's CBS This Morning, Bob Schieffer again forwarded
the liberal talking point that GOP vice presidential apparent Paul
Ryan's budget plan would drastically cut federal spending. Schieffer
claimed, "There's some really tough stuff in there. I mean, he really slashes into social programs...it's across the board – in order to try to get this budget back into balance." Ryan's proposal actually increases spending, but at a lower rate than President Obama's plan.
The Face the Nation host also touted what former Democratic Rep. David Obey said about Rep. Ryan: "I just can't imagine why a guy that nice could have the views that he has."
Substitute anchors Rebecca Jarvis and Anthony Mason brought on
Schieffer to discuss his joint interview of Ryan and Mitt Romney on
Sunday's 60 Minutes. Midway through the segment, Jarvis noted
how Ryan is "known for his budget plan, but Romney is saying, we're not
going with that. We're going ahead with my old plan. How is that going
to play?"
Just as he did on Saturday's CBS This Morning, the journalist mouthed the liberal contention that Ryan's proposal "cuts" from the federal budget:
SCHIEFFER:
...[Y]ou know, the one thing I should have asked Governor Romney was,
let's talk about how your budget plan differs from his budget plan. I
don't think it differs that much. But that's going to be one of the
questions in this campaign, and I wish I had been – gotten a little more
specific on that one particular point. That's going to be one of the
questions here - exactly which parts of Governor [sic] Ryan's budget
plan does Mitt Romney agree with, and – because there's some really
tough stuff in there. I mean, he really slashes into social programs,
and – I mean, it's across the board – in order to try to get this budget
back into balance. And he argues you can do it without increasing
revenue-
MASON: Right-
SCHIEFFER: And that's – that's where the rubber-
JARVIS: Which is taxes-
SCHIEFFER: Yeah. That's where the rubber hits the road on all of this.
Earlier in the interview, Schieffer included his quote of Obey as he noted how both Democrats and Republicans like Ryan:
SCHIEFFER: Paul Ryan is a very nice man. I've known him for a long time. I mean, you know, you can agree with his views or not. But people on Capitol Hill like him. Democrats like him. Republicans like him. David Obey, who's, kind of, a cranky Democrat - and would be happy to acknowledge that's the way to describe him - said I just can't imagine why a guy that nice could have the views that he has. (Mason laughs) But I think he and Romney – and I think Governor Romney, somewhere along the way, just decided he liked him, and thought he would really help the ticket.
At the end of the segment, the veteran CBS host asserted that "this is no longer a campaign about negative campaign ads. This is a campaign about two very different visions for America. I mean, the campaign is now going to be about something, and I think that's probably a good thing for the country." One wonders how Schieffer can say this, as just before this, he pointed out that Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod had attacked the Wisconsin Republican as a "right-wing ideologue" earlier in the newscast.
