It is a lesson I struggle daily to teach and reinforce in my children: getting them to understand the concept of consequences. As toddlers, children are walking and talking ids. Every move is impulsive and only motivated to make that very moment more pleasurable. There is no concept of what that action would mean five minutes from now, much less five years. For some men I've dated, this is a phase that has lasted 30+ years. But I digress. I have often sat down with my eight year old and forced her to think out and verbalize the presumptive consequences of actions, in order to get her to try to slow down and think before she acts. I've told her that while it appears that there is great freedom in being an adult, there is responsibility that comes with that freedom and part of that includes understanding consequences and acting accordingly.
Consequences have been on my mind quite a bit during this whole threatened government shutdown...on many levels. There don't appear to be a whole lot of adults involved in these discussions, especially on the Republican side and in the media. I say that from the conspicuous lack of discussion or even awareness of the consequences. The mainstream GOP appeared hamstrung by the teabagging contingent, who couldn't care less about consequences. And the media...well the media doesn't seem to want to bother with the consequences at all. It's one thing to say that Planned Parenthood is on the chopping block because Republicans hate abortions, but the consequences of not doing one's journalistic duty and is that one's viewership may not realize that Planned Parenthood cannot use federal money for abortions and defunding this organization simply makes poor men and women unable to get reproductive health services. Or that military servicemembers were told that their families could only expect a check for 50% of what they normally receive...and the consequences to those primarily lower-income families would be?
I want you to listen carefully to the bobbleheads this morning. Who sounds like they understand the consequences of their actions? Or are they simply entitled, narcissistic ids, looking only to satisfy their own immediate gratification right now, damn the consequences to anyone else in the future?
ABC's "This Week" - White House adviser David Plouffe; Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Plouffe; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; Tim Shriver, Special Olympics chairman.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Gloria Borger, Michael Gerson, John Harris, Cynthia Tucker. Topics: Will Republicans’ Deep Cut Proposals Hurt Their Chances in 2012? Will His Birther Argument Help or Hurt Donald Trump In Republican Primaries? Will Paul Ryan's Budget Plan Play More As A Plus Than A Minus For Republicans in 2012? YES: 4 NO: 8; Can Any GOP Presidential Candidate Be As Hopeful as President Obama? YES: 7 No: 5
CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
CNN's "State of the Union" - Plouffe; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas; Donald Trump; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - This week Rep. Paul Ryan laid out his plan for next year and beyond. Fareed's take is that Ryan is to be commended for trying to tackle entitlements, but says unfortunately the plan just won’t work. So with the United States facing both fiscal and foreign policy turmoil, who better to talk to than a man who helped guide American policy in both those arenas? Fareed has an exclusive interview with one of America’s elder statesmen, James Baker.
"Fox News Sunday" - Plouffe; Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va.
So what's catching your eye this morning?
