Byron Dorgan: “The Senator made a very powerful presentation, as usual. This is an embarrassment--this train wreck of a budget that was…”

“The Senator made a very powerful presentation, as usual. This is an embarrassment--this train wreck of a budget that was brought to the floor of the Senate in a manner that excluded the minority party from participating, in a manner that excluded those who were designated as our conferees from participating, brought to the floor the afternoon it is to be considered. The only thing that trumps the bad numbers here is the bad judgment. A hundred years from now, everybody here will be dead. Historians can look at this and determine what were our priorities, what was important in this country to the policymakers, and how they spent the money. This is an embarrassment, a train wreck. We are going to have a lot of discussion about choices and judgment. That is important, the choices of: What did we decide to invest in? Who got the tax cuts? That is important. But the bad numbers the Senator has spoken about are staggering. I know nobody is going to come to the floor to respond directly to what he has described because there is no response to it. As I conclude, I will say that some while ago somebody told me you don't understand the economic strategy that is employed here: Don't worry about the deficits; spend all this money, and give big tax cuts to upper income folks. Katie bar the door. Don't stare problems directly in the eye; don't deal with them. Let me explain it to you. You take three glasses and one apple.…”