Bob Schieffer: When pigs flew in Washington

We interrupt this program with a bulletin: Congress did something.

I mean, really! We're not kidding, Congress actually did something Friday.

A bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats agreed to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year.

That, after Republicans had vowed for two months to oppose it unless there were huge cuts in governmental programs. There were no such cuts.

Instead, Republican Congressman Greg Walden of Oregon said, "We needed to get this policy moved forward. When you are in the majority, you have to govern."

Translation: This is an election year. We were about to get our keisters handed to us on a platter.

So the tax cut passed with plenty of Republican support.

Now don't get me wrong. Like the Republicans, I'm not much for tax cuts that aren't paid for. Nor do I agree with some Democrats who saw this as ranking in importance with the invention of penicillin.

But letting that tax cut expire could have hurt a lot of struggling working people and when experts say that could have endangered a frail economic recovery, it sounds right to me.

But more important, bipartisan co-operation could be contagious, a pleasant experience for both sides which could tempt them to try it again.

Who knows? If they got in the habit of working together, they might move beyond these stop-gap measures and tackle something of real significance.

[Oceanliner]

The problem here is that you are stealing from Social Security (again) to shore up the general fund. That's wrong. And stop calling it a tax cut...cut implies something permanent. This is money being borrowed that will be paid back, so, it's not like anyone's getting a free lunch.

[NinthSt78]

Mr. Schieffer is right again. Some of these stunts they keep doing over and over again. Trying to work together, difficult as it may be, is really the best way to get things done.

[skeezix06]

So instead of allowing a tax cut to expire and putting the money into social security for future needs we are now expected to cheer because the republicans cast their vote in favor because they saw another chance to undercut social security and the democrats are so blinded by greed that they, too, are ready to undercut social security and allow the elderly to die penniless and in need of basics like food, shelter, and heat in the winter? Are we supposed to get all excited about this? I think not.

It is not enough to simply "agree".

[noloyalisti]

My only issue is that Bob keeps misspelling Republicon. A couple of decades ago there was actually a Republican Party. But then they got taken over by the religious freaks and greedy Top 1%. And went off the deep end. And now there are only RepubliCONS left.

[ckp016c]

I LOVE Bob, I think he has it right myself!

[joe1022joe]

Bob Schieffer is a dedicated supporter of the Democrat Party and uses his position to do that every day in every way.

[noloyalisti]

It won't help to boot all the representatives and the President out because the whole American political system is rotten to the core. It has been corrupted by giant corporations and the greedy Top 1% who run them.

Until we all, The 99%, admit this, we won't be able to ever fix it.

[brwing]

Gee Bob. I guess it makes no difference that they did the wrong thing, that they are spending more money, not stimulating the economy, and putting us in more debt while Obama buys more votes.
I guess you are just happy that the Republicans disappointed us again by laying down for this one due to fears the MOB wouldn't vote for them. And now McCain wants to spend more money we do not have helping Syrian rebels? Time to boot them all out.

[noloyalisti]

Well the private sector has failed miserably to make America a better place. In fact, they have made it far far worse. So all we have left is to make government progressive and change it so that it works for the people instead of the rogues who messed everything up.

[dillonce]

So let me get Bob's perspective straight. Doing nothing is bad, implying Congress should be making changes. But doing something that prevents change is critical because of the risk of change. Following from that, now that they've demonstrated that they can prevent change, Bod hopes that they'll do something that makes changes.

Sorry, it doesn't make sense to me. The situation is either dicey or it's not. We either need to steer a steady course or we don't.

That is unless one buys into the fantasy that government can fix anything and is only limited by the abilities of the people in office.