Here's a brilliant performance that you won't see anywhere else on cable news, at least not involving a Democratic Congressperson. Neil Cavuto had Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson to discuss the latest on the fiscal cliff negotiations. He became frustrated that the only solutions Johnson would discuss were tax increases in one form or another. (video below)
“No, you told me things you’d do to raise taxes. That’s what you told me. Credits, allowances, that sort of stuff. That’s what you told me,” Cavuto said.
“You’ve got to talk about revenue generation,” the congresswoman replied.
“I know that, but it’s 100 percent of what you’re talking about, Congresswoman,” Cavuto said.
“It is not 100 percent of what I’m talking about. If you’d shut up for just a second, I would try,” Johnson said.
“You gotta tell me one thing you’d cut. I beg you Congresswoman, one thing you would say, I would cut this. What would it be?”
When Johnson did not reply with anything more than “you" and a pause, Cavuto asked, “You don’t know, do you?”
“Well, yes I do know, but I have to have time to explain it. I can’t tell you I’m going to walk in and cut this and cut that. First of all, it has to have some type of dialogue. We have not had that,” she said.
The two continued to go back and forth until Johnson said that Democrats have already said what cuts their party is willing to consider, and with that, Cavuto was done with the interview.
“Well, you haven’t done that,” he replied. “You haven’t done that. You haven’t done that. But hope springs eternal máam, and Congresswoman I want to get you back, but this was a total waste of time.”
Maybe a waste of time for Mr. Cavuto, but not for viewers who finally saw a journalist call a Democrat out for their double-talk on the fiscal cliff negotiations. All of the pressure from the media has been directed at Republicans and pushing them to answer for their refusal to capitulate to the President's demand to raise taxes. Yet the Democrats have gone un-challenged on their stubborn refusal to consider any spending cut to help resolve the treacherous budget crisis. All this while the president gets to pretend he is offering a "balanced approach."
Well, all you need to do is watch Rep. Johnson's performance with Cavuto to see how "balanced" the approach is. Thank you, Neil Cavuto for finally challenging a Democrat on their lack of ideas. Will anyone else follow suit.