America's Most Trusted Newsman: You Can't Really Blame the Tea Party for the Budget Mess

Well, he's lefty America's most trusted newsman, but Jon Stewart refuses to go along with the Dem meme that the Tea Party is responsible for America's budget mess (from Daily Caller):

2.) Jon Stewart [heart] Tea Party? -- Going back to that "convenient scapegoat" thing, you know the Dems are losing the narrative when America's Most Trusted Newsman/Comedian/Newsman is getting sick of it. TheDC's Jamie Weinstein reports: "Liberal Comedy Central host Jon Stewart told Rolling Stone magazine that he has trouble blaming tea partiers for the summer debt ceiling debacle. 'On the whole debt-ceiling thing, you can blame the intransigence of Tea Party Republicans all you want, but Democrats had a chance to pass a budget before they lost in the midterm election,' the Daily Show host said in an extensive interview. 'They didn't do it because they were afraid that those votes would cost them the House. Well, how'd that work out? They had the ability to avoid the entire f***ing thing. And they didn't do it, out of cowardice. So I have a hard time mustering sympathy for the argument that a couple of Tea Partiers took Congress hostage."

That's actually spot on. The Senate Dems haven't voted on an actual budget proposal in something like 900 days. Budgets have passed the House (since the GOP took over) but the Senate refuses to take them up. During the run-up to the 2010 election the Dems insisted on passing a series of short term spending bills and budget extensions, but never brought an actual budget to the floor because they knew when voters saw what they actually wanted to do the bloodbath in November would have been epic.

Turns out it was epic anyway, so instead of passing the budget they wanted they forfeited their opportunity to be in control. It's nice to see someone like Stewart recognize that. Perhaps some of that knowledge will trickle down to his viewers.