Monday morning and why does anyone listen to Tom Delay?--updated

Tom Delay: People Are Unemployed Because They Want To Be:

"Crowley: People are unemployed because they want to be?

Delay: well, it is the truth. and people in the real world know it. And they have friends and they know it. Sure, we ought to be helping people that are unemployed find a job, but we also have budget considerations that are incredibly important, especially now that Obama is spending monies that we don't have."

Let's keep in mind that Republicans are not fiscally conservative, especially when they are in charge and we can remember that this man has no credibility on any of this. Why in the hell is the supposedly "liberal" media giving him more and more access? It isn't just Delay. Gingrich is on just about every news outlet, and I continue to wonder why? Why does anyone listen to this man?

And speaking of that, I continue to wonder why anyone really takes Mitt Romney seriously either (Mitt Romney: Obama Health Care Plan NOT Like Massachusetts Plan). Again, I realize that the media can only label Democrats as flip-floppers, but give me a break. Between Romney's tortured logic against national healthcare, all Republicans switch on Medicare, and every Republican in the Senate's switch on fiscal responsibility--I need a damn chart to follow these changes. And not just minor changes--complete reversals.

And speaking of THAT, why do so many strident opponents of gay marriage or gay rights get caught in situations like this?

*****Updated

Via Steve Benen, this Krugman column:

"Take the question of helping the unemployed in the middle of a deep slump. What Democrats believe is what textbook economics says: that when the economy is deeply depressed, extending unemployment benefits not only helps those in need, it also reduces unemployment. That’s because the economy’s problem right now is lack of sufficient demand, and cash-strapped unemployed workers are likely to spend their benefits. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office says that aid to the unemployed is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus, as measured by jobs created per dollar of outlay."

Krugman suggests, and I agree, that Democrats and Republicans live in completely different moral and economic worlds. Republicans seem to be far more concerned about protecting the interests of the wealthy--to the point of opposing assistance for working families, or foreign aid.

During the debate over unemployment benefits, Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat of Oregon, made a plea for action on behalf of those in need. In response, Mr. Bunning blurted out an expletive. That was undignified — but not that different, in substance, from the position of leading Republicans.

Consider, in particular, the position that Mr. Kyl has taken on a proposed bill that would extend unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for the jobless for the rest of the year. Republicans will block that bill, said Mr. Kyl, unless they get a “path forward fairly soon” on the estate tax.