McClatchy Washington Bureau

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Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City is getting all kinds of deserved national attention for calling the new debt deal a “Satan Sandwich.”

Why?

Because the deal hurts the poor and - Cleaver implies - leaves the rich alone.

Essentially, he’s making the excellent point that the proposed pact cuts spending on discretionary spending for the poor and middle-income people, while leaving all the corporate tax loopholes in place.

Cleaver told MSNBC: “If you lift the bun, what you see is antithetical to everything the great religions of the world teach. Which is take care of the poor, take of the aged. I am concerned about this because we don’t know the details. And until we see the details, we’re going to be extremely non-committed, but on the surface it looks like a Satan sandwich.”

Cleaver didn’t back off Monday, repeating the phrase in a tweet for those who might have missed it:

“This deal is a sugar-coated satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see.”

To read the complete article, visit www.kansascity.com.