Stephen Moore has an excellent article regarding the success of the sequestration cuts. I don´t believe that anyone is arguing that sequestration is the best way to cut government, but it is probably the only way politically to cut government. The whole article is worth a read, but his last paragraphs jumped out at me.
So the fiscal progress reported here is no excuse for complacency. But it does call into question the wisdom of a government-shutdown confrontation over the budget this fall or a debt-default showdown that runs the risk of suspending the spending caps and sequester and revitalizing an increasingly irrelevant president.
Liberals had hoped that re-electing Mr. Obama, the most pro-spending president since LBJ, would unleash another four years of Great Society government expansion. Instead, spending caps and the sequester are squashing these progressive dreams. Welcome to the new fiscal reality in Washington. All Republicans need to do is enforce the budget laws Mr. Obama has already agreed to. Entitlement reforms will come when liberals realize that the unhappy alternative is to allow every program they cherish to keep shrinking.
Here is the situation is summary form:
1. Conservatives are winning the fight to cut government (at least in discretionary spending). The last time the budget declined two consecutive years was at the end of the Korean War.
2. More cuts are coming so long as the current law (sequestration) is not changed. All Republicans have to do is maintain a majority in the House and the government keeps shrinking.
3. If liberals´favorite programs keep getting cut, then they will be more likely to play ball on mandatory spending which is the real driver of our debt (and future debt).
4. If Republicans choose to not raise the debt ceiling in an effort to defund Obamacare, the government will have to choose whether it wants to continue funding the military or send Social Security and Medicare checks.
5. Given that most people don´t watch conservative news, the majority of Americans (after watching the MSM) will blame the House Republicans (who are already extremely unpopular, more so than Obama or Obamacare, and also who have expressed that they don´t want the government shutdown in order to defund Obamacare) when they aren´t receiving their full Social Security money. There is also evidence from both Democrat and Republicans pollsters that the elderly are starting to trend away from the Republican Party. The timing could not be worse as the government shutdown will occur before the 2014 midterm elections, when the electorate is older.
6. The Cruz/Lee/Paul gambit would risk not only the continuation of these sequestration cuts, but also the possibility of finally reforming mandatory spending. And, of course, Obamacare would never go away.
I know that Cruz and Paul want you to fight, but unfortunately they are getting you to fight on Obama´s side. We don´t need distractions right now. We have the opporunity to take back the Senate and continue cutting government. But the "conservative" wing of the party is trying to prevent this from happening.
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12 comments:
"4. If Republicans choose to not raise the debt ceiling in an effort to defund Obamacare, the government will have to choose ..........."
False premise alert, First of all, if spending were cut at a more serious rate and we had more business friendly policies, we would not have to worry about raising the debt ceiling. However, most of all, the ball is in Mr. Obama's court. Perhaps he would like to explain why he wants to shhut the government down in order to force a socialistic type system on the american people that could turn the country into another Greece.
OJ, you are delusional, and I mean delusional, if you think that is the angle that the majority of Americans who turn on the mainstream media to get their news are going to get. Delusional.
Second, and hear me well here. You can´t balance the budget without cutting either mandatory spending or more of the Department of Defense. You CAN´T!!! And if the debt ceiling is not raised, that is exactly what is going to happen. I don´t know how you can cut governmet any more than that. So, no, there is no false premise here. Old people are going to receive less Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid and they are going to turn on their non-Fox News news and they are going to flock to the polls in favor of Democrats. Even if you had the facts right, which you don´t, you are delusional if you think that Ted Cruz is going to get his point through in the non-Fox News news. And by the way, he won´t even completely get his point through on Fox News, as many of the commentators are dead set against this.
Mitt is right, and some on the far right can't wrap their peanut minds around it. Obama will veto any bill that cuts obamacare, which will then shut down the government. I know, it's not the GOP fault. I get that. But NBC, CBS, CNN, ABC and all the news papers in between would not report it that way. It will be pinned on the GOP and we will suffer for it in 14. Think people THINK. Stop the stupid!
"You can´t balance the budget without cutting either mandatory spending or more of the Department of Defense." I have never questioned that fact.
"You CAN´T!!! And if the debt ceiling is not raised," Says who?
With respect, you have your head in the sand if you think Americans are going to tolerate such a destructive health care system. It is all fun and games until they get sick and receive the bill or cannot see a doctor in a timely manner.
"Obama will veto any bill that cuts obamacare," Let him him throw this childish temper tantrum.
We've seen this movie before during the 1990's when the federal government was "shut down" while Clinton was in the White House and the GOP controlled the House of Representatives.
The American people did NOT blame the GOP for the shutdown in the elections that followed, despite claims to the contrary by the REVISIONIST historians in the liberal media.
Further strengthening the GOP's hand this time around are trillion-dollar federal budget deficits, a 17 trillion-dollar national debt, and the MASSIVE UNPOPULARITY of ObamaCare, each of which was far less important or a complete non-factor during the government shutdowns of the 1990's.
The greatly expanded influence of the internet, talk radio and Fox News will also help the GOP this time around, as will the advent of the national Tea Party movement.
Liberal media propaganda is certainly quite powerful, but all it takes is a well-written, well-funded, well-timed television/radio ad campaign by the GOP to set the public straight about WHO'S REALLY TO BLAME for the government shutdown, if you assume - which I do NOT - that the public will be looking to blame someone at all.
The Democrats and their comrades in the liberal media are classic bullies. The best way to deal with bullies is by punching them in the mouth, not by running away from them like Pablo wants us to do.
DEFUND OBAMACARE! DEFUND IT NOW! DEFUND IT FOREVER!
"The greatly expanded influence of the internet, talk radio and Fox News will also help the GOP this time around, as will the advent of the national Tea Party movement.
Liberal media propaganda is certainly quite powerful, but all it takes is a well-written, well-funded, well-timed television/radio ad campaign by the GOP to set the public straight about WHO'S REALLY TO BLAME for the government shutdown, if you assume - which I do NOT - that the public will be looking to blame someone at all."
You cannot be serious. You cannot.
By the way, Newark, last time was a government shutdown. This time it is going to be a refusal to raise the debt ceiling. Unlike last time, there will be old people not getting there social security checks. They are going to be a little more pissed off than when a few national parks were closed last time.
Pablo, It's so concerning that there are those who want to whistle past the graveyard on this issue. Being right is the end all be all, and to hell with the consequenses! The GOP will be blamed, day in and day out. No amount of talk radio will make up for the news networks, cable networks.. print news that will be pounding it home 24/7 that it's the GOP's fault that Mom did not get her SS check this month. And might not get it next month. If Cruz, Lee, Palin an Paul are the best we've got, we've got bigger problems than just the looming shut down.
I agree with this, Pablo. We have to deal in reality, not what we wish were true.
-Martha
I have to agree with Pablo on this much - I want obamacare gone just as much as the next guy, but this is not going to do it and it's risking far too much.
Interesting note: No country that I know of have ever introduced universal health care in bad economic times (as these times are, despite the recent stock market boom). The European countries introduced it after world war II, during the post-war boom when the economy was doing great and governments got so much tax revenue they didn't know what to do with all the money. That can't be said about the US and therefore the transition from private to (semi-)universal health care will be even tougher for the US than it was for Europe.
And after 'introducing' socialism, the countries were suppressed ever more.
This is about freedom. Congress has the power of the purse. They were elected to stop Obama. They better use the powers given them, or we're all lost.
Increasing revenue is the optimal solution. Nothing is great with Obama gangsters harassing dissent and spying on Americans.
They are the least trustworthy, and now are the most violating snoops. Obama LIVES and breathes smearing opponents. His abuse of Americans abusing IRS power is sickening.
There must be some way to defund ObamaCare, the Dems do it all the time. Border security always gets defunded. This scenario does not compute.
The vote on restricting NSA use was depressing. Looks like many Republicans aren't Republicans at all. That was a vote on national sovereignty and Constitutional rights. Contraception ISN'T.
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