The American Spectator : Red Ink and Blue Dogs

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Red Ink and Blue Dogs

By W. James Antle, III on 3.20.09 @ 6:08AM

If Democratic deficit hawks don't stand up to their president now, when will they?

If you liked the $787 billion stimulus package, followed by an earmark-packed $410 billion omnibus spending bill, you'll love President Obama's $3.55 trillion federal budget proposal. At least that seems to be the logic behind this latest round of federal spending, clocking in at nearly $3.6 trillion a little over a year after the first $3 trillion budget and just six years after on-budget spending first passed $2 trillion.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican who sits on the House Budget Committee, says that taxpayers may be "fatigued and overloaded" by the numbers floating out of Washington after a rapid succession of bailouts, rescues, recovery plans, and stimulus packages. But Republican leaders warned in a conference call Wednesday that the bill for all this spending will soon come due and "the bill is coming in the form of President Obama's budget."

The budget increases federal spending by $1 trillion over the next decade, doubles the publicly held national debt, projects $600 billion annual budget deficits even after the recession is over, and raises taxes by $1.4 trillion. Obama plans to raise the top two income tax brackets to 36 percent and the Clinton-era maximum rate of 39.6 percent. His budget phases out personal exemptions and limits itemized deductions for those deemed wealthy, reducing the value of their deduction by one-fourth.

But not even those outside the "wealthiest 1 percent" emerge unscathed. The Obama budget proposes a $646 billion cap-and-trade scheme that energy companies are sure to pass on to consumers. "The president says there isn't anyone that makes under $250,000 that's going to pay one dime of new taxes," House Minority Leader John Boehner said in a radio interview this week. "It's just not true. They've got this energy tax in there that they call cap-and-trade. I call it cap-and-tax. If you drive a car, you're going to pay it. If you buy goods that are produced in the United States, you're going to pay it. And if you have the audacity to flip on a light switch, you're going to pay it."

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what House Republicans think of the new president's budget. Obama's party is firmly in control of Congress. But some key Democrats may yet balk at the price tag, especially after voting for several large spending items in just the past few months. This problem will only get worse if, as expected, the Congressional Budget Office announces today that deficits over the next ten years will be $1 trillion larger than Obama's spending plan assumes.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) has been complaining that the deficits anticipated by the Obama administration are "unsustainable" and he has suggested to Washington reporters that the budget presently lacks the votes needed to pass. Conrad has also hinted that he is opposed to the White House using the reconciliation process to pass its health care plan, a position that helped doom the Clinton administration's health proposal when taken by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) back in 1993.

In the House, the Blue Dogs are howling. The coalition of 51 moderate to conservative Democrats has proposed capping non-defense discretionary spending at the rate of inflation. They may also object to any new programs that increase the size of the deficit. "We're concerned…with the Obama budget that we are -- according to their numbers -- maintaining $500 billion or more in deficit spending in the latter five years," Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.), a Blue Dog Coalition co-chair, told Reuters.

So far, the Blue Dogs have failed to do much to restrain the Obama administration or their liberal congressional leadership. They lost the fight to keep Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) from seizing jurisdiction over climate change policy from Congressman John Dingell (D-Mich.). While they did delay and somewhat reshape the stimulus package, only 11 Blue Dogs voted against the original, more expensive version and just six voted against the deficit-increasing "compromise" that eventually became law.

In a similar vein, leading Senate Democrats like Conrad frequently complain about the size of the deficit and national debt. Yet the Politico reported: "But thus far, Conrad seems in retreat himself, saying this week that he now expects to report only a five-year budget next week -- putting off a real fight over the long-term debt."

Nevertheless, a few centrist Democrats seem to be hardening in their opposition. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who is up for reelection in 2010, voted against the appropriations act, wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed asking Obama to veto it, and has formed a working group of the least liberal Senate Democrats.

Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by similar margins when a coalition of Republicans and right-leaning Democrats came within one vote in each chamber of voting down Bill Clinton's first budget sixteen years ago. Back then, there were more conservative Democrats in Congress and the president was already out of his honeymoon period. But it's also the case that Clinton's budgets considered deficit reduction a priority while Obama's might produce $6.9 trillion in future deficits.

That's trillion, with a "t." If that isn't a target deficit hawks in the Democratic Party can hit, then the Blue Dogs won't hunt.

About the Author

W. James Antle, III is associate editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Jimantle.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (18) | Leave a comment

Melvin| 3.20.09 @ 7:09AM

Blue Dog Democrats are acting more like yellow dogs with their tails between their legs.

Robert Rosencrans| 3.20.09 @ 7:51AM

Democrats like for you to pay taxes while scamming the system for their own benefit.
http://pundits.thehill.com/2009/03/19/dems-use-homestead-exemption-to-avoid-taxes/
Democrats love taxes. So much so that Joe Biden claimed paying higher taxes is a patriotic act, which must make April 15 some kind of utopian version of Flag Day.

The problem is that Democrats don't like paying taxes. Over the past several weeks we've learned enough to make the words "Obama Cabinet" and "taxes" a running punchline. Similarly, Rep. Charles Rangel's (D-N.Y.) lawyer has stated that Rangel, who as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is the top tax-writer in the land, did not know rental income on his hacienda in the Dominican Republic was, well, taxable.

In recent days, we've learned two other senior House Democrats have avoided paying the taxes our vice president finds so patriotic.

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), like Rangel a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, has benefited from claiming his home in Maryland as his principal residence. As reported by Bloomberg's Tim Burger, the residential declaration — which could call into question Stark's eligibility to serve his California congressional district — has saved the congressman a total of $3,853 in taxes over the past two years.

New York Rep. Eliot Engel (D), who represents the Bronx, benefited from a homestead exemption in Maryland that was sought on two separate occasions, it was recently reported. The exemption, in place since 2005, has netted Engel more than $5,000.

I have some experience with this issue. While working for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), a Charlotte Observer reporter informed me that the senator was one of handful mistakenly receiving an exemption from the District of Columbia — despite his having specifically rejected any exemption and having the paperwork to prove it. After multiple phone calls to the District of Columbia assuring them that the senator lived in North Carolina and did not seek and did not want any exemption, the District admitted the mistake was theirs. The senator promptly paid the amount due and the matter was closed.

There's a lesson here. The New York Post story on Rep. Engel quotes a Bronx teacher who says, "If he's not paying his share, that means others are paying more. That would be a problem for me." Voters rightly bristle at the notion of a double-standard, especially when it comes to politicians avoiding taxes. Ask Tom Daschle, Timothy Geithner or Nancy Killefer.

Reps. Engel and Stark should step up and do the right thing — designate homes in their congressional districts as principal residences and pay whatever taxes they have thus far avoided.

dcd| 3.20.09 @ 9:12AM

You're right, democrats don't like paying taxes, unfortunately republicans keep forgetting this. A fiscally conservative policy that doesn't trigger other hot button issues will easily pull away a large chunk of the party.
But the right prefers to be fake fiscally conservative (if either party will spend your money might as well vote for likable candidates) and to push the centrist's buttons pushing them into the democrat camp.

JP| 3.20.09 @ 9:36AM

DCD,
You hit the nail on the head. Spending and not defecits are the issue. Blue Dogs are murky on this point. Tax increase during a recession however, are a death knell that even Blue Dogs recognize.

The so-called fiscally conservative Dems are being set up by thier own President. Obama is running such huge decfecits in order to force the issue(tax increases) at a later time. Would the Blue Dogs demand reduced spending in order to avoid tax hikes? I don' think so.

So here is the scenario: the President and the Democrats will run up massive defecits now, but at a later date complain that these defecits are causing damage to growth. The very same people who are responsible for the defecits will conduct a scorched earth campagin of fear (similar to one they ran in Feb to get the huge spending bills through) in order to raise taxes across-the-board. President Obama will use every trick in the book to get what he wants, and the Blue Dogs will have no choice but to wag thier tails and beg for a biscuit.

Of course, they may do the unthinkable. The Senate Blue Dogs could forge an alliance with the GOP and form a 50 seat block to stop both the spending and the taxes. If Obama wants a budget he will have to go through them first.

Okay, I'm only dreaming. But, the President is steadily losing support from the independents and moderates (the ones who voted the Blue Dogs into office in the 1st Place). The President shows no signs of slowing down, and a political backlash is bound to hit- maybe as early as this summer.

Franklin's Locke| 3.20.09 @ 9:50AM

The Blue Dogs must stand up for their principles or they will be voted out of office like the Republicans were. I have been seeing more and more moderate Dems split away from the leadership, because they know it is their career if they don’t. We need to keep pushing them to do this or our economy and other freedoms will be in trouble. These moderates are against nationalized healthcare, the assault weapon ban, and excessive spending and deficts. They are our allies at this particular political moment.

http://franklinslocke.blogspot.com/

Hello God has arrived| 3.20.09 @ 10:20AM

Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, so what mother fuckers. Grow up take responsibilities for your own lives you are not god nor are politicans, they are people like you. If people never voted for them, they would not be in a position to be fucking up the country.
The same way you go to work and your employer says this is what I want you to do, because it's profitable for our company, it's the same way the Government has to follow orders from AIPAC, the CFR, the WTO, the IMF and WWF, the UN and all the other organisation out there to keep these bunch of ASSHOLES in their place, who the F...! do you think you are because you are abled to vote what are you voting for anyway? do you even know? most of all Americans are the biggest bunch or MORONS on the God dam planet.

Give the F..K.RS a Gun an they think they are incharge. You are a bunch of Cockroaches waiting to die, either by Nuclear radio active crap or by Genetically engeneered foods, or by some man made source. Or starve to death or crime and violence being so high you end up killing each other. Bunch of crazy f..kers, who do you think Obama is, he is a man of flesh and blood like you me and every one else. Like all the corrupt leaders world wide the same as Bush who was interested in Big Oil. Wake up you bunch of Dumb F..ks.

Dustoff| 3.20.09 @ 10:30AM

Hello God has arrived
+++++++++++++++++++

Go away fool. Anyone who has to use cuss words to make a point... Well has no point.

Dustoff| 3.20.09 @ 10:31AM

Has anyone noticed the price of oil?

Even the market doesn't like all this spending.

Skep41| 3.20.09 @ 11:10AM

The only difference between a 'Blue Dog' Democrat and the Red Diaper Babies who are running the party is that the 'Blue Dogs' have to work harder to trick the mouth-breathers in their conservative districts into thinking that there is some difference between them and Nancy Pelosi. But Comrade Conrad is just as far to the left as Chuckie (Schmucky) Schumer and the rest of the Senate leadership. Jim 'Melonhead' Webb is another example. A raving radical who ran as a 'moderate', using the lies of the Washington Compost to defeat his opponent. There are no Democratic moderates. Every single one of them just voted for this insane budget. And the Porculus bill. When Crap On Trade comes up they'll yell "AYE"! Card Check? The 'moderates' will line up to give their votes. Nationalizing health care? "Aye"! Money for Hamas? "Aye"! Oil drilling bans, they love'em! Confiscate bonuses? Yippie! These so-called 'Blue Dogs' will vote for every leftist outrage except when the leadership has a comfortable majority and lets them demure so that the rubes will still think they are moderates.
Conservatives will never make any progress until they understand that anyone who gets elected and then votes to make Nancy Pelosi as Speaker or Harry Reid as Majority Leader is a died-in-the-wool left-wing extremist. They just need to lie to the voters in their home districts and seem more moderate than they are.

Hell is coming soon| 3.20.09 @ 11:35AM

Who do you think fix the price of oil dumb fuck, the price of Oil and Gold is fixed by a group of men, people like you me and all humans on the planet Asshole.

The price of oil is due to be fixed at $50.00 per barrel and I knew this months ago.

The next thing you will hear is Russia and USA will be at logger heads, and wait and , look out for world war 3, mother fucker, America will not win this time, die you cockrocahes.

Wait to be Raptured to hell dumb fuck.

Griff| 3.20.09 @ 1:11PM

Re: Hell is coming soon

Anybody know when Charlie Manson got paroled?

Son Of Sam| 3.20.09 @ 1:46PM

The ONLY thing that might get these so-called "Blue Dogs" to stand up for their country rather than lay down for this administration is the threat of losing the next election. I believe that the best way to get them to do the right thing would be for a bunch of "blue Dog" voters to DIS-AFFILIATE, put a big red X across their party membership card, attach a note saying "you're going down in flames you tax fattened hypocrite", and mail it to their Congressman.

btw, I'm just wondering if the guy who can't write without swearing a lot is angry at the people for standing up to the ObamaNazis, or angry at the current regime of traitors and tax cheats? Either way, someone should let him know that real men don't need to flex nuts, 'cause real men know they got 'em.

until freedom dawns
Son Of Sam
http://www.geocities.com/samadamssos

Dustoff| 3.20.09 @ 3:43PM

(Hell)
Who do you think fix the price of oil dumb fuck, the price of Oil and Gold is fixed by a group of men, people like you me and all humans on the planet Asshole.
__________________________

Yep showing all your IQ level.

Thanks you proved my point.

Skep41| 3.20.09 @ 5:35PM

Why do all these drunken trolls come to conservative sites to curse and rave? Typical liberals, eh? I dont think I've ever seen any liberal comment on the article that was being discussed either here or at Townhall or any other site. Bad manners are endemic to these New Age types because they know how empty a worthless the lies that they get from people like Barak dont make any sense and have to be repudiated the next day. That's why Blue Dogs, and all Democrats for that matter, lie about who they are without any scruple at all. 'Hell' has now gotten the attention that his overly distant and super-critical father never gave him as we all have been diverted from the topic to notice his vulgar, stupid behavior.
Cheap wine will never solve your inner feelings of self-worthlessness, buddy, but we'll all pray that you become somewhat less pathetic in the future.

DaveinPhoenix| 3.21.09 @ 12:04AM

One more time - until someone listens: The Treasury Department put out a nice little report named "The 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government". It states that the negative net worth of our Federal Government is $59.3 TRILLION. Total Federal obligations now total $65.5 TRILLION. Now I know they can't possibly blame all of that on Bush.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 3.22.09 @ 7:50AM

Ten trillion here, ten trillion there, pretty soon you're talking about real money.

The Sun God will die soon| 3.22.09 @ 2:11PM

It's a shame the sun shines on Ass-Holes as well as everyone else. Bits of paper bits of paper, who knows one day fools as well as the wise will realize that life is worth more than bits of paper.

In the ancient world people worshiped the sun, because it makes plant grow, vitamin D helps to keep us healthy. Today Ass-holes can't wait for the nuclear winter. They think they will be Raptured to another planet. These new breed think they can be like the moles live underground without light. Don't understand that without sun there can be no life, hence why people worshiped the SUN.