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The Obama Watch
Ryan Takes the Battle to Obama
Will the President sally forth or not?
The Democrats in the Senate have been fighting a rear guard action, trying to obstruct the House Republicans in their drive for budget reform through a series of continuing resolutions (CRs) which are necessary to keep the federal government in operation during the current fiscal year. Some $10 billion has been cut from that budget already.
Notwithstanding this energetic skirmishing, the opening salvo in what promises to be the main engagement on the 2012 budget was fired last week.
The day after St. Patrick’s Day, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of President Obama’s 2012 budget. The significance of this “preliminary analysis” was not lost on House Republican Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI).
“The Congressional Budget Office’s report exposes the widening gulf between the President’s rhetoric and his budget’s reality,” said Ryan. “Simply put, the President’s budget spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much-and it continues to heap an unsustainable burden of debt on American families, today and in the future.”
According to the GOP Budget Chairman, the President’s budget can never reach balance over time.
Ryan was ratcheting up his rhetoric from the day before when he had accused the President of “punting” on the budget debate and ignoring the problem. The CBO report seems to have really rattled his cage, understandably so.
Citing a “discouraging lack of leadership,” Chairman Ryan pointed out that President Obama’s budget “completely ignored the recommendations of his own Fiscal Commission, refusing to seriously advance any of their proposals for reining in the runaway spending in our major entitlement programs.”
Specific aspects of the 2012 Administration budget, which were particularly galling to Ryan, were the plans to spend $3.7 trillion or 24.3 percent of GDP, the highest since World War II, and $46.2 trillion over the decade. It would also increase taxes on, well, everyone, by $1.5 trillion. Federal taxes, alone, will reach almost 20 percent of GDP in 2021.
The resulting $1.2 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2012 — the fourth straight record deficit exceeding a trillion dollars — is followed by a doubling of the national debt by 2016 compared to the President’s first year in office. The debt then triples by 2021!
Basically, CBO is saying that the Obama Administration has underestimated federal deficits by $2 trillion over the upcoming decade, as reported by the Associated Press.
Chairman Ryan, of course, understands that the root cause of this hemorrhaging federal spending is the out-of-control entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — which have been on autopilot since their inception but are now exploding due to spiraling health costs and the retirement of the Boomer generation. In his opening statement at hearings he conducted on the great saint’s feast day, the Wisconsin Congressman said that entitlements “are growing at unsustainable rates, building trillions of dollars in debt and unfunded promises that jeopardize the programs themselves, the Federal budget, and-ultimately-the entire U.S. economy.”
“The longer Congress waits, the worse these problems become, leading to an inevitable crisis that will force deep, wrenching, sudden changes with profound effects on program beneficiaries,” states Ryan. These programs can be reformed, “but only through honest leadership and real reform.”
The Chairman, who has been calling for and proposing concrete entitlement reform for a long time, believes “we need to have a serious, honest conversation with the American people about these problems.”
“The time for that conversation is now — and I firmly believe the American people are ready for it,” said Ryan, expressing what may be the triumph of hope over experience if some recent public polling is to be believed. But what, really, is the alternative? National bankruptcy?
Unfortunately, President Obama seems to be hunkered down, failing to engage on these consequential matters, presumably hoping to play a sort of rope-a-dope strategy and skate through to re-election. This may not be as easy as he once thought given the recent letter he received from a bipartisan group of 64 senators calling on him to show some leadership on cutting the deficit.
Whatever stance the President ultimately assumes on the coming budget debate for 2012, it is clear that a battle royal is in store for the nation.
About the Author
G. Tracy Mehan, III served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the administrations of both Presidents Bush. He is a consultant in Arlington, Virginia, and an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (58) | Leave a comment
More Articles by G. Tracy Mehan, III
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 3.21.11 @ 6:18AM
Will it be a battle?
So far, the proposals from both sides have been meek or non-existent.
The only battle that counts is the debt ceiling. Raise it, and all is lost.
The Republicans should not underestimate their position here. If the government closes down most people won't care and if it closes down for 3 months we would be better off.
It's time to see some creativity here. The Republicans should propose serious cuts and if they are not agreed to, then withdraw and go play golf or be observed at college basketball play offs.
Mimi| 3.21.11 @ 6:51AM
Bill... " SERIOUS CUTS " is the issue here! Why the DEMS are opposed to this is mystifying. They propose "The less well off" is their purpose but in reality it is bloated burocracy , fat accounts sitting in every dept. that they took the percentage increase year after year not knowing how to spend it all...afraid of any cuts !
ACROSS THE BOARD on the whole budget needs to be done right away...back to 2006 levels, then annual decrease 10 -15 percentage points.
I like many , fear the future for our children . It is uncommen to the people in this country....ALL people not just Republicans! Know this fear for our future. For THIS the DEMOCRATS will suffer...severe losses, as well they should!!
ENOUGH ROPE| 3.21.11 @ 1:47PM
Obama is a saboteur whose ideological background is anti-colonialist, Marxist, and radical. His background is documented in best selling books. His actions and inactions are understandable if one accepts his being a saboteur. He wants to make America weak without his being suspected of treason. His cause is aided by leftist elites and beneficiaries. We need a leader on the right, like Ronald Reagan, who will name Obama as the leader of the evil Marxist fifth column within the United States. Obama was groomed as a ONE MAN SLEEPER CELL who is a stooge and mouthpiece for the fifth column. Obama is a SMILING LIAR.
Timothy L. Pennell| 3.21.11 @ 8:49AM
Yeah. All these things that RYAN is saying, are nice. He's a nice man. A good boy. An Honest Boy.
So, my question to Mr. Ryan is: Since you have ALREADY Waived House Rules, well over 100 times, WHY did you claim that you COULDN'T, when it came to the $150 BILLION of OBAMACARE Implementation Money, that Fright Face and Cowboy Poetry Boy, stuck in to their Kill Our Health Care bill?
Until you SATISFACTORILY answer that? Who cares what you say?
EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
vtwin| 3.21.11 @ 4:45PM
Get real, Congressman Paul Ryan and his fellow Republicans in the House don’t want to face the voters in 2012 having voted to cut entitlements especially Social Security and Medicare only to see in blocked in the Democratically controlled Senate and/or vetoed by the President.
Quartermaster| 3.21.11 @ 8:59PM
That is the core of the problem, and why "democracies" self destruct. neither party has the stones to do anything substantial about the problem.
mames| 3.21.11 @ 11:43AM
Forget engaging Obama. Fight for cuts only and massive ones at that.
BY THE WAY if the GOP is serious about freeing us they would first of all do everything they can to start active drilling, fracking and other wise getting our own oil asap. In addition open up coal and nuclear. Let the left object when the public sees the price of gas drop to 1.50 a gallon even as we begin drilling and the OPEC gets antsy we will not be stopped. Right now we are captive to a few tyrants who can charge us anything they want. SO far I see no one in congress willing to get this done. Until it is we are captives and continue to supply funds to the terroists and OPEC. Engage on that ! Energy is at the core of all we do, it affects all of us but with wimps like Boehner and Ryan in leadership we have no chance.
Carol| 3.21.11 @ 6:40AM
Good luck taking this to Obama Mr. Ryan.
How on earth will you ever find him?
He's way too busy vacationing, playing golf and playing soccer.
He needs to be impeached for dereliction of duty.
Ned| 3.21.11 @ 11:15AM
Think how bad it would be if he showed up! Let the head of Know Nothing party continue on his merry way, and in the meantime gut his ill-begotten agenda.
Jason Brutus Kane| 3.21.11 @ 7:13AM
Very simple solutions to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But first please don't call Social Security and Medicare "entitlements." I put over one hundred thousand dollars into the government's coffers for those.
Social Security fix? If you didn't put money in, you don't get money out.
Medicare is a third rate healthcare regime that was designed to invite fraud, theft, and campaign donations for politicians. End it and use the same money I paid to buy me a real medical insurance plan that has decent coverage.
Medicaid? Limit its availability to children and folks who are physically or mentally unable to work. Period.
And as long as we're problem solving here, lets take welfare away from able bodied adults. If you can afford a TV you don't need welfare and food stamps. Limit what can be bought with food stamps to meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and milk. Not anything else.
Bring me the next " tough'' problem. Federal Spending out of control? Easy. Dictate a 10% budget cut for everygovernment agency. Private industry has been doing that for years. Why not government? In three years you'd have a 30% reduction in wasteful, useless, pork projects.
Brian Mc| 3.21.11 @ 7:56AM
I like the way you think, JB. But, with that said, I must take a moment to correct your last thought. It would not be thirty per cent if the starting point would be 10% with each subsequent budget that would follow...still, I like the direction of your thought process.
NeilBJ| 3.21.11 @ 12:33PM
If each year's budget is cut 10% then the cumulative reduction based on the first year's budget would be 27%. [1 - 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.9 = 1 - 0.729 = 0.271] But, who's counting?
Seriously, I believe across the board cuts are the answer. Every politician can come up with a sob story about why a certain program should not be cut. Why, it would hurt the (poor, national security -- substitute your own government program). We can't cut back there. We must cut back somewhere else.
It we don't cut back, everyone will be poor and we will have no money for national defense. This idiocy has to stop. Sure cuts will be painful.
What should we choose: moderate pain now or excruciating pain later? We may not even be able to choose the excruciating pain later. The collapse of the economy will be the consequence of our failure to act today.
Mitch Angoop| 3.21.11 @ 9:06AM
The most discouraging aspect of this whole situation is that nothing will change. The American people are just too stupid and uneducated to even understand the problem; much less work toward any solutions. Economics is a foreign language to the vast majority of our people who have been propagandized by the teacher's union, not educated. Additionally, the more people who are getting 'fat' off the status quo like things just the way they are. Even our millions of supposed college graduates know next to nothing; having gone ten of thousands of dollars in debt to get useless degrees like "Gender Studies" and "Black Studies". We might as well surrender to reality and prepare for the disaster when the stupidest among us; like the crowds of morons incited by the latest in a long line of treasonous democrats take over the wisconsin State Capitol and then are rewarded by the dem thieves sneaking off to one of their pet judges to undo the election results they didn't like.
Although we are not technically a democracy, we ARE supposed to be a 'Representative Republic". That is also a joke. The democraps have destroyed the whole system of our supposed representative system. Our only hope is that somewhere in our Country is a group of well prepared patriots who are familiar with Thomas Jefferson's words: "The tree of Liberty must, from time to time, be refreshed by the blood of patriots." Good words, but I'd change them to have the last part read: ""...refreshed with the blood of tryants." (How do you spell "Tyrants"? D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-S.) Of course, the democrats have ALREADY started pumping up their thugs for blood in the streets and 'head breaking". May God help us. Of course, barry is doing his golfing, playing, and bowing to Mecca several times per day while "Rome is burning"
Check out this link. It is truly frightening, and shows where obama is taking us: http://www.youtube.com/embed/A3YQANdvvbY
We should all be praying.
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 12:51PM
"Limit what can be bought with food stamps to meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and milk. Not anything else."
No fruit, Brute?
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 12:53PM
"Bring me the next " tough'' problem. Federal Spending out of control? Easy. Dictate a 10% budget cut for everygovernment agency. Private industry has been doing that for years. Why not government? In three years you'd have a 30% reduction in wasteful, useless, pork projects."
Well, in 3 years you might have a 30% reduction in spending. However, that doesn't equate necessarily to a 30% reduction in wasteful, useless, pork projects.
Those wasteful, useless, pork projects tend to defy efforts to kill them. Just look at the subsidy to PBS, for example.
figusja| 3.21.11 @ 7:29AM
I think it will be an uphill battle. I say this because there are so many in this country that only take the sound bites that the left wing media(That is every news organization other than FOX news) puts out to the public. Many people in America are very ignorant. I even work with very smart men who still will back the POTUS. They throw numbers at me all the time showing how it will work. I think we have a political fight on our hands that is going to get bloody(figuratively) on both sides. People reputations will be sullied and their careers will be ended due to this regime in power.
martin j smith| 3.21.11 @ 7:42AM
This "budget battle" is ultimately about OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE and not only dollars and sense. I believe very soon --in less than three months --the full WAR --political--will erupt and in the end the American people will be faced with TWO CHOICES: The United States of American or Join the EU as yet another Socialist Marxist State.
Deborah D | 3.21.11 @ 7:58AM
I think Rand Paul has the right idea -- propose big cuts everywhere for everything, put it out there for both sides to whine and moan about, keep talking about it until it finally filters down to the American people. Make sure they get the idea that we're hanging off the cliff by our fingernails and that their children will be the ones dead at the bottom. Then, we make like Nike and just do it! Talk about it, write about it, keep talking about it.... This is our country, folks, it's up to us.
Mattled| 3.21.11 @ 8:02AM
With Obamas Brazil trip to see how his ( our tax dollars) investment is going in Brazil when he cashes out post-Prez now complete he can coast the rest of the way. When he announces he is not running because all those white Republicans kept him from handing out more money to Eric Holders people, there will be riots.
I am loading up. Installed security cameras and am training a guard dog, doing a garden for the third year, not to mention stocking up on water and dry goods.
Fairbanks99| 3.21.11 @ 11:28AM
A good starting point. https://www.lifelibertyetc.com/Products/Books/Patriots-Surviving-the-Coming-Collapse
Brian Mc| 3.21.11 @ 8:02AM
"In order to protect our national security, and due to the threat of terrorist attacks from the militaristic 'tea party' movement, national elections have been postponed until a senate subcommittee can make determinations as to what is the proper and prudent course to be taken going forward."
I await this statement some time in early 2012.
Spoonman| 3.21.11 @ 8:04AM
Many welfare recipients have televisions, cell phones, cars and lots of stuff that I never had as a poor kid growing up in the 1960's in northern Maine. Welfare needs to focus upon returning recipients quickly to a productive role in society. No job is too deeming for someone who is accepting welfare benefits. Liberals, including the democrats and President Obama, turned back the clock to a time before President Clinton and workfare was enacted. People should not become comfortable living on welfare and it should normally be a temporary support program - as in Clinton's time, restricted to two years except for those who are truly needy or truly disabled. If social security is not an entitlement than neither should welfare be an entitlement which is apparently the case now. 113 weeks of unemployment compensation is a totally uncalled for - this policy actually encourages people not to accept work.
martin j smith| 3.21.11 @ 8:25AM
There are many on what I consider "my side" who do not really grasp what we are up against on the LEFT. There is still an underlying assumption that THEY THE LEFT SHOULD MEET OUR STANDARDS OF CONDUCT. I am not at all sure that the Repub leadership have a clue or are they being so subtle even a caveman can't figure them out ? I really do not know. My impression --and that is all I have is either they are very naive or very currupt. If they are being very clever--boy are they doing a very good job.
But many posts that I have seen on this blog and others as well and pundits who post still get all upset with Democrat Socialist behaviors. There is a shift that must take place and it goes like this: Don't get mad get even. Thru counter tactics. One other thing. Your job is now to give back to them what they give us.
Spoonman| 3.21.11 @ 8:57AM
Martin, you are so correct - trying to play "nice" in the sandbox of politics with the Democrats will get us nowwhere. The Republicans seem to always want to play nice, be fair and be courteous while the Democrats will do anything to win. Just look at the New Jersey senatorial race of a few years ago when they illegally changed candidates to remove a sure loser and get a win; look at Wisconsin just weeks ago when they snuck out of state to avoid making hard arguements and votes regarding the state budget and union reforms; and, look at how they rallied activists against Republicans efforts to gain control of their state budget. They will stoop to anything, legal or otherwise to win and stay in power. They care not for the welfare of working voters nor the Country.
russel| 3.21.11 @ 10:24AM
That's right , Martin . ' Democrat ' is an archaic label now , we have socialist's running that party . And they fight to win , now matter how dirty it gets . The R party is correctly called the stupid party , and I'd add timid to cowed . They can't get it through their heads they have the better part of the nation behind them , illustrating exactly what we want done . Or , maybe they don't want to . They've become Washingtonized elitist's . If that's the case , the Tea Party ( the American people ) will break away and impose retirement . Either way , the RINO is becoming extinct .
Redstateboy| 3.21.11 @ 8:31AM
"This may not be as easy as he once thought given the recent letter he received from a bipartisan group of 64 senators calling on him to show some leadership on cutting the deficit."
Asking for Leadership from This President is like teaching Pigs to sing..... it'll frustrate you and irrate the Pig.
logmank| 3.21.11 @ 8:38AM
Did the author really open this article by stating, "$10 billion has been cut from the budget already"? Really?
That's a whopping cut of $10 billion from a federal budget of $3,700 billion!
Draconian, I say! Draconian!
Keep fiddling, Congressman Ryan. Rome is ablaze.
Melvin| 3.21.11 @ 8:39AM
People, all these cuts in social welfare are fine well and good, but we need to go and cut where the real big money trophies are.
Corporate and Farm Subsidies to name a few. Recipients of Total USDA Subsidies from farms in United States totaled $246,718,000,000 in from 1995-2009.
2009 alone was $16,349,000,000. Fidelity National Title Insurance $4,851,323 was the top 2009 recipient of farm subsidy money. A insurance company receiving farm subsidies. Hmm I wonder what a insurance company plants in the soil?
According to the Cato Institute, the U.S. federal government spent $92 billion on corporate welfare during fiscal year 2006. Recipients included Boeing, Xerox, IBM, Motorola, Dow Chemical, and General Electric.
Now lookee, lookee, Barry's fav GE is in the to 10 of corporate welfare recipients.
Then state and local governments provide an additional $40-50 billion annually in economic development incentives.
If the budget boys in the House, want to go and get some rather large and fat trophy corporate bulls, Congressman Ryan doesn't have to look very far does he?
TVC15| 3.21.11 @ 8:40AM
Normally, I like it when a president and congress do nothing. It saves us alot of money. But now we've got some real problems that need immediate attentions and I fear that Obama and the Democrats are letting us down. Whatever the presidents issues are, he needs to get to the bargaining table and chart a real course to fiscal solvency for our country.
Timothy L. Pennell| 3.21.11 @ 8:50AM
Yeah. All these things that RYAN is saying, are nice. He's a nice man. A good boy. An Honest Boy.
So, my question to Mr. Ryan is: Since you have ALREADY Waived House Rules, well over 100 times, WHY did you claim that you COULDN'T, when it came to the $150 BILLION of OBAMACARE Implementation Money, that Fright Face and Cowboy Poetry Boy, stuck in to their Kill Our Health Care bill?
Until you SATISFACTORILY answer that? Who cares what you say?
EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
Melvin| 3.21.11 @ 8:54AM
Not that long ago there was a Senator or Congressman I have forgotten who, that said, "We would rather tweak it, than repeal it." Don't let the Republicans fool anyone, many of them want Obama Care or a near facsimile of it, more than the Democrats do.
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 3:36PM
>>Not that long ago there was a Senator or Congressman I have forgotten who, that said, "We would rather tweak it, than repeal it."
NJK| 3.21.11 @ 4:51PM
I agree. He has no credibility now.
saleboter| 3.21.11 @ 9:12AM
Party/golf boy hasn't been serious about anything, why should he on this?
spoofproof| 3.21.11 @ 9:25AM
Democrats? DEMOCRATS?? Democrats defending their sham-plans? As if--what? As if the rotten Democrat tax-subsidized lifestyle will ultimately win the battle for the minds and hearts of the American people? Hardly. The Democrat political party is reduced to pandering and violence. Complicit propagandists in the state-run media cover them with praise and admiration. And yet the most devoted welfare queen isn't chump enough to believe deep-down that the Democrat gravy-train will roll much longer. Obama's White House is printing worthless money to pay the bills. President Obama's czars are pushing for a pogrom brought to you by Richard Trumka's Thug Consortium of Corrupt Unions. At this point the only ones buying into the 21st century Democrat delusion of tax-subsidized grandeur are never-say-die ideologues. And OBTW f you don't think blood-in-the-streets isn't foremost in Richard Trumka's mind, you haven't been keeping up. His special brand of scaled-up Big Labor Violence is real, it's spreading, and Democrat political leaders are egging them on. Democrats are not Democrats any longer. Democrats are Leninist-style Communists. Believe it.
martin j smith| 3.21.11 @ 10:12AM
Here is another theory posed as a question: Is the Socialist democrat Party getting ready for a switcheroo in 2012 ? HIllary Dillery substitution as candidate for BHO ? Look at all of the rage at BHO for his Lybian games ? From the Left--but is this all theatre ?
Watch with amazement as BHO morphs into HRC.
LarryK| 3.21.11 @ 11:34AM
Liberals do not live in the real world. They have a fantasy that all they need to do is talk about a problem and it goes away.
"Let me be unambiguous about this..."
This guy is the "Empty Suit" president.
Perfect commercial for anyone that runs against O"bs" .
Republican candidate: "This country needs to control spending and cut our debt."
- commercial cuts to an empty suit hanging next to the presidential seal - silence.
etc ...
Oldefarte| 3.21.11 @ 11:37AM
This excrement has got to stop! Mostly Democrats [but Republicans to a much lesser degree] are at fault for historically overspending like a DRUNKEN SAILOR WITH A STOLEN CREDIT CARD. Since Democrats control 2/3 of government, nothing the Republicans are attempting to accompolish will be successful UNTIL THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER-VOTERS WAKE UP TO THE TRUTH AND SEND TO THEM MORE REINFORCEMENTS IN NOVEMBER OF 2012 [and especially replace the thief-in-chief @ 1600]!!!!!!!!!
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 12:54PM
Why does it ALWAYS have to be a drunken sailor? Why not a drunken Air Force guy?
Wayne | 3.21.11 @ 5:42PM
I know when I was in the Army during Viet Nam it would be a doped up soldier.
Drunken Sailor| 3.22.11 @ 11:13AM
Because once we get off that ship we have all that money saved up from collecting paychecks in the middle of the ocean. And we hold our liquor better. :)
Oldefarte| 3.22.11 @ 4:44PM
Sorry, guys, no harm intended [just an old expression]. Maybe it was a DRUNKEN OLD FART instead. Let he who has not sinned......also to each and every soldier, sailor, marine, etc, please accept my sincere THANK YOU FOR YOUR MILITARY SERVICE !!!!!!!!!!
Yosemeti Sam| 3.21.11 @ 11:39AM
" ... given the recent letter he received from a
bipartisan group of 64 senators calling on
him to show some leadership on cutting the deficit...."
Wait a minute, wait a minute - WAIT A MINUTE!
This large-eared Resident ( who won't hear a thing cause he just has that golf swing upper most in his mind) in the Peoples' White House - merely SIGNS legislative bills.
So, y'all Leftoid Democrats - show some LEADERSHIP by blocking monstrous spending bills for BHO to SIGN.
Or are y'all still getting fish heads in your daily Washington Post/nyt?
Louis Tully| 3.21.11 @ 1:39PM
The headline promised news of Ryan finally "taking the battle" to Obama. The post however delivers no such thing.
NO ONE in the GOP leadership is "taking the battle" to Obama. They are going along to get along, as always. Primary all of them, starting with Boehner and Cantor. they have to be replaced by leaders.
We don't have a remote chance of righting this ship with the current opposition leadership.
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 4:56PM
Bump
Dan| 3.21.11 @ 2:01PM
3 easy steps to federal solvency:
1. Prohibit the States from outlawing the sale and purchase of insurance across State lines, under the Commerce Clause.
2. Repeal Medicare. It is unconstitutional.
3. Repeal Medicaid. It is unconstitutional.
Problem solved.
The people and the states will deal with those poor people who cannot seem to take care of themselves.
Strudwick Wickerwire| 3.21.11 @ 2:32PM
Scares-the-scat-outta-me-talk, is Obama being re-elected and I shouldn't have to remind those who care, that if Obama gets a couple more supreme court justices, it's flat-out over, we're doomed!!!
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 3:28PM
Paul Ryan is a socialist and big government stalwart.
I know a lot of you are going to come back and say I am crazy and come back with XYZ evidence. All of Ryan's so-called fiscal responsibility are idea and proposals. When it come to actions or votes, Ryan is always on the side of big government. Once his vaunted roadmap threatened to become a reality, he started doing everything he could to make it not happen.
Whie the governor of his state was staking his career on a battle with Unions, Paul Ryan was saving an unfair sweetheart deal the unions have in Congress.
Paul Ryan should be a top target for removal in 2012. He'll probably switch to become a Democrat, which is fine. As a Republican he's deceptive backstabber.
(He should change his name to Tip O'Neill II)
martin j smith| 3.21.11 @ 3:54PM
I think the Tea Party must take over the Republican Party over time thru primaries and other challenges
Thru demonstrations,picketing,major call ins and e-mails etc. Target those that are RINOS thru primaries, adds, etc which expose their political records. Do more political stings like thones against ACORN and NPR but--you nee to get further up the food chain.
NJK| 3.21.11 @ 4:49PM
I lost respect for Paul Ryan and the Republican Party when they funded Obamacare through the CR last week. I don't listen to them anymore. Don't believe a word they say. I think we need to get most of them out of there. The Republicans have shown themselves to be weak.
They are all bark, no bite. I won't be donating a dime for this upcoming election. I'll give to the candidates of my choice, and the Senate Conservatives Fund. Senator DeMint walks the walk.
Ted| 3.21.11 @ 4:56PM
I agree.
I Survived Arlen Specter| 3.21.11 @ 5:49PM
I also agree NJK. The Inspecter Clouseau Party are too spineless & stupid to be trusted. I trust God alone to reverse the course this nation is currently on & only God can undo all of the damage the Man-Child administration is doing. Take care NJK & God bless!
Wayne | 3.21.11 @ 5:40PM
"Some $10 billion has been cut from that budget already."
We are not that naive. We know the spending in that time has increased more than that amount. Hence NOTHING has been actually cut. The GOP is not really for a smaller government. They just think they can run a big government more efficiently. This is a shell game.
shipley130| 3.21.11 @ 5:51PM
Obama is busy giving oil drilling permits to frenemies.
PCP Smoker| 3.21.11 @ 8:34PM
Obama is a scumbag who should die but changing this particular statement ("The Congressional Budget Office's report exposes the widening gulf between the President's rhetoric and his budget's reality,") exposes the timidity and cluelessness of the GOP leadership. Paraphrasing the sentence one gets, "The Congressional majority's support for the 105 billion to Obamacare, exposes the widening gulf between the GOP's rhetoric and their legislative reality."
Creative Recreation | 8.10.11 @ 11:42PM
is good