President Obama shouldn't have a leg to stand on in the budget
fight. As I detailed
yesterday, every shred of actual data points to unprecedented
debt as a result of his policies, while his promised "savings"
materialize only in some mystery world in the future. But he does
have two important things going for him -- the fact that
Democrats have a significant majority in Congress, and the fact
that Republicans have not yet gotten their act together.
Facing some uncharacteristically tough questions about his budget
during Tuesday's press conference, Obama turned the tables,
taunting, "the critics tend to criticize, but they don't
offer an alternative budget." Rather than wait until they were
ready to unveil an alternative plan, Republicans took the bait.
In a hastily arranged press conference yesterday, Minority Leader
John Boehner waved a booklet, and boasted, "Two nights ago the
president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of
Republicans.' Well, it's just not true because – Here it is, Mr.
President." (Video
below.)
Unfortunately, despite the macho talk, the 19-page document
Boehner waved included general proposals, but no actual
projections of how it would impact the deficit relative to the
White House budget. Pretty soon, Republicans were downplaying the
booklet as a mere blueprint of their actual budget, to be
released next week. And the Politico
reported infighting among Republicans, because some members
felt (rightly, in my view) that it would be better to wait an
extra week to release a serious alternative, rather than rush out
a half-baked proposal with few specifics that would be easy to
mock.
SCHOOLYARD bullies have a
simple trick that usually gets results. Challenge another kid
to a fight. If he declines, call him a "chicken". Presto—his
dignity under assault, he'll come back and accept your
challenge, and lose.
Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives got called
"chicken", rolled up their sleeves, and got kicked in the mud.
Many conservatives continue to underestimate Obama, pinning him
as some naive rube who is in over his head and unable speak
without a telepromter. But, while his policies may be dangerous,
he remains a skilled politician, and he played this one
beautifully.
About the Author
Philip Klein is The American Spectator's Washington correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Philipaklein
