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Adieu, Adieu, Remember Me
March 25, 2011 | 38 comments
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DeMint’s Defense of RomneyCare is Ignorant…And Dangerous
March 17, 2011 | 85 comments
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McConnell Pushing Vote to Block the EPA from Regulating Carbon Emissions
March 17, 2011 | 9 comments
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More Barbour on Afghanistan
March 16, 2011 | 8 comments
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House Passes Three Week Spending Bill
March 15, 2011 | 8 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Today, President Obama’s reckless budget proposal gave the Republicans ample opportunity for crowing, as it exposed the administration’s unseriousness at addressing the nation’s debt crisis. Even long time Obama cheerleader Andrew Sullivan was taken aback: “All of us who took Obama’s pitch as fiscally responsible were duped.”
Yet while the administration provided Republicans with a big pinata today, their celebration could be short-lived. Before too long, the House GOP will have to deliver a budget of its own, and they won’t be in an easy position. Given all of the big talk from Republicans today and over the past several years, they’ll look like fools unless their budget reduces deficits substantially more than the Obama budget claims to. Yet there’s a problem on that front. As everybody knows, the big money is in entitlements, but it’s difficult to find immediate savings in these programs.
Many of the most obvious ways to wring savings out of Medicare were already used to pay for the new national health care entitlement Obama created. And during the health care debate, Republicans went after those Medicare cuts ferociously, and then campaigned against them last fall. One of the ways that they were able to reconcile their position was to argue that they don’t support cuts to entitlements for those at or near retirement who have built their lives around the current system. That’s been the position of Rep. Paul Ryan, now chairman of the Budget Committee. For all the talk of his “Roadmap” being radical, in reality his proposed reforms would be phased in over time, and it would take decades to bring the budget into balance. For instance, according to the Congressional Budget Office, debt would be 69 percent of GDP under the “Roadmap” in 2020, still extraordinarily high even though it would be lower than the 77 percent projected under Obama’s proposal (though, granted that 77 percent figure is based on the Obama administration’s economic forecasts). The real importance of the “Roadmap” is in reassuring bond markets that America has some sort of plan to gain conrtol of our long-term debt. But politically speaking, the budget impact won’t be apparent in the next several years or even decade. And still, Republicans have not embraced the proposal as a party.
So if they aren’t ready to endorse something along the lines of the “Roadmap,” they’re boxed in when it comes to immediate savings on entitlements, and raising taxes or slashing the military budget is out of the question, how are they going to generate massive deficit reduction? It’s tough to answer that. There’s a conflct between those who want to prove that Republicans mean business and those who are worried that if they come out for drastic cuts that Obama will be able to portray them as extremists. That means they could end up splitting the difference — with cuts that will be portrayed as draconian in the media and yet still insufficient for the problem at hand.
Obama made a decision today. Instead of being a leader on the nation’s biggest long-term challenge, he decided to play politics. But just because he looks foolish today, doesn’t mean that his political strategy won’t be effective. Paul Ryan definitely has his work cut out for him.
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More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/02/14/gop-in-a-tight-spot-on-the-bud
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Floyd Looney | 2.14.11 @ 8:03PM
They need to introduce a $2 trillion budget.
danny| 2.14.11 @ 9:06PM
Floyd, less than that man, think big! 1.2 oughta do.
Curly Smith| 2.14.11 @ 9:12PM
It's widely reported that fraud accounts for 20% of all Medicare spending (which in my mind means it's far higher than 20%). If we can hire 15,000 IRS agents to ensure that I buy health insurance then you'd think we could hire 2 auditors to provide a smidgen of Medicare oversight. You'd think that the CongressCritters were profiting from the fraud given the lack of attention to financial oversight and the decades-long fraud problem.
NotALibertarian| 2.14.11 @ 9:13PM
Why is it so hard to cut off funding for scientific research, bureaus that the public doesn't even know about and agencies that the public doesn't care about? Just tell the people at NOAA they need to clear out their desks. And then cut the pay of all remaining government employees by 10%.
PCC| 2.14.11 @ 10:15PM
Entitlements have to be put on a long-term sound financial basis. Everyone in America knows this and most are ready for it, excepting, of course, the greedy oldsters.
The most obvious method to attack this problem would be to (1) leave current beneficiaries alone, (2) nibble at upcoming beneficiaries (say, 55 and older), (3) extend age of eligibility and cut benefits by 10% of those from, say, 45 to 55, and (4) partially or wholly privatize benefits for those under 45. By the time we get to the under 21s, they should understand clearly that when they're in a tight spot financially, they should be looking to their families, friends and private charities for help, not their fellow taxpayers.
Ultimately, the government's goal should be to minimize its role as a dole machine, with the operating principle being that benefit-receiving generations should only receive as much as they put in. Oh, heresy!
This approach is a vote winner for those who have the courage to propose and fight for it.
And, by the way, the "boys with their toys" in Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security will also have to give up at least 10% of their annual budgets as far as the eye can see. DOD can squeak by on $600 billion a year.
jfxgillis | 2.14.11 @ 10:29PM
Phillip:"Many of the most obvious ways to wring savings out of Medicare were already used to pay for the new national health care entitlement Obama created. And during the health care debate, Republicans went after those Medicare cuts ferociously, and then campaigned against them last fall."
Um. Yeah.
Maybe you can repeal ACA, then put back thosae cuts, then we can run against you.
Good times.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 2.15.11 @ 5:38AM
The greatest falsehood in D.C. is that these federal agencies are even needed.
JP| 2.15.11 @ 7:29AM
Is anyone really surprised that our President is taking a page right out of Clinton's playbook (see what he did to Gingrich in 1995 vis-a-vis Medicare)? The President understood (as most people) that the GOP boxed itself into a corner. And given the simple fact that all funding measures must begin in the House, the President will allow Boehner and co. to offer the first real cuts to entitlements. And when the House GOP does that, Democratic operatives will begin a massive disinformation campaign (I can just see the mass mailing headlines: GOP WANTS YOUR GRADMA TO EAT ALPO WHILE HALIBRUTON CEO DINES ON CAVIAR!!!!!! It will be good for several millions in campaign funds and put the GOP on the defensive.
Or so Obama hopes. I think Boehner shouldn't blink, but go ahead and make the cuts per Ryan's Roadmap. If the GOP backs-off, not only will it deflate any momentuem, but it will signal to all that the Teaparty movement was just a smoke and mirrors.
Let the House GOP lead the way with sensible cuts. If they all stay on message (collapse of the federal budget in a sea of red ink; hyperinflation; and another recession), and pound away at the spend thrift Dems, voters will realize who is serious. The President and his party will look even more ridiculous. The GOP must stick to its guns; the politics will take care of itself.
David W| 2.15.11 @ 8:29AM
How difficult is it, really, how difficult is it. For all of the posturing the Dept of Education is still around (giving out grants to create mandatory Arab languange classes in Texas?)? The Department of Agriculture which is responsible for the Pigford debacle? Department of Energy? These departments don't teach, they don't grow anything, and they don't produce any energy. If these "industries" need research then they can damn well pay for it themselves (and I own stock in some of these companies and they have the money). I can't understand why the Republicans can't gut these departments right here and now (especially after hearing that the Dept of Energy (?) will take the money saved by the raise freeze and spend it on something else). If the Republicans can't cut or gut these departments at least 50% then heaven help us.
WL| 2.15.11 @ 9:28AM
Why do we always read about the difficult position the Republicans are in to do what they were elected to do? Especially from our "conservative" websites. ..?????
I have an idea... Give the Repubs two choices...
1. SLASH THE HECK OUT OF THE BUDGET like they were supposed to do when we voted for them.
2. Don't slash the budget, and get bullied around AGAIN, Lie to us AGAIN, and ADMIT that there is nothing they can do because they are cowards, resign so somebody serious about the stinking COUNTRY's well being can take over for them...and just QUIT.
Every time we go up against the Dems on an issue....WE ALWAYS HEAR THE SAME CHORUS from THEM A-N-D OUR SO-CALLED CONSERVATIVE WRITERS about what a bunch of ninny's we all are because OBAMA has the audacity to do JUST THE OPPOSITE of what voters voted for in NOVEMBER....a sweeping defeat of his stupid ideas...
I AM SICK OF THIS and becoming more and more convinced that we are just getting duped into voting for these idiots.
GET OVER YOURSELVES and SHUT THE DARN GOVERNMENT DOWN IF YOU NEED TO...
LET ME LET YOU READERS IN ON A LITTLE SECRET....here...it...is.....
NEWT THE POOT AND HIS GANG DIDN'T SINK BECAUSE THEY SHUT IT DOWN...THEY SANK BECAUSE THEY LOST THEIR NERVE CLINTON OUTLASTED THEM....
COWARDS ARE ....COWARDS DO.
Deborah D | 2.15.11 @ 9:46AM
Hear! Hear! Just do it, already. Have the fight. If you're scared of the Mainstream Media, then what the heck are you doing in the Republican Party? You should know and already have your talking points down. Get on the new media and make your case. We need radicals because we have a radical in the White House and all that's left of the Democratic Party are radicals. Fight fire with fire already. The time for pussy-footing around is gone. We're losing our frikin' country. Read that again: We're losing our frikin' country. That's what's at stake here. Forget your damn re-election. We won't have a country to run...do your jobs.
grant1863| 2.15.11 @ 9:54AM
I would like to see some TV ads and lots of graphs showing where we are at and where we are going. Why let the MSM dicate the message, Do a Ronald Reagan and go around them. Surely there are some 527's or whatever that can go direct to the American people with a clear message of our troubles and solutions. Churchill did it.
S. E.| 2.16.11 @ 12:36PM
Any wonder why America wants to draft Chris Christie for president?...!