Posted by
Bill Crawford on Saturday, April 23, 2011 9:55:43 PM
Between his caterwaulings about Congressman Ryan's ten year proposal, the President has somehow decided there is a curve out there that he has to stay ahead of. That is probably why his February budget is in the amnesia file and he has kicked out his second in two months.
This one has actual cuts in it. The White House has obviously settled on a talking point of $4 trillion. Funny thing is, for some odd reason, they've dropped the standard ten year model, and stretched it to twelve. Why twelve? They don't say, so I will: it's to add enough time to get to $4 trillion.
Only less than half of that is in budget cuts- the remainder is supposed to be done by repealing the Bush tax cuts on upper incomes. So, that's how much? Two tril over twelve years? The federal behemoth has added a trillion dollars a year in spending since 2008, and he wants to scale back $170 billion a year? That's his best shot?
Let's get real, folks. Reagan agreed to a tax hike in 1986 and was promised $3 in cuts for every dollar in tax increase. In 1991, Bush Sr. raised taxes again and was promised $2 for $1. Neither President got bupkus. On top of that, Clinton used Bush's "no new taxes" pledge against him in the '92 campaign! Where on earth does Obama get the idea that anybody in the House is going to negotiate with him on this?
This issue is dead. The House will pass Ryan's budget with minor variations- after which it will die. There will be no significant concession on either side, and the White House wuill do the best they can to cough up something out of Appropriations, even if they backpedal the whole way. And none of this will get decided until the 2012 election, which is how something this big should be decided.
Past that, here is the Tea Party reality: the swing voters are no less scared witless over the debt and deficits than they were last year. Ryan's budget is not the final answer to anything, but it is a numerical framework for what is coming.
And here's the really crazy part: eventually, to solve this problem, the middle class in this country will take a hit in taxes. The size of the hit they will accept will shock and amaze, when it happens.
But there won't be any hit, until they first see that the government can cut back. The cuts have to come first. There will be no raise taxes and promise the cuts deal. There just won't.
And if you Progressives think you had all the crap you are going to take, wait until next year. You're on the wrong side of history. Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger.