George Rebane
Republicans have their undies in a bundle about how to go forward on demanding spending cuts to reduce our astronomical deficits, and ultimately getting to a balanced budget. As you no doubt have read here, there and every other place, nickel and diming the cuts along the current process of continuing resolutions will not solve any existential fiscal problem the country has. Fred Barnes, executive editor of the Weekly Standard, argues in today’s 28mar11 WSJ (here) that nickel and diming is just the ticket for the Repubs to sweep the 2012 elections, and then take the big cleaver to the entitlements, which is required to make a dent in our insane socialist spending spree and intrusive government growth.
Barnes’ argument hangs on the notion that if the government ‘shuts down’ during the Repub control of the House, while the unrepentant Dems successfully beat back meaningful cuts, then the Dems will sweep the elections. And tiny cuts is the only process that the Dems will accept. The way forward is to chip away at the budget, getting a couple of bil spending cuts here and another couple of bil a few weeks later (nearby figure filched from the WSJ article). Barnes summarizes his argument by exhorting the Repubs to avoid “sacrificing spending cuts you can get on the altar of those you can’t.”
A closer read of Fred’s piece reveals a pretty big omission in the arguments that he so neatly stacks up for us. I think the Dems are happier than Brer Rabbit (‘Ooooh, don’t throw me in that briar patch! No, no, no!!’) with this bit by piece approach that the current House leadership seems to celebrate (see also my related post on Congressman McClintock). Now I don’t claim to be the smartest liberal tactician on the block, but here’s what I see the Dems message next year after the series of these niggardly spending cuts have been negotiated and put in place.
The Dems will simply tell the simpletons out there that ‘It is we who fought tooth and nail for you, and prevented the Repubs from gutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and … (wait for it) the necessary spending for our men and women in the military who keep our nation secure. We are on the side of Main Street and jobs, not the fat cats who don’t need these entitlements for their retirement and care. And when you put us back in control of government, it is we progressives who will bring back social justice, and tax the bejeezus out of the rich which will solve all our money problems. Happy times will be here again.’ This song has made it to the top of the charts before, and given a chance – as Barnes suggests and the Repubs are doing – it will be there again before November 2012. Count on it.
rebanesruminations.com 
Leave a comment