Republicans got more cuts by pulling their punches on social issues like abortion. Democrats gained public relations points in the final hours of the budget showdown by blaming the Republican social agenda for an impending shutdown, but in the end they gave up more ground on spending cuts in exchange for postponing votes on the GOP policy riders.
President Obama acknowledged after the last-minute deal that the planned cuts were "painful" and not what he would have preferred. No kidding. This new plan is nearly $80 billion cheaper than the budget he had originally proposed.
GOP leaders shrewdly staked their negotiations on social changes they probably knew would never fly. By "sacrificing" those aims in the end game they clearly won more cuts from Democrats. And to pacify their conservative base they also won Senate agreement for upcoming votes on proposals such as defunding Planned Parenthood.
If this debate was about pushing Obama to accept more cuts than what many Democrats wanted, it looks like Republicans won.
Craig blogs daily for CQ Roll Call
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If the US Government was a human, it would have gone bankrupt multiple times.
If the US Government was a business, it would have gone brankrupt multiple times.
Since the US Government cannot go bankrupt, let's just keep spending money. What's the worst that could happen?
^I stand by the fact that Tea Party, Republicans, and Democrats ALL think this way, regardless of their words. Their actions have proven time and time again to be otherwise.
The cuts in this latest deal which you refer to as a "win" will not offset the recent tax breaks given to millionaires/billionaires of this country as well as corporations.
I am dismayed that they are obscenely giving tax breaks while they insist upon abolishing Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, etc.
Yet, those Republicans, who were so worried about "death panels for Grandma and Grandpa," are unconcerned about the pound of flesh that the "private corporations" will extract from Americans who pay for insurance when so many elderly default from paying their medical bills because of insufficent "voucher" monies.
As an Independent voter, I know that the war will ultimately be won by those individuals in Congress (whether they be (R)epublican, (D)emocrat, or (I)ndependent) who stand up for the rights of all Americans, be they poor or wealthy.
In my opinion, the chances of those heroic Americans having an R by their name is slim to none in the current Congress.
Half the nation would like to see some of these votes in the senate over things they don't want supported.
Maintaining present spending at such high levels is not acceptable to the voters. Even Obama is now going to take back his failed big spending budget plan and offer a new one with major cuts. Why? Because the voters may run him out in 2012 if he doesn't come out for major cuts to unsustainable levels of spending in social programs.
Obama gets it! America wants the deficits dealt with.
Likely GOP is expecting Democrats to raise the taxes; and President to cut defense. Tea Party leaders indicate they are open to both options.
When these two additional pieces of the package fall in place, GOP non-discreÂtionary spending cutbacks will be reduced, and we'll likely get a 10 or 15 year budget which all can agree.
Let's hope that over this period we eliminate federal debt of 15.5 Trillion, State and local govt debt of 2.4 Trillion, unfunded pension obligation Âs of 3.5 Trillion (which includes 2.6 Trillion owed to the Social Secuirty Trust Fund). And within three years we should have balanced-bÂudgets which itself will start reducing the annual interest on the debt of 0.2 Trillion.
GOP controls one half of one third of govt. They also control Supreme Court. In all seriousness, its the ProgressivÂes that only control left 1/3 of the Democratic Party.
Most voters are working Americans who are tired of seeing (every two weeks), 30% of their pay dissappear in the pay stub; and half their income dissappear in other state taxes like sales, property, gas, tolls, licensing fees, etc.
Even Democrat governor of liberal NY had to promise a cap on property-tax. One group that badly desired that cap, as private home-ownerÂs, were public school teachers.
Over the past 10 years, the spending by the federal government has DOUBLED . . . Clinton's last budget FY 2000 was $1.9 trillion, last year we spent $3.8 trillion.
Semper fi
It is a straight up and down math problem and none of them are willing to get in there and do the work.
I have some experience with the health care thing..Medicare and Medicaid are full of waste fraud and abuse. Rather than cut these programs why not get after the three dollar (1/4 penny) aspirins and the 1000 dollar blood (50 cent) tests and 500 dollar (2 dollar)ace bandages. Military spending? And so on and so on.
God forbid these politicians would have to review and decide things in detail instead of talking pure crap all the time. That cuts both ways Republicans and Democrats.
Obama enters negotiations making concessions before the negotiations even begin, a very untraditional bargaining approach.
It really shouldn't come as any surprise than republicants as a result come out on top every time.
If Obama was serious he's approach the negotiations stating he wanted to cut subsidies for Big Oil and Big Corn. That way he'd have something to exchange in return for republicant concessions. To suggest that limiting cuts to 38 billion is like arguing that a mugger stole your wallet but let you keep your watch was a good bargain.