This raises an obvious question:
Senate Republicans are growing impatient with the stalemate over 2011 funding levels and want to save their political capital for a debate on the debt limit and entitlement reform.
But they must contend with bloc of House conservatives who want an unqualified budget victory over President Obama.
For these die-hard conservatives, anything less than slashing $61 billion in spending and cutting funds for Planned Parenthood, the EPA and National Public Radio would be a capitulation.
Senior Republican lawmakers, however, say they need to preserve their political juice for the fight over the debt limit and entitlement reform, which is a more important.
We’re actually debating last year’s budget which only covers government spending through the end of September. So, would it be possible to force the Republicans into basically exhausting their political capital over this fight, leaving them in a substantially weakened position to fight on next year’s budget, the debt limit, and any entitlement reform? And, how would we do that?
It’s a good question. I think the Democrats are offering a reasonable counterproposal on the budget. If anything, it’s too generous. The key is to convince the general public of two things. The first is that the Democrats made difficult and serious concessions in the interest of cutting government spending, and the second is that the Republicans’ spurned those concessions.
When a deal is finally struck, hopefully after a brief government shutdown that is blamed on radicals in the Republican Party, the public needs to be left with the impression that the Democrats have made sacrifices that anger their base while the Republicans have refused to make any contribution toward solving our long-term budget problems.
It’s not easy to set narratives when the Republicans have such media dominance, however. The danger is that we make concessions and find ourselves in the same position all over again when it comes to the debt limit or next year’s budget. That’s why it’s important that we let the Republicans overplay their hand now, because this fight is only over spending for the next six months, while the next battles will be more significant.
Sorry for being totally O/T; I think a major renovation in the right hand aisle would be good. Tons of unwanted spam on the shelves…
you’re not shopping for a wedding dress or faux Ed Hardy (what is that?) clothing?
Boo, are you too much in despair to post on the PA rep who fears Obama may invade Africa after Libya? or is it just too much “I told you so”?
Here’s IMO a more likely frame: the Republicans stood fast by their principled. The Democrats capitulated, again, and have nothing to show for it except more Republican-approved budget cuts.
It’s not that complicated, really. Nothing 11-dimensional about it. The R’s count on the fact that the Dems will blink first, because (choose your interpretation) 1) The Dems actually care about governing; or 2) The Dems are a party of wimps.
2) is the dominant narrative, and is incredibly powerful and corrosive. Why Democrats knowingly walk right into it every time mystifies me.
Based on the messaging, I don’t see any Democratic strategy, multi-dimensional or not. I see floundering, internal lack of coordination, and no one in Congress knowing what the heck the White House is up to.
But I also see Republican inflexibility and overreach, which because they took on the debt limit means they have to deal with the continuing resolution of FY2011 funding (there being no appropriation). Having thrown the steering wheel out of the car, they expect the Democratic car to dodge, but have suddenly come to realize that they need the steering wheel to avoid the brick wall rushing towards them. The Tea Party crowd drove them to play “chicken” on the wrong vote. Or the strategy is continuing the constant harassment of the Obama administration until November 2012.
The question is when will the public gets tired of these games with their lives and starts punishing Republicans and the corporate media.
let him shut it down. tired of going back and forth
OT but not completely I hope: is the current coordinated union-busting and benefits-cutting push on the state level a miscalculation on the part of the Kochbaggers? I cannot see what they will accomplish with this except mobilizing the dem base. Did they misjudge their mandate, is it “take the money and run”? The latest is evidently NH, a very poor state. The budget cuts will almost certainly result in the deaths of many ppl now living on the edge.