Posted on 04/10/2011 7:16:41 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Here’s the unvarnished pitch House Speaker John Boehner would love to make to his conservative critics if he could just let it fly: “You are winning, and winning decisively. So stop your whining.”
And here’s the unvarnished truth about that pitch: Boehner would be spot on.
The winners and losers of this weekend’s 11th-hour budget deal may be in dispute. But the broader trajectory of politics, stretching back to the spring of 2009, is not. The Republican — and, yes, the tea party — agenda is not only ascendant, it’s driving the debate over reshaping government at every level.
Jubilant top Republicans told POLITICO in interviews that they plan to use the momentum from the budget fight to take a hard line with President Barack Obama in the fiscal fights of the months ahead. And the GOP leaders said they believe their new advantage in the national debate will lift the party’s presidential candidates — none of whom right now looks capable of beating Obama.
“The debate is now on our side of the field,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said from Sioux Falls. “This is just the opening act. But these upcoming debates are not going to be about whether we’re going to reduce the cost and size of government, but how much. That’s very good ground for Republicans to fight on.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Obama Reached Breaking Point After Tense Hour With Boehner...
none of whom right now looks capable of beating Obama.
Really? Polls constantly show a number of candidates within reach or ahead. A generic Republican beats him, too, so our voters will coalesce around whoever wins (assuming they are reasonable conservative and can campaign relatively well). The liberal drum beat of 'no one can beat Obama' is going to get so tiresome.
I agree some what. ANY cuts in the socialist spending agenda is a good thing. As with my wife and I, if we save $50, $100, or $500, it is saved and can be used another day. We have tried to cut as much as we can. We have cut back on a good many things. We don’t go to movies any more and of course haven’t for the most part for years, we cut back on eating out, we cut back on other things. The gov-ment has not given a SS check increase or retired military pay increase in two years. We don’t look for one this year. My wife’s Medicare insurance is said to be going to triple in the next three years and the gov-ment wants to triple or more our retired military health care payments also. That is going to cost us an additional $500-$750 per month by the time they are done for health care increases. We still do not know where we are going to get that from out of our budget. I guess we will quit eating all together.
The results are illuminating (9844 total respondents):
Harry Reid 40.11%
Barack Obama 30.42
No one/Everyone 10.84
John Boehner 6.32
Nancy Pelosi 5.48
Tea Party 4.56
Others 2.28
In other words, 76% of self-identified conservatives believe that the Democrats (Reid or Obama or Pelosi) lost the fight. At the same time, only 10% believed that Boehner or the Tea Party were on the losing side.
Moreover, there is another very interesting insight in the accompanying article.
Another important discovery: Excluding national defense, scheduled discretionary spending between now and the end of FY2011 amounted to only $230 billion. Thus, of the total dollars available to be cut, Boehner separated Reid from over 17% of them. In that context, $38.5 billion is a rather remarkable number.
Link to article: Who Was The Budget Battles Biggest Loser?
Moreover, all the spending cuts were reportedly achieved by actually eliminating programs. There was no one-time temporary reduction in funding. What that means is that, by virtue of a relatively piddling $38.5 billion in FY2011 cuts, the savings in the out years will be substantial.
Over the standard ten-year budget cycle, a one-year cut of $38.5 billion translates to a ten-year total of at least $385 billion in cuts. That's almost half-a-trillion. And, if we're looking to cut trillions, that's a pretty good start.
Sorry, can't say exactly what programs were actually eliminated -- but I'll try to find them.
Politico can pour itself a nice big cup of STFU.
And unlike the Feds you’re not using the credit card for everything for half of every year - and certainly not calling a 2% reduction in it’s use a major breakthrough.
This person is on drugs...Obama is a disaster
It’s just a game. The GOP and dnc are pretending they are not on the same side
Real analysis explaining liberals (politicos) BS propaganda.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2702733/posts?page=2
The fact that Mike Allen and Pollutico are cheering Boehner and his GOP cronies on should raise all kinds of red flags.
When Politico starts praising us on a ‘win’ you know we got royally screwed.
BOENER MUST STEP DOWN~!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, when they cut your retirement resources, after it is too late to adjust your retirement plans accordingly, you have just been screwed. They are doing it to everyone.
Boehner COULD just say “it will be this way because we won,” but that would make him sound too much like a partisan, egotistical little pr&%k.
See this one:
Rush today said this is all about the Republicans, Democrats and media elite going after the tea party by making Boehner look like a hero and doing anything possible to diminish the tea party.
We got nothing.
John Boehner Must Go
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2702879/posts
Democrats and the GOP are playing “good cop, bad cop” with the Tea Party members.
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