Budget Tricks Helped Obama Save Favorite Programs From Cuts

AOLNews ^ | Apr 12, 2011 | Andrew Taylor

[detective]

WASHINGTON -- The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.

Such moves permitted Obama to save favorite programs -- Pell grants for poor college students, health research and "Race to the Top" aid for public schools, among others -- from Republican knives, according to new details of the legislation released Tuesday morning.

[detective]

The so called "cuts" were less than 1% of the total budget. They were also not real. They were accounting tricks and money that would not have been spent anyway. The Democrats threatened to shut down the government and deny pay to the military to prevent any real responsibile spending limits.

[Matchett-PI]

This is what is called, “putting the Trent Lott” advice into action:

Trent Lott on Tea Party candidates: ‘As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them’
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2010/07/19/trent-lott-on-tea-party-candidates-as-soon-as-they-get-here-we-need-to-co-opt-them/
12:27 pm July 19, 2010, by Jay

The money quote from a Washington Post piece on the Tea Party and Washington’s GOP establishment:

Former Senate majority leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), now a D.C. lobbyist, warned that a robust bloc of rabble-rousers spells further Senate dysfunction. “We don’t need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples,” Lott said in an interview. “As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.”

But Lott said he’s not expecting a tea-party sweep. “I still have faith in the visceral judgment of the American people,” he said.

[kabar]

Business as usual. Both parties are guilty of fooling the public into thinking that real cuts were made. Boehner lost this one big time. As a result, the Dems want to create the impression that the Reps won knowing full well that they won. And Boehner is happy to go along with the story because it makes him and the GOP establishment look good—or so they think—with the Tea Party. The reality is that the Dem and GOP establishments don’t want real cuts and they would still like earmarks, no matter how disguised.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Such moves permitted Obama to save favorite programs

Every program is Zero's "favorite program".

[not2worry]

Well Trent Lott certainly is showing his true colors.

I suspect all his senior colleagues will soon be big dollar lobbyists like Trent.

I am really sick and tired of being had by the GOP!

[Prokopton]

Crybaby Boehner was bitch-slapped by Reid and left in a blubbering heap on the floor. Yeah, it was a great victory all right, I bet Obama chuckles every time he thinks of his "defeat".

We have to get new leadership or we will continue to lose every battle.

[Qbert]

“The full details of Friday’s agreement were released early Tuesday Morning. They reveal a lot of one-time savings and cuts that officially “score” as cuts to pay for spending elsewhere, but often have little to no actual impact on the deficit.”

It’s amazing how many Republicans can’t/don’t want to grasp this concept as they burble away at how “historic” this is.

[Vaduz]

Looks like old three card Monte still has a fast hand.