Posted on 01/19/2013 7:42:05 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Okay, it’s official. According to the Treasury Department, the U.S. debt jumped to $16.1 trillion in 2012 from $14.8 trillion in 2011. That’s a $1.3 trillion deficit for the last year. Remarkable. During President Obama’s first term, the federal debt rose by roughly $6 trillion.
Now, if they are bold, House Republicans will take advantage of these dismal numbers. Bold means bold spending cuts, as in cut spending like there’s no tomorrow. Bold means implementing the $1.2 trillion spending sequester. Bold means an absolute rock-solid commitment to spending cuts. A new Rasmussen survey shows that 62 percent of Americans favor across-the-board spending cuts. That includes every program of the federal government, according to the survey.
So Republicans can persuade the public about bold spending cuts. They can make it their key message and central marketing strategy. If they don’t, they risk losing the House in 2014.
Voters are smart. Another Rasmussen poll shows that 68 percent of Americans say cutting government spending is the solution to our economic problems. Support for cutting government spending has generally remained in the high 60s to low 70s over the past couple of years. Voters realize full well that a private, free-enterprise economy that holds on to more of its hard-earned money while the government share of the economy shrinks is pro-growth. Limited government is a tax cut.
Unlike the recent fiscal-cliff tax-hike deal, we need to let successful earners, investors, and risk-takers keep more of what they earn as an incentive to remain the activists who drive the economy. Of course, Obama wants another $1 trillion in taxes. But Republicans must just say no. (While they’re at it, the GOP should cut tax rates for large and small businesses to 25 percent.)
As an extension to this hard-line spending message, the GOP must make it clear that spending cuts equal economic growth. Think Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and James Buchanan — all Nobel prize winners who argued that less spending means more growth.
And the GOP should stop paying people not to work as part of their spending-cut campaign. With unemployment falling modestly in the last couple of years, food stamps have exploded by 7.2 million recipients. That’s 10,000 per day, according to Ohio University professor Richard Vedder, even in an expanding economy. Social Security disability payments also have exploded. So have long-term, extended-unemployment benefits.
It’s this simple: If you pay people not to work, they won’t work. And if they won’t work, the economy won’t grow.
This is part of the spending-cut message. The GOP has to repeat this message again and again.
Now, we know President Obama is against spending cuts. In his debt-ceiling speech this week, all he did was demonize the Republican party, saying the GOP is making America a deadbeat nation. Obama continues to blame Republicans for throwing old folks, young people, military troops, and others under the bus. Sheer demagoguery. Awful, divisive, non-compromising, non-leadership rhetoric.
But the GOP can make hay on this with a strong spending-cut, shrink-the-government message. With no gimmicks, please.
It’s okay to extend the debt-ceiling increase for another three months (as announced by Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership in Williamsburg, Va., this week). It’s also okay to use a continuing resolution to force short-term spending cuts, and maybe even get some long-term spending-cut plans going. Perhaps even the Democrats, who haven’t passed a budget in 1,360 days, will finally put one out in response to these Republican House measures.
But the idea of allowing the borrowing limit to expire, and using some kind of prioritization of payments while the government runs out of money, will not only damage the current economy, it will absolutely sink the Republican party for the 2014 midterm elections.
The bipartisan Policy Center projects that on March 1, the U.S. government will receive $20 billion in revenues to cover $84 billion in committed spending to obligations like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, military pay, and so forth and so on. Sure, we can cover the interest on the debt, which is only about $20 billion a month. But what about these other commitments? And how would such a dysfunctional approach look to world financial markets and credit-rating agencies?
That’s why gimmicks like this should not be used. They will snatch political defeat from the jaws of a potential spending-cut victory.
But the moral of this story is that congressional Republicans must develop an effective spending-cut message. And that message should be linked to economic growth and job creation. If they do that, they will help the economy and their political futures. If they don’t, they’re going to lose the House and undermine the economy.
I think it’s that simple.
– Larry Kudlow, NRO’s economics editor, is host of CNBC’s The Kudlow Report and author of the daily web log, Kudlow’s Money Politic$.
If there's no one better to be speaker than Boehner, then they shouldn't be elected dog catcher, much less to congress!
The thing is, it is impossible to do two things:
Send our industry to China.
(and)
Remain successful.
Neither party will recognize this simple fact. Until one does, we will continue to sink.
One side will choose America.
Which side?
I guess I have more patience than some, but it’s worn thin. I had high hopes after the elections of 1994, 2000, and 2010. They’ve been dashed.
I should have figured it out back in the 1990’s when we ttied to take back our city, and found the local GOP as much opposed to us as the Dems. The local GOP seems to be living up to an agreement that they have the county, and the Dems have the city, and the Old Boys get the taxpayer money from both. The problem is that while the GOP lives up to the agreement, the Dems, who rarely win anything outside the city, keep trying, while the GOP does not set foot in the city.
A pox on all of them.
Mr. Kudlow writes:
“This is part of the spending-cut message. The GOP has to repeat this message again and again.”
The GOP can “repeat this message again and again” ad infinitum, but I sense that an ever-growing percentage of the American population simply isn’t listening any more.
Kudlow concludes:
“…the moral of this story is that congressional Republicans must develop an effective spending-cut message. And that message should be linked to economic growth and job creation. If they do that, they will help the economy and their political futures. If they don’t, they’re going to lose the House and undermine the economy.”
I don’t think it matters -what- the Pubbies do between now and the 2014 elections, if they choose to base the crux of their election campaign on “economic issues”, they’re probably going to lose anyway. Just as in the New Year’s budget battle over “the fiscal cliff”.
If there’s anything the Republicans should do to demonstrate before Americans that they are an effective force against the ‘rats, it’s the current gun-control battle that provides potent ammunition. They should present a united front against Obama and the rest of the ‘rats in both the House and the Senate, and steadfastly refuse to consider ANY gun-control legislation. It’s can’t pass Congress without the House. The filibuster probably won’t work in the Senate any longer, but so long as the Pubbies have the majority in the House, Republican unity becomes an effective “alternative filibuster”.
Amen, I agree with you. At least they can stand for the 2nd amendment.
I just don’t know if they will anymore.
Lol. How would we know the difference.
The constituents with the most control in both political parties are pushing for big government spending—some more for federal spending and the others more for federal funding to state and local governments. The beginning of the end for big spending will be when bonds collapse. Government can’t continue big spending with funny money alone. Wheelbarrows of useless cash don’t make useful salaries. Other globalists threaten natural resources by saying that such resources can be sold to bond investors (foreign interests). Wrong. That way would be stopped, post haste.
Yes, default can and does happen. And yes, rebuilding comes after, for a country that has no other globetrotting masters. Our USA is not Argentina or Greece.
Hang on to your freedoms: your constitutional rights. Keep the Republicans in the House for those.
There are those that it is imperative we replace.
One of the problems is we have the majority of voters today that have been taught socialism is the fair thing and the best system.
THAT IS A LIE ... HOWEVER IT CAME IN STEP BY STEP AND INCREMENTALLY AND MANY HAVE BEEN BRAIN WASHED, WITH THE HELP OF THE MEDIAS.
The fact that 49% receive monies from the government makes it doubly difficult.
If we do not get serious about recovering our government according to the Constitution we are soon to be slaves controlled by whatever rules the government decides to use. Very like Russia for the last 40 years or so. Time is running out for recovery. Our youths do not know the History of America.
God help America, bind the evil plans the ruthless have in mind for America. We pray for help LORD, have mercy on America. We repent and ask forgiveness for our many sins, have mercy LORD. in Jesus name amen.
So, is it better to give the authority to those who say they don’t want to and don’t, or to those who say they want to and don’t?
Iirc, repubs have not had power majorities in both house and Senate (60+) and had the presidency all at the same time in forever.
So Larry, the Dems will get a pass...again?
2014 should be a rip roaring shit kicking overturn of the whole House and Senate..,
But then, I figured Obama would lose in a landslide.
Thanks SeekAndFind.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/336351/don-t-blame-boehner-larry-kudlow
B.S.! These guppies are the same spineless wimps that we got in the class of 94...ALL TALK...NO WALK!
Tea Party is just another name for RINO AINO (American In Name Only)...
It’s the RINOs in the House who will be destroyed if the Party doesn’t start winning the spending battle.
The very people who vote with the Dems...
I think they’re beginning to see this, Boehner can’t give them ‘cover’ like he did last term the Conservative bloc is too strong.
Think
Obama will pay my mortgage
Obama will pay my Gas Bill
Obama will pay my doctor bill.
Now convince those people that lowering taxes will help them.
Not so obvious that Freepers don't still expect them to act like Conservatives.
No! No! No! It is the economy stupid!</sarcasm>
Attempting to give a crap.......nope, it’s not working.
GOP never had a plan
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