Editorial: Boehner's Plan Is Better Than Nothing

IBD Editorials ^ | July 27, 2011 | Staff

[Kaslin]

Politics: President Obama may not have a plan for resolving the debt crisis, but he definitely has a goal — to shift blame for the lousy economy onto Republicans' shoulders. Above all else, the GOP must not let that happen.

When House Speaker John Boehner released his latest plan to cut spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, attacks from Obama and his fellow Democrats were to be expected.

The attacks from the GOP side, however, are short-sighted at best. They risk giving Obama what he wants more than anything — a way to weasel out of responsibility for the economic mess his policies have produced.

It's true Boehner's plan falls short of what's needed to get spending and debt under control. The Congressional Budget Office says it would trim $22 billion next year and $917 billion over the next decade. That's in exchange for raising the debt ceiling by $900 billion, but that's still a pittance compared with the added debt expected.

The fact that Boehner's plan relies on a special committee to develop an as-yet-unspecified bigger debt reduction package next year, when the debt ceiling would have to be raised again, is also a bit disconcerting.

Republicans are correct to also point out that Obama has completely manufactured this crisis. He's imposed an artificial Aug. 2 deadline — a date that's been pushed back several times already this year and that some experts now say could be pushed back another week, or possibly a month.

[JewishRighter]

“Better than nothing”? No. While some might say that the paltry cuts are at least a step in the right direction, I say its worse than nothing. Why? Because it establishes a precedent for what will later be considered a “success” in terms of future budget battles. Besides being a ridiculous drop in the bucket of red ink, the proposed 2012 cut is also a lousy benchmark for the future. With a current year budget around 3.7 trillion and a deficit of 1.6 trillion, any proposal that doesn’t cut something like 10% of the current budget is a joke.

[rollo tomasi]

Excellent points and truly defines the political nature in the latter half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

[FromTheSidelines]

Before everyone panics, I think we should wait until tomorrow to find out what Boehner’s new revised plan is that is already getting support from those Republicans that opposed the other plan. And as far as President Cry Baby’s thread is to veto anything the Republicans bring, they should call his bluff.

WELL SAID SIR! Also, consider that this 'score' is from the CBO, the same CBO that said Obamacare would "save" $1.6 trillion in deficit spending. I don't trust this 'score' at all...

[MasterGunner01]

Freeze spending tied to current receipts. No tax or fee increases. Force the Dems and Obozo come up and tell us their plan (which is NONE at present).

[oyez]

Whatever The House sends to the Senate short of a sellout is coming back. The Democrats are negotiating in bad faith but in full belief that the results of all this will win the 2012 elections for them. The MSN will carry their water for them without question.

[Mike Darancette]

Reading the comments on these threads about raising the debt limit I see lots of folks I wouldn’t want in my fox hole.

God Bless Rep. West.

[Nuc 1.1]

It is not better than nothing. Doing nothing balances the budget, in a week or so.

[Nuc 1.1]

Just like Bush was going to veto campaign finance reform. It's a trap.

[CharlyFord]

And those aren't even real cuts in the way we would consider them. Those crooks are merely going to spend a *miniscule* amount less than the forecasted hefty spending increases.

We, the people, and our 'rulers' in D.C. aren't communicating yet!!!!

[Anti-Christ is Hillary]

I wish that Boner would just tell the bamster “Well this is the 4th time we have come up with a deal and you still haven’t put one together. We’re going home, give me a call when you have something on paper and we will comeback. Untill then see ya. This is your gig deal with it. If there is nothing it’s you fault.

[ctdonath2]

“nothing” = balanced budget with no effort = win.

[MrChips]

I agree. Stick with Boehner and we get rid of Obama 14 months from now. No price is too high in exchange for that! Both the IBD and WSJ agree, as well.

[org.whodat]

Then I will be happy with nothing, we have a crybaby nothing as speaker, what do you expect. Boner take you plan and go home, let Bachmann take over she has more backbone. And nothing has a debt ceiling. No more new spending.

[newzjunkey]

John Boehner on Laura Ingraham Show. Wed. Morning

[newzjunkey]

We gave the Republicans ONE last chance in 2010.

That view only makes sense if Republicans held the House, Senate and White House.

They do not. Obama is still president. Reid still runs the Senate.

[ballplayer]

Nothing is Better,that will lead the Marxist in the Direction he really wants to Go,Total dictatorship ,he will do it By executive order. That is good because the economy will continue to tank because the Debt Limit is not the Problem,spending is. When Unemployment continues to rise,gas Prices continue in the same direction,guess who gets Blamed the Guy who Owns it,Barack Hussein Obama

[Jabba the Nutt]

According to IBD the goal is: "President Obama may not have a plan for resolving the debt crisis, but he definitely has a goal — to shift blame for the lousy economy onto Republicans' shoulders. Above all else, the GOP must not let that happen."

Will the Boehner Plan succeed in this goal?

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT! Times up. The answer is NO! It'll give the GOP ownership of the economy.

In fact, if Obama were truly smart, he'd sprint to pocket the Boehner Plan. It confirms his trillion dollar yearly increase in the size of the Federal Budget. He's a doofus, not to take it.

Obama may yet save the linguini-spined GOP from their natural tendency to cave.

[Jabba the Nutt]

The question that people have asked for decades is 'why is the GOP so d*mned incompetent?'

Here's how to argue this. Point out that the EPA had it's budget increased by 84% (not exact number) over the past two years. Do we really need to almost double the size of the EPA? Is there anything that the EPA really does that we need twice as much of an EPA to do? Half of EPA spending goes to grants to outside groups? Let's cut the EPA back to where it was.

Go through all agencies which had budgets increased. Cut them all back to 2008. Then in the future, review all these agencies for further cuts.

Recover unspent Porculus, TARP and other money. The GAO found duplicative programs that cost $100 billion.

Put all of this together and you can easily get $500 billion in cuts this year.

We can postpone the debt ceiling increase, if we don't spend the money. Why doesn't the GOP do this?

[colorado tanker]

I know it’s frustrating, but people around here have to understand all we control is the House, which can’t pass any legislation by itself and whatever gets through the Senate is subject to veto. In taking the House we got the ability to stop further damage. But things aren’t going to start changing, i.e. reform and rollback, unless and until we take the White House in 2012. Everything depends on that.

[lentulusgracchus]

In case you didn't notice, we, as tea party advocates, are Boehner's main adversaries. If we would go away, so would most of the infighting.

Yeah. If only the conservatives would go away so that reasonable people can do a deal with Harry Reid.

If only the usual suspects would go away.

If only the typical white people would go away.

If only the people who pay most of the damn taxes would go away.

So let me get this straight: $22 Bill in budget cuts. No serious attempt to get at the new taxes in Sovietcare. And we let Obama play "sales manager" with Dingy Harry as his shill, Harry coming back to Mitch McConnell over and over to tell us, "Gee, sorry, the Boss rejected it."

We get $22 Billion in cuts, no Obamacare repeal, and eventually we get $900 Bill in "eventual" cuts over 10 years? And we get stuck with baby-daddy liability? At Obama's uncontested spending levels?

Grunthor and Jim Robinson are right. "Nothing" is a better deal than this.

Better idea: Pass our own budget, send it to Harry the Crook/Liar/Shill, and let the chips fall.