The World is Getting Too

The World is Getting Too Wierd - If you'd told me in 1980, when I was still a liberal - or even in 1990 - that I'd ever be writing the paragraph below, I'd have rolled my eyes and wondered if de-instititionalizing the mentally ill were such a good idea.

Bill Clinton was in many ways more fiscally conservative than George W Bush (this, of course, before the tax cut proposal). Some of the Democratic candidates for 2004 are trying to move to Bush's right on foreign policy. And the Minnesota DFL is trying to spin themselves as budget-cutters.

DFL-controlled Senate committees worked furiously Thursday to pass their own budget fix for 2003, crafting a package that saves a little less than Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal and might upstage the House GOP package by arriving earlier.

Of course, when you read the article you see that the DFL's newfound thrift is really a series of accounting tricks, but it's still oddly disconcerting to see any portion of the DFL painting itself as fiscally responsible.

As usual, the problem is going to be the moderate GOPers in the Senate.

Posted by Mitch at January 17, 2003 09:16 AM