Sound Off Like You Got A Mandate!

Throuigh the simple expedient of remembering why they were went there, and staying with it against a full-court media press, the House GOP majority has prevailed on Harry Reid to cave on the budget.

…now that Harry Reid is developing a proposal with $2.7 trillion in cuts and nothing in revenues, it’s a safe bet that it won’t include any tax increases. Which means that whether Republicans realize it or not, they’ve won. The question now is whether they can stop.

Originally, the Democratic position was that we should simply raise the debt ceiling. Republicans said “no.” There would have to be a deal that reduced the deficit by at least $2.4 trillion — which is the size of the debt ceiling increase needed to get us into 2013.

Then the Democratic position was that we should raise the debt ceiling through a deal that reduced the deficit by about $2.4 trillion, with $2 trillion of that coming from spending cuts and $400 billion coming from taxes. Republicans said “no.” There would have to be a deal that disavowed taxes.

Sound familiar to Minnesotans?

If you’re a conservative, neither the Minnesota budget nor the various GOP proposals in Congress are perfect.   Neither can be; both faced Democrat chief executives, and in Congress a Democrat-controlled Senate.  Let’s be honest; the GOP at the federal level is doing its darnedest to shake off a decade-old habit of going along to get along with the establishment and its craving for spending.   Viewed through a conservative purist’s lens, it’s not good enough; viewed from the perspective of a GOP that, six years ago, was spending money like an Orange County sweet-sixteen with dadders’ platinum card, it’s well-nigh miraculous.

Ditto the Minnesota GOP.  Again – the MN budget deal isn’t perfect, and the MNGOP admits it.  They had to compromise to get past the Governor.  But the job in Minnesota isn’t just getting a budget passed; it’s reversing five decades of “government first” inertia among the state’s governing class, against a DFL phalanx of lavishly-funded special interests who would leave no mound of slime unturned to protect the status quo.

The GOP went to DC and Saint Paul with a clear mandate; don’t be that GOP, the one that played ball with the DFL on a wink and a backslap from 1969 through 1998, the one that went inside-the-beltway native after 1994.

There’s a lot of work to be done.  But it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you remember your mission.

7 thoughts on “Sound Off Like You Got A Mandate!

  1. The only problem with Reid’s option is that entitlement reforms are off the table! That has to be in there and they absolutely have to see the $2.7 trillion in cuts FIRST, then the GOP signs. They have been down the wrong side of those deals for far too long.

  2. Andrew Stiles at NRO has some more details on the House plan that’s been presented by the leadership. Basically:

    Step 1

    a) The House authorizes a debt limit increase of One Trillion dollars now to get the federal government through February/March 2012.

    b) Congress gets statutory limits on discretionary spending of $1.2 Trillion in savings over ten years with automatic across-the board cuts if the limits are exceeded. Note: the “cuts” are over a ten year period (less than 10 percent of the deficit over that period) and only apply to “discretionary” spending (which means that it would apply to spending such as Pell Grants if they are reclassified as “mandatory spending). Also since one Congress cannot bind another Congress, it’s unclear whether these “automatic” spending cuts would even be binding.

    Step 2

    a) In December a commission composed of twelve members (3 from each caucus) will come up with a recommendation of 1.6 to 1.8 Trillion in deficit reduction which will be subject to an up-or-down simple majority vote in both houses. Note that “deficit reduction” not “spending cuts” is the target so would be including tax increases or tax reform (that increases revenue) as part of the package. Also while it is not clear, I suspect that the targeted deficit reduction is over a 10 year period much like Step 1.

    b) If it passes, the POTUS can request an addition 1.5 Trillion increase in the debt limit subject to a Congressional vote of disapproval (which the president could veto and if his veto is sustained – an almost certainty – means that the debt limit gets increased) but if the committee fails to come up with a proposal (they need 7 out of 12 members to agree) then it proceeds through regular channels.

    c) Finally after October 1 the House and Senate both have to vote on (but not pass) a balanced budget amendment the text of which is supposed to be posted online today.

    My assessment: the only thing guaranteed from this deal is that Congress would increase the debt limit by 1 Trillion dollars now. The “deficit reduction” (note it’s not spending cuts) if it were to happen would be over a ten year period which means instead of adding 14 Trillion to the national debt, it would be adding 11 Trillion.

  3. One additional point to consider – this is being touted as a getting a dollar in deficit reduction for every dollar in debt limit increase. The “deficit reduction” of 3 Trillion (if it happens) is over a ten-year period but the 2.5 Trillion in increase of the debt limit would be for this year and next year. So it’s more like getting ten cents of “deficit reduction” for every dollar in increase of the debt limit. Or agreeing to add 11 Trillion to the national debt instead of 14 Trillion.

  4. I sure hope that the GOP tells Reid to pound sand! If they go for this, that arrogant, elitist commie will be beating them for caving in and using the libturd meme that they lied! Like I said earlier; Boehner needs to say; “You make the cuts first, then we’ll give you your piece.” And ten years?! Screw that! The economy is half way over the cliff now, so we need the big cuts and caps now!

  5. Keep in mind if we can get to 2013 with no tax increase we can count on our Republicans President and our Republican controlled Congress to start the real reforms and spending cuts to get that balanced budget.

    Walter Hanson
    Minneapolis, MN

  6. Keep in mind if we can get to 2013 with no tax increase we can count on our Republicans President and our Republican controlled Congress to start the real reforms and spending cuts to get that balanced budget.

    Walter Hanson
    Minneapolis, MN

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