Comments on: Budget Season Overview http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/02/14/budget-season-overview/ Reality-based political commentary Wed, 06 May 2026 16:52:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: akadjian http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/02/14/budget-season-overview/#comment-13115 akadjian Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:19:02 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3478#comment-13115 Politics makes strange allies ... http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49724.html Was glad to see this budget cut (as it was recommended by the Pentagon) but so much here that is strange: 1. Speaker Boehner loses one for his district (my hometown, btw) 2. Boehner supporting a pork project in his home district despite promising not to 3. Tea Party banding together with Democrats (lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!) Very interesting. I think its a great example of folks (from across the aisle) finding common ground. Its sad we'll lose this (as it would have meant 1000 high-paying jobs to our area) but I find it hard to justify the expense when even the Pentagon is saying we should cut this. The budget battle is indeed going to be fascinating. -David Politics makes strange allies ...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49724.html

Was glad to see this budget cut (as it was recommended by the Pentagon) but so much here that is strange:

1. Speaker Boehner loses one for his district (my hometown, btw)
2. Boehner supporting a pork project in his home district despite promising not to
3. Tea Party banding together with Democrats (lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!)

Very interesting. I think its a great example of folks (from across the aisle) finding common ground. Its sad we'll lose this (as it would have meant 1000 high-paying jobs to our area) but I find it hard to justify the expense when even the Pentagon is saying we should cut this.

The budget battle is indeed going to be fascinating.
-David

]]> By: Michale http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/02/14/budget-season-overview/#comment-13107 Michale Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:17:16 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3478#comment-13107 I can imagine there are a LOT of cases of whiplash amongst Democrats in Congress these days.. The excessively fast 180 degree change in rhetoric simply cannot be healthy! :D Michale..... I can imagine there are a LOT of cases of whiplash amongst Democrats in Congress these days..

The excessively fast 180 degree change in rhetoric simply cannot be healthy! :D

Michale.....

]]> By: Osborne Ink http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/02/14/budget-season-overview/#comment-13102 Osborne Ink Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:10:11 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3478#comment-13102 Chris, House GOP leadership has a transportation budget in mind that looks like a slush fund for ribbon-cutting. The White House plan has governors -- Republican governors! -- in favor of its priorities, it will produce more jobs, and it will cost less. One branch is serious about thrift and "family budget" accounting for the federal government, the other is not. That WH blogger conference call yesterday was a study in "fiscal responsibility" language the equal of Dave Ramsey -- and I doubt a conference call with Boehner, Cantor, and Ryan would produce similar results. In fact I expect they will continue to poo-pooh a presidential budget that reduces the deficit orders of magnitude more than their own budget proposal. Chris, House GOP leadership has a transportation budget in mind that looks like a slush fund for ribbon-cutting. The White House plan has governors -- Republican governors! -- in favor of its priorities, it will produce more jobs, and it will cost less. One branch is serious about thrift and "family budget" accounting for the federal government, the other is not. That WH blogger conference call yesterday was a study in "fiscal responsibility" language the equal of Dave Ramsey -- and I doubt a conference call with Boehner, Cantor, and Ryan would produce similar results. In fact I expect they will continue to poo-pooh a presidential budget that reduces the deficit orders of magnitude more than their own budget proposal.

]]> By: dsws http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/02/14/budget-season-overview/#comment-13097 dsws Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:20:41 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3478#comment-13097 "The Democrats were in control of Congress right up until the end of last year. At any point during this time, they could have passed the 2011 budget" You're saying that reconciliation can be used to pass the original budget? I thought it was only after the main budget bill had passed, to reconcile other stuff with the main bill. "every federal dollar has a constituent somewhere who relies on this money -- and they're going to be awfully vocal about Republican plans to cut them off" No they aren't. Republicans only cut spending on other people. That is, they never cut any *specific* spending at all. Never have, never will. They're just against spending in the abstract. "now it is time to pay this particular piper" Why would they do that? They're just going to cut three trillion dollars from foreign aid. Sure, Krugman will make snarky comments about them being not just out of touch with reality but having gone so far as to get a restraining order against reality. Well, so what? He was going to do that anyway. "The Democrats were in control of Congress right up until the end of last year. At any point during this time, they could have passed the 2011 budget"

You're saying that reconciliation can be used to pass the original budget? I thought it was only after the main budget bill had passed, to reconcile other stuff with the main bill.

"every federal dollar has a constituent somewhere who relies on this money -- and they're going to be awfully vocal about Republican plans to cut them off"

No they aren't. Republicans only cut spending on other people. That is, they never cut any *specific* spending at all. Never have, never will. They're just against spending in the abstract.

"now it is time to pay this particular piper"

Why would they do that? They're just going to cut three trillion dollars from foreign aid. Sure, Krugman will make snarky comments about them being not just out of touch with reality but having gone so far as to get a restraining order against reality. Well, so what? He was going to do that anyway.

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