The House leadership has endangered many of the freshmen by overselling a bad deal, turning what could have been just a loss into a test of every member's commitments to their base. In the first major vote of the new Congress, not only is there nothing of significance to point to as a "win," there was a significant amount of disinformation, bad enough in itself, but worse when one considers what it says about the sophistication of the messaging efforts of the leadership's consultants.
"Trust leaves on horseback and returns on foot" is one of the many quotes in Donald Rumsfeld's memoir, and apparently no one in the leadership media team read it. Did they really think no one would notice? Or remember? http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/f0c3a95a-6770-4d35-9fa3-9b4da528bf30
It’s really a shame as it didn’t have to be this way. This failed sleight of hand will cost Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor — and all of us — dearly in the coming months as they have burned a bridge not only with their freshman members but with those of us who do our best to help them daily. http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2011/04/13/on-the-budget-compromise/
Per Hot Air, a CBO analysis says the budget saves something like $352 million. With an “m.”
You know how, when the cell phone company “miscalculates” your bill, it always benefits them? How there’s never an error in your favor?
It seems the same is true of budgets. The surprises are never good ones. They never harm Democrats, either. You never hear: “Oh, we said we were funding NPR and Planned Parenthood, but it turns out that, when you read the fine print, we’re only giving them five bucks.”
The issue isn’t even really the money, which was always paltry anyway. It’s the dishonesty. Those of us who were willing to conserve political capital for a real fight over the Ryan budget are now supposed to trust these lying bastards to fight that fight.
I don’t see how we can. But then, I don’t see what choice we have.
With more information coming out, NRO has reversed position from an editorial, I, and I'm sure others, blasted them for yesterday. Strike one for Speaker Boehner is as good a title as any for this new one. All kidding aside, it's neither easy, nor fun, to admit when you've been wrong, or been had, so credit where credit is due for the move. This is very bad news for Speaker Boehner. Read it all at link. No idea if Jennifer Rubin has done similarly. However, in her case, a simple reversal would not be enough. Given her over the top statements directed at critics of the deal, she owes some a general apology.
We initially supported the deal House Speaker John Boehner cut with the White House to cut $38.5 billion from the rest of the fiscal year 2011 budget. It was only a pittance in the context of all of Washington’s red ink, but it seemed an acceptable start, even if we assumed it would be imperfect in its details. What we didn’t assume was that the agreement would be shot through with gimmicks and one-time savings. What had looked in its broad outlines like a modest success now looks like a sodden disappointment.
As they push a bargain that is still not fully understood, Boehner and the leadership have put their members in an awful fix with another deadline to keep the government open fast approaching. We’d vote “no,” even if we understand the impulse to move on to more important matters and to avoid a leap into the dark that might include a politically damaging shutdown. At the very least, freshmen and other conservatives should be frank about the deal’s shortcomings, refusing to exaggerate its merits as their leadership often has. The episode is strike one against the speakership of John Boehner. http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2011/04/who-put-the-tea-in-nros-kool-aid-strike-one-for-boehner.html
That Budget Deal Some of You Love Isn’t Much of a Deal
That budget deal some of you have been going ga-ga over? Turns out it does not cut $38.5 billion. According to the Congressional Budget Office, it only cuts $353 million.
Tim Pawlenty is the first 2012 candidate coming out of the gate in opposition to the deal. He’s urging Republicans to vote against it.
Frankly, at this point, any House Republican who votes for the compromise should be flogged by the tea party movement — metaphorically speaking of course.
And we might really need to reconsider whether or not our existing leadership has the moral authority to continue leading. They said they were all in for $100 billion. Cut it to $61 billion. Compromised at $38 billion. And now that turns out to be $353 million.
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