Still, I favor letting sequestration happen. It was Obama's idea. Let him come up with the cuts.
Posted on 02/05/2013 8:33:43 PM PST by SeekAndFind
In November 2011, President Obama lamented that “some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts” that were part of that August’s deal to raise the debt limit. “My message to them is simple: No. I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off ramps on this one.”
Now, it’s Obama who is looking for an off ramp. With the automatic spending cuts about to go into effect, the Associated Press reports, “President Barack Obama will ask Congress to come up with tens of billions of dollars in short-term spending cuts and tax revenue to put off the automatic across the board cuts that are scheduled to kick in March 1, White House officials said Tuesday.”
Ever since the election, Republicans have been frustrated by their lack of leverage against Obama. Taxes would have gone up by $4.5 trillion on Jan. 1 if nothing was done, so Republicans were forced to agree to limit the damage. If there were no increase in the debt limit, any economic chaos that followed would have allowed Obama to blame Republicans and distract attention from the problems posed by the nation’s mounting debt, so they agreed to suspend it — a strategy I had described as Maneuver X.
Now Republicans have turned the tables on Obama. If nothing happens by March 1, about $1 trillion worth of spending cuts will go into effect automatically. Ideally, Republicans don’t want the military spending cuts, and they have voted in the House to replace them with other cuts. But they can live with them if nothing happens. Coming off the fourth quarter in which the economy contracted by 0.1 percent and was hurt by defense cuts, Obama doesn’t want to have headlines of defense contractor layoffs eroding his political capital in the short window he has to advance his second term agenda.
His suggestion that Republicans agree to raise taxes again to delay the sequester is laughable — they have zero reason to do it. Either he agrees to spending cuts of an equal amount, or the sequester will kick in.
No, it doesn’t stink on ice... its about damn time. We’re building weapons we don’t need and managing facilities that we should have left a decade ago (think Germany). We’re not “running anyone ragged.” We’ve been using the military what they were intended for. Kill people and break things.
RE: $4 million?
I suggest you re-read the chart again. It’s 4,1212 Million.
The problem is that the Tank column Commander in Germany will squawk when you attempt to axe his budget.
He will wave his finger at the Air-wing Commander, That fellow wags his finger at the Admiral and round and round it goes..
In the end, Congress will cut everyone without regard to what is needed.
We’ll see.
Still, I favor letting sequestration happen. It was Obama's idea. Let him come up with the cuts.
$4.121 Billion?
So why not SAY IT?
Its games.
Yep I looked at the list and it wont affect the moochers on the Gimme Programs one little bit. And of course any goobermint workers that run the redistribution machine.
Actually, that's $4.1 Billion.
And only Teddy Kennedy (D-Hell) could drink that much.
It doesn't have to be felt by MOST people, just those close to him - Gobmint workers. They are going to start whining in a few weeks. These are the jerks that have to help implement Obamacare this year. You think you will even be able to get them to make a xerox for you after they get furloughed every other week? They are going to start singing the "we've been oppressed for so long" chorus you'll hear it all the way to the White House. Believe me, Obama will hear it ...
Not at all. It's always a "disaster" when government is cut. It's their religion. They still haven't figured out where the funding for government comes from.
LOL!!
Boehner had a bad hand but he played it well.
The President said during the campaign last year he was all for the sequester.
The spending cuts are not aimed at the less fortunate - but at the Democrats’ favorite cow - the military.
If they want to defend more spending on guns instead of butter, let em.
Don’t worry. The spineless Republicans will save Obama’s skinny ass. Boehner will burst into tears and capitulate before Obama even opens his mouth. The Pubies will run and hide, just like they always do.
Are we so certain Obama doesn’t want the defense cuts? Sure, he’s providing himself some cover to say, “It’s not me, I asked Congress to handle this differently”, but I thought he wanted Hagel in there in part to oversee vast defense cuts?
I think Obama and his crew already like the distribution of the cuts just fine.
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