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Will Senate Republicans Snatch Budget Defeat from the Jaws of Victory?
The American Thinker ^ | February 23, 2011 | Steve McCann

Posted on 02/23/2011 3:11:44 AM PST by Scanian

Are the Senate Republicans going wobbly, again? A CNN report indicates that negotiations are underway after several Republican leaders indicated they might accept a short-term spending bill as long as it included at least some spending reductions, and not necessarily the deeper cuts the House approved last weekend.

Needless to say, the Senate Democratic leaders greeted the news with a "positive reaction." Publicly, House Speaker John Boehner has said Senate Democrats should accept the entire $60 Billion in cuts the Republicans pushed through the House. However, privately House leaders are acknowledging the need for a stopgap measure to continue funding the government while they negotiate spending levels for a longer term bill to fund the government through October 1.

However, one member of the Republican leadership let the cat out of the bag: they are intimidated by the prospect of a government shutdown. He said: "Everyone knows that, no matter the truth, we would be blamed [for a government shutdown], so it would be a dumb political move."

With that attitude the leadership has essentially surrendered to the Democrats who will, with their cohorts in the media, simply dangle the threat of a shutdown whenever they choose and they will have the upper hand.

This is not the United States of 1995 and the Democrats will not succeed in blaming any shutdown, if one occurs, on the Republicans.

In politics 16 years is a lifetime. For those Republicans with weak knees in the House and Senate, perhaps a primer of what the facts on the ground were in 1995 (the last government shutdown blamed on the Republicans) as compared to today is in order.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: boehner; democrats; gopleaders; shorttermbill
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Let's hope that the bold performance of GOP governors will inspire the congressional jellyfish to grow some spine.
1 posted on 02/23/2011 3:11:49 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian

Maybe the Republicans should go to Canada for a while...


2 posted on 02/23/2011 3:12:57 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Scanian

shut it down, who will notice....


3 posted on 02/23/2011 3:22:40 AM PST by The Wizard (Madam President is my President now, and in the future)
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To: The Wizard

It’s a BS shutdown anyway. I’ve heard a couple pubbie congressman say that checks will still go out, the mail will still run.

So who will complain except lefty activists?


4 posted on 02/23/2011 3:28:51 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian

Any senate republican who does not vote for the House spending cut bill should be voted out of office in the next election.


5 posted on 02/23/2011 3:34:00 AM PST by Ev Reeman
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To: Scanian

Give the dems and Obama a choice: make huge government spending cuts or shut down the government...let the ball be in their court.


6 posted on 02/23/2011 3:35:13 AM PST by Ev Reeman
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To: Scanian

If we don’t see meaningful cuts IMMEDIATELY ,, and I’m talking entire departments and across the board headcount and salary haircuts ,, then a revolution is guaranteed because they will NEVER act decisively in the peoples interest ,, the only question remaining is when does it all spontaneously combust.


7 posted on 02/23/2011 3:38:39 AM PST by Neidermeyer
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To: Scanian
He [Boehner] said: "Everyone knows that, no matter the truth, we would be blamed [for a government shutdown], so it would be a dumb political move."

IOW, "..... to hell with the nation, we don't wanna look bad!"

8 posted on 02/23/2011 3:38:47 AM PST by Roccus (Ruts are greatly under-rated, I like being in a rut, so long as I can exit at MY choosing.)
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To: Scanian
However, one member of the Republican leadership let the cat out of the bag: they are intimidated by the prospect of a government shutdown. He said: "Everyone knows that, no matter the truth, we would be blamed [for a government shutdown], so it would be a dumb political move."

I do not understand this concern by the GOP.

Why are the Republicans intimidated? The House Republicans have a budget on the table. It is up to the Democrats to accept it or for the Democrats to shut down the government because the Democrats will not accept a viable budget. Is that not so?

Or, are the Republicans afraid of the way the MSM will spin this? The Senate is dominated by Democrats.

9 posted on 02/23/2011 3:39:13 AM PST by olezip
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To: Scanian

Whatever it cost to run the government back in 2006, that’s what you need to cut the budget back to. It should be pretty obvious to the Republicans that the Democrats are just making a lot of noise to compensate for their diminished influence and relevance. Shut the government down and watch as millions and millions of republicans don’t give a damn.


10 posted on 02/23/2011 3:39:39 AM PST by RC one (Change we can believe in! Yes we can! FUBO!)
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To: olezip

They are PETRIFIED by the MSM!


11 posted on 02/23/2011 3:43:41 AM PST by Scanian
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To: The Wizard

shut it down, who will notice....

. . .

The dirty little secret is, “few.”


12 posted on 02/23/2011 3:44:32 AM PST by Nickname
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To: olezip
The GOP is cowed by the media. But I think the whole message of the Tea Party, the rise of Sarah Palin, and the attention given to Wisconsin is: Be not afraid.

As you point out, if the Republicans propose a budget and the Democrats reject it, then the Democrats have elected to shut down the government. The media can try to blame Republicans for what the Democrats just did, but it probably wouldn't work very well. This isn't 1995.

13 posted on 02/23/2011 3:45:57 AM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: Scanian; wmfights; P-Marlowe
This is not the United States of 1995 and the Democrats will not succeed in blaming any shutdown, if one occurs, on the Republicans.

While I don't agree with the above, I don't think getting the blame is the issue. The issue is not backing down once you get the blame.

There comes a time when a man draws a line in the sand and says, "This far and no farther!"

Spending is insane.

Why in the world are the conservatives not able to explain that the budgets since 2008 have been tremendously pumped up by stimulus spending and that those budgets are NOT reality.

At a minimum, Congress should insist that the budget be no more than 2007 adjusted to 2011 for inflation and for nothing else.

It's like a family that has child get accepted to a prestigious school pays out-of-pocket huge and borrows huge to pay for it. During those 4 years, they are paying much more per year. As soon as graduation, though, they don't keep spending at that level as if those costs continue to come in. They go back to real income and probably with cutbacks to slowly pay off the debt caused by the degree.

Spending does not stay at emergency levels. It goes back, at a minimum, to normal levels.

14 posted on 02/23/2011 3:45:57 AM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain & proud of it: Truly Supporting the Troops means praying for their Victory!)
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To: xzins

That’s Zer0’s trick...pump it up unrealistically and then call for a “cut.”

He did the same with federal employees. Gave them a nice raise and then bragged about cutting their pay.


15 posted on 02/23/2011 3:50:08 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian
The Dems made Congress work through Christmas Eve to pass that abominable health care bill, now they don't have time to negotiate a spending reduction bill. Maybe they should have given themselves more time by skipping their recess
16 posted on 02/23/2011 3:54:20 AM PST by kushnejz
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To: Scanian

They are going “wobbly” over 60 billion dollars in a 3.8 trillion dollar budget?

Win The Future?


17 posted on 02/23/2011 3:55:40 AM PST by hattend (Obama got his 3am call about Egypt. The call went right to the answering machine.- Sarah Palin)
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To: Scanian
The key isn't what Senate Republicans do or don't do, although it is a good idea for observers to question manhood at every opportunity.

The key is that the new folks in the House make sure there is no future without their ideas being incorporated in a very large way, and Boehner needs to make that clear at the start of each and every meeting with Senators.

It's absolutely imperative that the House make it clear that compromise must be about 98% one way, or everyone can start packing because they are shutting 'er down.

Then Obama can say when he finally has to sign something that he was really the Reaganesque catalyst for all of this.

18 posted on 02/23/2011 4:00:33 AM PST by stevem
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To: Scanian

This article fails to identify all of the wobbly Republicans. Take names.


19 posted on 02/23/2011 4:05:47 AM PST by AdaGray
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To: AdaGray

I think we can “hazard” a guess without too much trouble.

The same clique that usually follows Johnny Mack around, headed up by one from SC who keeps his nose pasted to Johnny’s butt.

But you are right—it would be nice to know for sure.


20 posted on 02/23/2011 4:08:58 AM PST by Scanian
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