PrintFebruary 15, 2011
The sham budget
Is a government shutdown a certainty?
Not 100% guaranteed, but Obama's budget proposals makes it extremely likely.
Why?
As explained by John Hinderaker at Powerline, the president has essentially punted on entitlement reform, forcing the GOP into the unenviable position of going it alone on reforming Medicare and Medicaid:
Obama's game is transparent, isn't it? He is playing a game of chicken. He puts forward a series of proposals that he knows are more or less insane; but he also believes that Republicans will come to his rescue. They, not being wholly irresponsible, will come up with plans to reform entitlements--like, for example, the Ryan Roadmap. Ultimately, some combination of those plans will be implemented because the alternative is the collapse, not just of the government of the United States, but of the country itself. But Obama thinks the GOP's reforms will be unpopular, and he will be able to demagogue them, thus having his cake and eating it too. Is that leadership? Of course not. But it is the very essence of Barack Obama.The only way to force Obama and the Democrats to join the GOP in drinking the reform kool ade is to threaten a government shut down. Republicans will not commit political suicide and allow the Dems to take potshots at them from the sidelines in 2012 if they were to address the entitlement monster alone.
Obama and the Democrats are already going to demagogue the $100 billion in cuts proposed by the GOP, but Obama's own budget proposals have already angered many on the left for its cuts in Pell grants and heating oil assistance to the poor. The real difference maker in 2012 will be if Obama outmaneuvers the Republicans by sticking them on an island when it comes to entitlement cuts.
The Democrats have been killing Republicans for half a century on the social security and medicare issues, frightening old people into an early grave by lying about GOP intent regarding those two programs. It will be more of the same in 2012 unless Republicans can use the threat of a government shutdown - perhaps even an actual shutdown if it comes to that - in order to get Obama and the Democrats to share responsibility for this painful but necessary adjustment.
