Federal Budget

The White House is trying to set up the debate for the rest of the month (and beyond) by framing the choice as HOW - not WHETHER - to cut spending.

Federal Budget

ALAN SIMPSON, former Republican US Senator from Wyoming and co-chair of President Obama's debt commission, to Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union": "If you hear a politician get up and say, 'I know we can get this done. We're going to get rid of all earmarks; all waste, fraud and abuse; all foreign aid; Air Force One; all congressional pensions.' That's just sparrow belch in the midst of the typhoon. That's about six, eight, ten percent of where we are. So, I'm waiting for the politician to get up and say, 'There's only one way to do this: You dig into the big four -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and defense.' And anybody giving you anything different than that, you want to walk out the door, stick your finger down your throat, and give them the green weenie."

Congressional Budget Politics

"Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists in 'Call To Arms' For Upcoming Spending Fight: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Urged Lobbyists to Push for Continued Funding," by ABC's Jonathan Karl and Matthew Jaffe: "In an e-mail obtained by ABC News, a top staffer for [a] key Senate Appropriations subcommittee called for a meeting of lobbyists and interest groups that would be affected by expected cuts to the Labor and Health and Human Services budget. The Jan. 24 meeting was attended by approximately 400 people, ... and served as a 'call to arms' for those determined to fight Republican budget cuts. 'One thing everyone should be able to agree on now is that a rising tide lifts all boats, and that a higher [Labor, Health & Human Services] allocation improves the chances for every stakeholder group to receive more funding,' the committee staffer for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrote in an e-mail inviting people to the meeting." http://abcn.ws/i3NaAM

--A GOP aide e-mails: "[T]his is the kind of thing that Republicans could easily seize on as a prime example of how Washington is broken. Democrats meeting behind closed doors with 400 lobbyists to talk about how they can keep their hands on the taxpayer cash."

Federal Budget

SHOT -- "Obama budget to get serious with deficit-Lew," by Reuters' Alister Bull and Jeff Mason: "Obama ... will deliver his budget proposal on Feb. 14 and fighting the deficit ... will be a big part of that plan, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew told Reuters. ... Lew said the coming budget will lay out a pivot to deficit control after the last two years were spent pushing for economic growth. ... 'There definitely will be items that are familiar from the deficit commission' in the budget, he said. 'The president's made clear he hasn't embraced it in its entirety. He's looked to it and taken ideas from it.'" http://reut.rs/gweSSn

--CHASER - "Happy Talk," by Slate's John Dickerson: "Last year he promised America a tough conversation about cutting the deficit. ... Now, instead of tough talk, the president is offering stirring slogans. 'Win the future' was the theme of his State of the Union address. ... 'Startup America' was unveiled Monday to encourage entrepreneurs. ... The president has decided that he'll let Republicans be the dour ones. ... Short and sharp is what is needed to rebut Captain Win the Future. So far, the [GOP] message needs some work." http://slate.me/gPrT67

Happy New Year

Today is 1.1.11

This is going to be a very traumatic year in the political and public policy arena.

We are going to see so much proposed change that it may bring about a lot of discord and maybe civil service.

Below is an interesting observation by a DC based political consultant and observer (from today's Washington Post)

Topic A: What will be 2011's biggest political surprise?

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Post asked political experts to predict the biggest political surprise of 2011. Below are responses from Ed Rogers, Jennifer Palmieri, Douglas E. Schoen, Robert Shrum, Dan Schnur, Dana Perino and Catherine A. "Kiki" McLean.

ED ROGERS

Chairman of BGR Group; White House staffer to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush

The biggest political surprise in 2011 may come in the form of the shock produced by public-sector labor strikes and demonstrations that could stray into civil disorder as state and local governments cut budgets. Government workers could be laid off by the thousands, and millions of the beneficiaries of government-supplied salaries, pensions and benefits could see reductions in pay and program allowances they have been told to expect.

The same kind of protests that have rocked Paris, London and Rome could erupt in California, New York and Illinois.

We are heading into uncharted political territory as state and local governments face the reality that promises can't be kept. Will the unionized government institutions go down without a fight? Will the dependent class of Americans that government has created just shrug and accept the spending-cut medicine?

The schism between the governed and those governing could become greater than ever as the government tries to protect itself for its own sake and not for the public good. The millions of Americans who have lost jobs or face increasing economic uncertainty resent the relative posterity and security that government now provides for itself. President Obama will say he is for more "stimulus," but even the money-making printing presses in Washington are at their limits.

Besides, with a Republican majority in the House and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell having veto power in the Senate, there will not be a bailout from Washington.

Fasten your seat belts; there is trouble ahead.