Obama’s budget: The honeymoon and the morning after
[Posted by Karl]
CNN plans to celebrate Pres. Obama’s 100th day in office as though it was election night. You might do the same if you were sliding into fourth place with key news demographics. But other establishment media outlets are starting to grumble.
The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus and the New York Times, for example, are noticing that Obama is getting rolled by Congressional Democrats on a series of issues, like farm subsidies, subsidies for private banks making student loans, an assault weapons ban, global warming taxes and non-starters like his idiotic trial balloon on charging veterans’ insurers for battle-related healthcare costs.
The line from the Obama Administration on the budget is the same to both the NYT and Marcus:
More important, aides say, the final product is likely to provide for passage of health reform by a majority vote if the Senate is gridlocked this fall. That could pave the way for a major victory — enough to erase memories of compromises and capitulations.
However, today’s New York Times foretells a different outcome:
President Obama is running into stiff Congressional resistance to his plans to raise money for his ambitious agenda, and the resulting hole in the budget is threatening a major health care overhaul and other policy initiatives.
The administration’s central revenue proposal — limiting the value of affluent Americans’ itemized deductions, including the one for charitable giving — fell flat in Congress, leaving the White House, at least for now, without $318 billion that it wants to set aside to help cover uninsured Americans. At the same time, lawmakers of both parties have warned against moving too quickly on a plan to auction carbon emission permits to produce more than $600 billion.
The unwillingness to embrace some of the major White House tax and revenue proposals has frustrated administration officials.
(And that is before the threatened attempt to railroad healthcare reform runs into the Byrd rule in the Senate.) Obama’s tax plans are as unrealistic as his miniscule spending “cuts,” which the administration tells us “are intended to signal the president’s determination to cut spending and reform government,” but which accomplish the exact opposite result, as the Washington Post editorial board recently noted.
CNN can pretend it is election night at the end of the month. The Obama Administration can pretend its budget is moving forward (and whatever the Congressional Democrats produce will be bad enough). But like a married couple, when the honeymoon is officially over, the big arguments are likely to be over money. Expect a lot of pouting from progressives in the fall.
–Karl
One can only hope he continues to get rolled by his own party a la Clinton in his 1st term. The senior Dems basically saved his arse by blocking some of his more inane ideas, and helped him immeasurably in the run – up to his second electoral win. As with the Dem congress sizing up Clinton and finding him wanting, so it goes with this one via Obama.
Dmac (1ddf7e) — 4/20/2009 @ 9:24 amRACIST !!!!
JD (f8b50e) — 4/20/2009 @ 9:27 amJust remember: there is no end to the space beneath the bus.
Eric Blair (ad3775) — 4/20/2009 @ 9:39 amHello.
I like your site and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links.
Thanks in advance
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:00 amHi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:05 amGreat Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template if you need any assistance customizing it let me know!
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:06 amI discovered your homepage by coincidence.
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:14 amVery interesting posts and well written.
I will put your site on my blogroll.
🙂
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:29 amJamie got a gun and should have used it on herself…….
aoibhneas (0c6cfc) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:43 amI’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:44 amWould you be interested in exchanging blogrolls links with my site? Please email me if you are interested
Jamie Holts (322264) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:47 amWho airlifted in the stupid this morning?
Mr. Pink (eae12c) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:49 amI discovered your comments here by coincidence. The coincidence being that you’re SPAMMING the website, moron!
Chris (a24890) — 4/20/2009 @ 10:59 amFirst, I find it ironic Karl is pinning his dying movement’s hopes on Congressional Democrats, who (or so I have been told for the last 6 six years) are traitors, Communists, and socialists. Who knew the protection of the unsustainable status quo would rest with that group?
Secondly, Sam Nunn did less to get Clinton elected in his second term than Newt did. Without the stand-off over the budget, Billy wouldn’t have been re-elected. Newt’s still around. I hope for the Gingrich-Palin 2012 ticket, but some of my friends say a thrice divorced serial liar can only be the de facto leader of the party/radio host and not a presidential candidate. oh well…
Thirdly, Obama won a majority of the nation’s vote; Clinton never did and Bush only did once. Unlike those folks, when it’s time to feel the blade, he has the steel, aka an army of supports which dwarfs anything seen in Washington since St. Ronnie used to come into my living room and tell me his organs didn’t know what each other were saying and he was sad he lied about about giving big guns to the Iranians.
As to Karl’s last point, progressives are used to disappointment. Health reform, which should have been enacted in the 30’s (40 years after its adoption in most Western countries) continues to wither on the vine, the government drags its feet on fixing the income gap, American higher education cost spirals out of control for most people and we continue to pay private companies to provide student loans when the government does it cheaper. Lastly, our energy policy is completely silly.
So, progressives are used to pouting over the budget, which will cost too much to do too little and be master-minded by the very clowns who enabled Bush and company to run the first non-jobs producing administration of the last 50 years.
Otherwise, as noted many times, Obama does not govern as a liberal. I have long doubted he is one, but, even if he, his centrist/pragmatic tendencies overwhelm his idealism. I have always expected him to disappoint what I believe we need, but at least he seems competent.*
*To me, he does. Obviously the vast majority of commenters see him as an incompetent, yet evil, communist who is coming to take their guns….we’ll agree to disagree:)
timb (a83d56) — 4/20/2009 @ 11:06 amtimb, is the faux pax with the “bow,” the not knowing that there was an Office of Protocall and all the other “goofs” not evidence of incompetence? Just askin’.
GM Roper (85dcd7) — 4/20/2009 @ 11:13 amObama is trying (and succeeding) in greatly extending an already bloated behemoth. What ever happened to personal responsibility; individuals shaping their own future? Cutting $100 million in the face of increasing trillions is the biggest joke ever played on this country. And we can thank CNN and many other outlets (and pundits) for perpetuating the gag.
Corwin (ea9428) — 4/20/2009 @ 11:32 am“I have long doubted he is one, but, even if he, his centrist/pragmatic tendencies overwhelm his idealism.”
Are you kidding me? He tried to get cap and trade thru a Democrat congress and it was too left wing even for them. Cutting charitable deductions, making veterans pay for their own service releated issues as well. For fuck sakes what would he have to do to be called left winger by you take a trip to Russia to dig up Lenin and have sex with him?
Mr. Pink (eae12c) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:00 pmGibbs tells us that the administration has been tasked with cutting $100,000,000 from the federal budget. Good on them. They will use this as their claim to being fiscally responsible. But, to put it in perspective, his total budget proposed is approximately, $3,500,000,000,000 and the deficit is projected at $1,750,000,000,000. This wave of fiscal responsibility will amount to approx 0.00028571 of the total budget, and 0.00057143 of the deficit.
Someone came armed with their talking points and caricatures this morning …
JD (c6b1ac) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:01 pmHe is so “centrist” his budget passes without a single Republican vote. Yeah that kinda centrist.
Mr. Pink (eae12c) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:03 pmIf “The One” cuts $100,000,000 from total spending of $4 trillion this year, he will accomplish the same as a family making $40,000 altering their annual budget by $1.
Phu Bai Phat (7ff971) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:16 pmIt is more properly Teh One, Phu Bai Phat. Great point, nonetheless.
JD (c6b1ac) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:17 pmHe is cutting $100,000,000 (10 accounting year period) from a budget he just exploded by $20,000,000,000,000 (10 year).
So a better example is a family making $200,000 just cut out $1. Or 0.0005%.
So, go inflate your tires now!
HeavenSent (637168) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:29 pmI may be doing the math wrong, but I think it’s 0.0000285 JD. But then again, what’s another 0? Or three zeroes – most people can’t comprehend a billion, let alone a trillion.
Corwin (ea9428) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:36 pmIt’s so cute when liberals call themselves “progressives” because The Fat Man on the Radio shamed them into switching terminology.
Dave (in MA) (037445) — 4/20/2009 @ 12:51 pmYou are likely correct, Corwin. I was trying to figure that out on a napkin. Regardless, their attempts at fiscal responsibility are laughable, but are being lapped up by their fellow travlers in the MSM.
JD (c6b1ac) — 4/20/2009 @ 1:03 pmFace it, libtards remain clueless and will stick bt teh messiah regardless of what bullshit he manages to foist on the country. Regarding Pink’s comments of having sex with Lenin: O’Turd is already capitulating to the various tinhorn fellow travelers of Marixm. I have tried reasoning with dipshit women here. The latest one hates Chavez with a passion, having fled Caracas, but the holy O is not like Hugo because he cares about actual people and will provide FREE health care and FREE the planet from AGW and use of fossil fuels. Doesn’t matter if everyone but the elite fellators in gummint or media suffers, it is only fair that the “rich” pay. From what I see the rich will be ok. How much has Soros benefited so far from the bailouts? One billion bucks has been bantered about. And I’m sure your friendly bankers have plenty salted away and are pocketing more at every opportunity.
aoibhneas (0c6cfc) — 4/20/2009 @ 1:23 pmO’Dumbo is a centrist? He has even surpassed Carter and Clinton as a Hater of America and ass-kisser of tyrants.
Re: The Cabinet Meeting and the requested $100M budget cut:
AD (10aa69) — 4/20/2009 @ 2:17 pmMy take is that each Cabinet Secretary and/or Department/Agency head was to be tasked with finding $100M in cuts from each of their budgets.
What are there, 14 Cabinet Departments? And, how many independent Agencies that have Cabinet status?
Still, even if they get the $100M from each (let’s say a total of twenty Dept’s/Agencies/ect.), all we’re talking about is $2B, out of a total Administrative budget of in excess of $4T – one-tenth of one-half of one-percent (0.05%).
You can’t make up something like this, no-one would believe if this was submitted in a novel or script.
The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus and the New York Times, for example, are noticing that Obama is getting rolled by Congressional Democrats on a series of issues, like farm subsidies, subsidies for private banks making student loans, an assault weapons ban, global warming taxes and non-starters like his idiotic trial balloon on charging veterans’ insurers for battle-related healthcare costs.
The type of personality that made Obama electable in the first place as the first African-American president makes him eminently rollable as president. Obama was a non-controversial and non-confrontational politician as an Illinois state senator and in the U.S. Senate — conservatives might get fired up by what he believed, but he has never been one to give a firebrand speech (whatever messianic and/or orgasmic appeal his speeches have are almost entirely in the minds of his supporters, who want to be both preached to and stimulated).
Obama might fight Republicans and conservatives, but only with a full cadre of Democrats behind him. He’s not going after them on his own, and he’s certainly not going to attack his own party’s orthodoxy. And more and more people within the party are coming to realize that, which is why Obama’s getting rolled by the longtime House and Senate leaders.
In the same way the first African-American mayor of New York, David Dinkins, was elected by being non-threatening and then could never stand up to his own special interest groups, Obama’s pretty much going to have to be at the very lease on the edge of political defeat before he’s going to stand up to his special-interest groups. So his foreign and (especially) his domestic plans in the run-up to 2010 and 2012 are only going to be as good and/or smart as the kingpins in Congress, the union leaders and the other lobbying groups will allow (and odds are, that’s not going to be what the swing voters are looking for).
John (692c5c) — 4/20/2009 @ 2:52 pmtimb writes:
The answer to that would be Me. And I wrote about it several times last year, as he well knows.
Karl (983a67) — 4/20/2009 @ 3:13 pmAlluding to something Marion Barry said about Jesse Jackson, Obama has never run anything but his mouth. The fact that he is foundering with an absurd legislative agenda should not surprise anyone.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 4/20/2009 @ 3:22 pm“the government drags its feet on fixing the income gap”
timb – Could you please describe the above and why the government needs to fix it, along with your view of how they should go about doing that?
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 4/20/2009 @ 3:25 pmbut some of my friends
Tim actually has friends? And those same “friends” are “telling him” that the de factor leader of the GOP should be Limbaugh? Wow, never heard that one before.
Health reform, which should have been enacted in the 30’s (40 years after its adoption in most Western countries)
Now, that’s really bringing the stupid – please tell us how Western Europe’s healthcare reform has played out since those halycon days. Other than France, what Euro country has the same quality of health care that people receive here, yet costs their governments less than the average US citizen pays out?
Dmac (1ddf7e) — 4/20/2009 @ 3:26 pmBo is on half rations now. The Jonas Bros only fly in once a month instead of once a week. Michelle switched to a cheaper masseuse. O is playing both Offense AND Defense in his pick up B-Ball games.
You reichwingers have no compassion for the struggling masses in the White House! Let him eat his Waffle (no whipped creme? the humanity!) for cryin out loud!
EBJ (2fd7f7) — 4/20/2009 @ 3:43 pmThis is just another example of the fat drug addict broadcasting from his insular box telling you wingnuts what to think.
DSCSA's Unicorn (769f99) — 4/20/2009 @ 4:00 pmThe senior Dems basically saved his arse by blocking some of his more inane ideas, and helped him immeasurably in the run – up to his second electoral win.
Actually, the Republicans, which took Congress in 1994, less than two years into Clinton’s first term saved him. The same could happen with Obama but the Republicans have to find a leader and a message. There are still too many old pols who will not be good candidates hanging around hoping for a handout from the party.
Tedisco, unfortunately, appears to be one and is losing the NY 20th to the guy who got ROTC thrown off the Harvard campus in the 60s.
Mike K (8df289) — 4/20/2009 @ 4:01 pmGood point, Mike – but again, I believe some of those senior Dems wanted no part of HillaryCare.
Dmac (1ddf7e) — 4/20/2009 @ 4:08 pmDmac, those older, moderate Democrats are very few on the ground these days. Some of the House members recruited on Emmanuel in 2006 because they were moderates might start to feel uneasy when they see that 54% of Democrats approve of tea parties.
Mike K (2cf494) — 4/20/2009 @ 6:00 pm[…] reportwhich is harshly scathing in its analysis, indicating Patterico is right when he says the media honeymoon may be ending fast. Here’s the problem – while it’s nice to talk about any kind of cutback in federal […]
Obama’s “belt-tightening” just useless spin « Wellsy’s World (962ecf) — 4/20/2009 @ 7:25 pmHe just asked for half a trillion for the IMF and is meeting with credit card companies (gulp) this week. Looks like another trillion-plus week. Do we have graphs that are big enough to follow our deficit?
Patricia (2183bb) — 4/20/2009 @ 8:41 pmOtherwise, as noted many times, Obama does not govern as a liberal.
Oh, yea, uh-huh. The guy in the White House actually is a, hmm, progressive. Yea, I believe that’s the word. He’s a progressive! He governs not as a liberal, but as a “progressive.” Yep, that’s a big difference.
Mark (411533) — 4/20/2009 @ 8:43 pmthe same time, lawmakers of both parties have warned against moving too quickly on a plan to auction carbon emission permits to produce more than $600 billion.
Thank God for small favors.
Mark (411533) — 4/20/2009 @ 8:48 pmMark,
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407) — 4/20/2009 @ 9:01 pmThanks for that reminder. I want to delve into that subject. We get so much talk about how many jobs the green economy will create that I’d like to see how realistic those assumptions are, and do they really include all significant factors. This is one of the few notes of skepticism.
Karl, you misspelled “mourning” in the title.
The nit-picking Dana (3e4784) — 4/21/2009 @ 4:40 amI can’t beleive I am reading this. Obama is not being rolled by the Congress. Look at his history. Nothing suggest he would disagree with the Congress’s plans. They are jusy a convenient foils so the administration and its Pravda media can say it was not his fault.
davod (bce08f) — 4/21/2009 @ 8:16 amAccording to the UN studies, all of them. We rank 34th, after most Western European countires. hell, Britain’s costs are less than half per patient as ours are.
But, I do love excepting France, you know the single finest single payer system in the world. “Outside of the New York Yankee, name a team that has won 25 titles. See, I, Dmac, am a clever crafter of absurd hypotheticals!”
Not to mention, because of people who buy our legislators, like insurance companies, you folks don’t need to worry about single payer. Everybody’s just gonna get them some nice insurance and you people can be mad all the people with their insurance. Damn freeloaders. Nobody told children or the poor they deserved health care. Health care is a privilege that one receives by finding a nice corporation to work for.
timb (a83d56) — 4/21/2009 @ 2:18 pm[…] supporters do not buy it. The establishment media does not buy it (as the Politico itself notes). Democrats in Congress do not buy it, either. Obama’s own party has rolled him on any number of issues, supposedly in return for […]
The Greenroom » Forum Archive » 100 days: What Obama does not want you to read (e2f069) — 4/28/2009 @ 8:50 amA lot of Democrats in Congress are elected from oil-and-coal extracting states.
Michael Ejercito (7c44bf) — 4/29/2009 @ 2:26 pm[…] do not buy it. The establishment media does not buy it (as the Politico itself notes). Democrats in Congress do not buy it, either. Obama’s own party has rolled him on any number of issues, supposedly in return […]
Patterico’s Pontifications » 100 days: What Obama does not want you to read (e4ab32) — 7/22/2009 @ 12:23 am