Temporary Budget Deal Reached; Cherry Blossom Festival Saved
**Written by Doug Powers
We had about ten updates and several hundred comments on the other budget/shutdown watch thread, so we’ll move to a weekend version for more discussion.
One of the greatest tragedies this nation has ever encountered was narrowly averted last night. I speak of course of the devastation a government shutdown would have wrought on the cherry blossom festival.
As you have probably heard, a temporary budget deal has been reached:
With little more than an hour to go before a midnight government shutdown, President Obama and congressional leaders said Friday night they struck a tentative deal to give themselves more breathing space as they finalize a long-term bill to cut $37.7 billion in spending.
Early Saturday morning, when the government technically had run out of money, Congress passed and sent a short-term spending bill to the White House that keeps the government open until the end of next week. During that reprieve, the House and Senate are expected to pass a broader bill that funds the government for the rest of fiscal year 2011, which ends Sept. 30.
The leaders said the cuts are “historic,” and congratulated each other for reaching a deal, but a small rebellion was brewing among conservative Republicans who said it does not make the kinds of deep reductions they were seeking and that the House passed earlier this year.
“Tomorrow, I’m pleased to announce that the Washington Monument as well as the entire federal government will be open for business,” Mr. Obama said at the White House late Friday, minutes after House Speaker John A. Boehner announced the deal at the Capitol.
Who “won” this thing? Opinions will vary. Harry Reid called it “historic,” which isn’t exactly a confidence booster. Yesterday Reid accused Republicans of wanting to kill women and today he made history with them? Did they find middle ground and decide to only make them slightly ill?
More:
Under the terms of the agreement, the six-month bill will slash $38.5 billion from current spending levels, which is $23 billion less than the reductions Republicans originally demanded but $30 billion more than what Democrats had initially offered to cut.
Here’s a little perspective: That’s some $38 billion in proposed cuts through the rest of the fiscal year ending in September. The federal debt has increased $54.1 billion in the past eight days.
Simply slowing the meteoric increase in deficit spending is like choosing between going to hell in a fast handbasket or slightly slower gas can, so to that degree my fellow conservatives might feel like the Republicans lost this round (you’ll notice that the debt clock is still going up, not down).
At the same time though, according to the Washington Times, there is $78.5 billion less spending than what the president had requested for 2011, and the Democrats agreed to it. As Ed Morrissey at Hot Air pointed out, that’s not bad for a party that only controls one chamber of Congress and doesn’t occupy the White House. Not bad for a flea either, eh, Chuck?
As for the Planned Parenthood sticking point, here’s what happened with that:
The bill does not include a Republican provision to de-fund Planned Parenthood, which provides health care services for women, including abortion. The Planned Parenthood provision was one of the main sticking points during the negotiations, with the GOP insisting it remain in the bill.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, agreed to remove the Planned Parenthood provision in exchange for an agreement that would allow Congress to take up the funding issue separately. The Republicans also won inclusion of a provision that will require the Senate to vote on a bill to de-fund the health care reform law.
Much more will come of all this as the days go on.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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This makes an Okie want to move to MinnieScrota. (Sorry it’s the IA vs MN thingy)
Let’s make it stick:
Boehner’s new nickname:
Weepy, the 8th Dwarf
Time to heat up primary season.
From what I can see, Herman Cain is still the way to go. Really no one is STRONG (Trump is fun to watch, but I do not think he is a true Conservative)
Maybe but she is the one who is always over-stepping herself by presuming to be speaking for the Tea Party but she can’t even deliver more than 25% of her own causcus’ vote for the first CR. The Tea Party is about to lean on her caucus to not make the same mistake again next week. Can she lead her own caucus? If she can’t (or won’t), she should end her run for president and not waste our time or hers.
This is exactly why Marco Rubio refused to join anything called “Tea Party” in Washington. Our strength is that we don’t have a leader. No one speaks for us but us. Now we need to swarm next week to remind them that we haven’t forgotten what they promised in their election campaigns and that 75% reneged on that promise the very first time they were called on it. She needs to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Talking is one thing. That’s all Bachmann has done so far. She needs to prove to us that she can do more than talk and raise money.
Starting with Weepy, the 8th Dwarf and Can’tor/won’t. Leadership like that only gets us to the cliff a little slower, it doesn’t avert disaster.
VP: get ready for next week. Things are going to get tense for the Tea Party Caucus and House Republicans. This “victory” just doesn’t seem to be selling well.
I could use some good news; what’re the indications you’ve seen that the Tea Party Caucus isn’t buying this “victory”?
While some of us feel the GOP did the best they could with the Senate and Admin. under Democrat control, and others feel differently, I hope everyone will contact their senators and reps as well as Speaker Boehner sometime this week, and let them know that much more is expected of them. They may ignore us (I’m sure McCaskill and Carnahan will ignore me), but at least we will have taken a stand.
I’m watching Sarah Palin on Fox right now.
I have tried really hard to give her a chance to get up to speed. Sorry, I know this is going to be unpopular, she’s still not ready for prime-time.
They just teased that Can’tor/won’t is going to be on Fox News Sunday. Must miss TV….
Trump is making things very interesting. They’ve tried Alinskying him and he just keeps going after it.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/07/trump-hammers-away-at-obamas-citizenship-issue/
Wouldn’t it be great if somebody could get Donald to ask one of these talking heads that are interviewing him, “Who is Barry Soetoro?” and watch their slack-jawed faces.
I got a mass e-mail from the Tea Party Patriots HQ, sent an e-mail to the leaders and got a personal e-mail back. Just waiting for instructions. Next week will be about pressuring the weasel Republicans in the House to vote “no” on the CR, especially the so-far phony Tea Party Caucus who mostly (75%) voted “yes” last time.
After that, it will be calling for GOP leadership to step down.
It soon won’t feel like victory for the GOP. They should have taken to heart the time old wisdom of investing “a trend is your friend” by embracing the Tea Party instead of fighting us. Now they will join the Dems in blaming us for almost shutting down the government. Let’s make it clear to them that THEY lost yesterday. They would have been better off risking taking the blame for a government shutdown (which polls indicated voters knew better).
Trump: “P-BO has spent 2 million so far to hide from the public his long form birth certificate; Now tell me Meredith, if I gave you 2 million, would you make yours public?; That’s the kind of deceitful nonsense this is.”
Meredith Viera: “We’ll be back after this commercial break.”
*Keep stumpin’ Trump!
This is madness. One party wants to detroy this country, and the other party wants a pat on the back for making the first take a few months longer to do it. The sane people of this Country are utterly powerless having no true representative in Washington to speak for them. Something is going to give sooner or later, and I dont see the sane people going quietly.
Well said and correct.
That’s it in a nutshell.
Don’t forget next Friday.
It starts playing at 11 AM at Bricktown theaters here in OKC. I can’t wait. Hope I can get a ticket.
A T L A S S H R U G G E D
Atlas Shrugged Part 1
Thanks for the reminder … opens at 10:20 am here, bet boss won’t mind us both going
Just reserved my ticket for the 2 PM showing at Quail Springs.
I wonder if John Galt will be there?
Good take. I think your right. DC is still a very lonely place for a conservative.
While I may have voted against the budget deal had I been there, it was a difficult situation to make much headway in and will continue to be that way until 2013. It will still take sixty solid (no squishies!) Repubs in the Senate to overcome the inevitable filibusters from Demo-rats to pass the legislation conservatives want passed. If by some chance Obamao is re-elected, it would take 67 votes.
Just read on Politico (courtesy of The Drudge Report), for what it is worth, that it may not be all gloom and doom on the budget front. Looking at future budget battles, anonymous Democrats are conceding that the GOP has the advantage in going for more spending cuts as seen here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52870.html. Democrats are left to defend the status quo of spending for questionable and objectionable programs and earmarks.
Apologies if this has already been covered, but in Friday’s ‘victory” speech, Harry kept touting the 78 billion figure when referring tot he cut.
This is how Washington thinks, you raise spending 15%, then agree to only raise it 10% and tell the voters you cut spending 5%.
What bunch of liars.
And the republicans had them on the ropes and let them escape.
Come on Boehner, man up and do your job.
Agreed.
Similar to what I posted the other day:
No apologies necessary!!
Let’s just be sure we all ask, again and again, and again; as I am sure most of us at this blog already do: God Bless and Save America.
This is also how many posters here think. Well, at least when it suits their narrative.