I feel like I am in a time warp. Back in the tail end of 2010, President Obama and the Republicans negotiated a deal that preserved some tax cuts and some social programs, and the progressives and the left couldn’t stop crying. Months later the sky as not fallen, but a new deal has been worked out for the federal budget for this year, and once again, the progressive left is crying itself to sleep. – Lawrence Spaulding
The Great Government Shutdown was averted on Friday night, and after sleeping off the hangover this weekend we are left sorting through what worked out. I feel like I am in a time warp. Back in the tail end of 2010, President Obama and the Republicans negotiated a deal that preserved some tax cuts and some social programs, and the progressives and the left couldn’t stop crying. Months later the sky as not fallen, but a new deal has been worked out for the federal budget for this year, and once again, the progressive left is crying itself to sleep. 
One of my favorite bloggers titled a post on Sunday Why did Obama Cave? Say what? This is a negotiation; each side wants something and plays from different positions of strength and weakness. This deal might be bad deal for the Democrats or bad for the Republicans, but the idea that Obama caved is silly.
First let’s remember this is the budget deal for THIS year—fiscal 2011. The real culprits in this past negotiation are the Congressional Democrats of the previous Congress. They are ones who, with staggering majorities in each house, did not pass a a budget. They were so afraid of their political shadow that they put it all off, lost significantly in the November’s elections anyway, and thus lost significant power in this process to complete the budget.
Next, remember the Republicans in this new Congress came in braying about cutting $100 billion from the 2011 budget (using 2010 as a baseline). By the time they got to introducing their budget bill it was down to $61 billion and dozens of policy riders that attacked Democratic sacred cows (EPA, Planned Parenthood, NPR), and finally now down to just under $39 and a mere smattering of those riders. Given that they hold the House, I don’t understand what Pres. Obama and the Democrats were supposed to do, but negotiate themselves out of the ditch they had dug themselves by leaving this budget incomplete. Could they have kept this to $30B and no riders? Maybe, but of course, they could have gotten $40B with more riders. But it is unreasonable to think that the President and Congressional Democrats can now legislate with impunity.
Two more quick thoughts. First, while details in this deal no doubt are problematic and I substantively disagree with the idea that removing billions of dollars from the economy is better for it right now than is value in deficit reduction. BUT, if the TEA partiers think this deal stinks, I don’t see why Democrats don’t get onboard and agree it stinks for the TEA partiers. The seeds of dissension are there for Boehner to deal with, why not water them? I am not talking about substantive agreement but political strategizing.
Next, if majorities of Republicans vote for this deal this coming week, I hope the Democrats use that vote against them in the upcoming debate about the debt ceiling. If this is the level of budget you voted for, you cannot at the same time deny the money for it. It would be like signing the purchase agreement for a house , but refusing to close on the mortgage—and still expect to move into the house!
– Lawrence Spaulding
PS – Sometimes compromise is also good politics, and clearly President Obama has decided it is to his (and his party’s?) benefit to seem reasonable and willing to work across the aisle on problems and make the Republican appear rigid and uncompromising. Democrats and Independents seem to agree in the first polling out.
