Bush budget not DOA? Democrats Face Limits in Changing Bush’s Budget

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: News Analysis
Democrats Face Limits in Changing Bush’s Budget
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Published: February 6, 2007

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 — With its military spending increases, reductions in popular domestic programs and calls to extend tax cuts, President Bush’s $2.9 trillion budget for 2008 drew fire from Democrats the minute it landed on Monday.

But while Democratic critics may wish to challenge the administration’s blueprint, political and fiscal constraints will make it hard for them to assert their own priorities.

In theory, the budget presents the Democrats their first real opportunity to rewrite the administration’s policies, especially on tax cuts, that they have been attacking for six years.

But in practice, Democrats know that the only way they can find the revenue to restore the administration’s proposed spending cuts would be to cut back on military spending, delay their stated intentions to balance the budget or rescind the Bush tax cuts in future years. They are not especially eager to do any of these.

The most likely result, even some Democrats acknowledge, will be a limited reshaping of the budget by restoring some proposed cuts in a variety of domestic programs, including children’s health care, Head Start and home heating assistance for the poor and the elderly.

But few Democrats are expected to look for new revenues by calling for an end to Mr. Bush’s tax cuts, instead of extending them as the president proposed Monday, or to deal with the looming costs of Social Security and Medicare as the postwar generation retires, all of which pose huge budget problems in future years....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/washington/06assess.html?hp&ex=1170824400&en=cd1231ff55f1c6ee&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[acmavm]

1. Somehow the 'promise' of the last election has fizzled out and turned into

just more of the same old same old.

The dems don't understand what put them into the majority.

I never expected anything different from the repubs left in office. In fact, I expected exactly what we got. Them to dig in deeper and get more rabid. But I did expect the dems to come out fighting, and I suspect that the voters that put them in office did too.

[Nay]

2. Then the Dems are a bunch of effing cowards. We're screwed, folks.

[Mythsaje]

3. And people wonder why so many folks don't bother to vote...

They're hard pressed to see any point to it.

Who do the politicians work for again?

[leftchick]

5. was there ever any doubt?

I am hard pressed to find someone who does not work for these ....

[Lasher]

4. I don't think I agree with this analysis.

There might be a little wishful thinking going on on the part of Weisman.

[Epiphany4z]

7. I sure hope so

I have just never seen any thing like this Bush bunch....they flat out freak me out..How do they not get impeached?...censored ...something!

Can we not roll back at least some of his gift to the wealthy tax cuts?

[Lasher]

10. Here's a couple of Weisman's other recent articles

Fed Chief Warns That Entitlement Growth Could Harm Economy January 19, 2007

Talking About Common Ground; Victorious Democrats Vow Cooperative Approach on Taxes and Economy November 9, 2006

As one who firmly believes in protection of our New Deal social programs, the above 2 titles make me feel defensive right away. But I did some research on Weisman's work going back to Saint Gipper's reign and found no obvious evidence that Weisman is inappropriately biased. He's covered economics extensively but doesn't seem to be a deer-in-the-headlights supply-sider. He's been focused a lot on global 'free' trade issues but to be fair I didn't detect an inordinate prejudice there either.

I hate to say it but he might have a point. Our Democratic Congressional leadership had better make some major changes in Junior's budget proposal, then stick to their guns. I predict that Junior and his Congressional GOP lapdogs will shut down the government by holding up the budget, then see if they can get Democrats to blink first. Junior hasn't given up one bit on his extremist agenda. I wonder how many people noticed that Social Security privatization is included in his proposal?

[annabanana]

6. GODDAMM IT ! . . That "money for the troops" is another

great shovel load of cash for the mercenaries over there... Titan, CACI, KBR, Halliburton..

SURELY a few of these so called Democrats might bring this up?!?

[wakeme2008]

8. I do not agree with the writer

there is lot of things the Dems can do. Hand Bush his 146 Billion for Iraq back to him and tell him to summit it with a tax increase to pay for it. Put the monkey on Bush's back

[RC]

9. You make too much sense. Never happen.

We have to come up with another plan of action to get their attention.
How about a sudden increase in air pollution around the Nations Capital caused by 100's of thousands of people carrying torches and (fake) pitch forks.

[Toots]

11. An emergency tax increase of ten percent that will end only when Combat

troops are home again. People want the tax to end they will vote for those saying they will bring the troops home. The President that does that and ends the tax will be a hero and the troops will be home to boot...Anyone that votes against such an "emergency surtax" could easily be blasted as against the troops and aiding the enemy...Why should our schools and health care suffer so Bush* can feather his nest even more than he has already? This is the only war in the history of the USA that has been funded solely by Deficit Spending....