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Ryan's Two-Year Budget Deal with Democrats by John M. Curtis Copyright
December 13, 2013
Proving that politics makes
strange bedfellows, House Budget Committee Chairman (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty
Murray (D-Wash.) agreed today on a two-year budget deal, ending the stalemate
that shutdown the government for 16 days in October. Considered the
conservative enforcer when he ran in 2012 as former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney’s
running mate, Ryan’s sudden willingness to compromise shows he has his sights on
the 2014 Midterm election and beyond. Considered among the possible
frontrunners for the GOP nomination in 2016, Ryan’s sudden turnabout hints
strongly at his future plans. “We have broken through the partisanship and
the gridlock,” said Murray, patting herself and Ryan on the back for reaching
the first bipartisan budget in divided Congress since 1986. Hoping for
approval before Congress breaks for the Christmas recess, Republicans have much
more to gain than Democrats, preventing another government shutdown Jan. 15,
2014.
Under the 2011 “sequestration” or mandatory spending cuts, Congress was supposed
to cap the U.S. Budget at $967 billion. Ryan’s budget provides $63 billion
in sequestration relief, funding a host of government programs conservative
hoped would fall under the budget ax. Ryan and Murray’s new budget
provides $22 billion more for deficit reduction already at the lowest levels
since 2008, before the economic meltdown went in full swing. ‘I see this
agreement as a step in the right direction,” said Ryan, with the double entendre
noted: Fixing the budget and launching his 2016 bid for president.
Picking the Tea Party favorite Ryan was largely seen as sinking Romney’s 2012
campaign, especially after Ryan started going after Medicare and Social
Security. Proving that he’s learned from his mistakes, Ryan’s conciliatory
tone marks a serious remake of his conservative identity, now showing voters
he’s capable of mainstream politics.
October’s budget stalemate that shutdown the government was the GOP’s last-ditch
attempt to stop Obamacare. With House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)
refusing to default the government Nov. 1, Republicans reluctantly reopened the
government and increased the nation’s debt ceiling. Ryan was the lead
instigator in October’s government shutdown and promise to default the
government. His sudden flip-flip—while welcomed—shows trasparent intent of
his future political plans. “This agreement makes sure that we don’t have
a government shutdown scenario in January, it makes sure we don’t have another
government shutdown in October. It makes sure we don’t lurch from
crisis-to-crisis,” said Ryan, presenting his new, softer side to the press.
Let there be no mistake, Ryan hopes to sell himself as the new GOP compromiser,
marginalizing conservative GOP hopefuls like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Marco
Rubio (R-Fl.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Saying the budget deal furthers
“Washington’s irresponsible budgeting decisions,” Rubio hopes to placate the Tea
Party. Ryan made the point that compromise is the only way forward not
backward, as Rubio suggests, to stubbornly advocate one extreme position or
another. “Spending levels were set by law at $967 billion,” said Tim
Phillips, president of the conservative group Americans for Prosperity,
“Exceeding those levels by $45 billion takes us in the wrong direction, further
from fiscal responsibility,” said Phillips, refusing to acknowledge the 3.6%
third quarter growth rate and 7.0% unemployment rate. Budget deficits
without the sequester continue to drop based on expanding the tax base, the only
real way to economic recovery. GOP plans to cut the budget have only made
a sick economy worse by slashing government spending. Federal Reserve
Board Chairman Ben Bernanke has warned Republicans about slashing the budget.
Showing that conservatives won’t give up their plan to shrink the size of the
federal government, Ryan has his hands full containing conservatives. “We
need a government with less debt and an economy with more good paying jobs, and
this budget fails to accomplish both goals, making it harder for most Americans
to attain the American Dream,” said Rubio, preferring platitudes over reality.
Under Obama’s economic policies, the Dow Jones Industrials have more than
doubled since he took office Jan. 20, 2009. More than 7 million jobs have
been recovered from the biggest economic meltdown since the Great Depression.
Budget deficits have shrunk from $1.4 trillion to about $640 billion for 2013,
not because of the sequester but because the economy has added so many jobs.
Read GDP for the third quarter hit 3.6%, the highest level since 2007.
Rubio knows the all-important debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest level since
Clinton balanced the budget in 1998.
Ryan’s new role as GOP budget-compromiser-in-chief shows one on the fastest
makeovers in U.S. history. While it’s admirable Ryan has seen the light,
his past loyalty to the budget-slashing, government-shrinking Tea Party makes
his do-over less credible. When you consider the abysmally low
Congressional approval ratings and next year’s Midterm elections, Ryan’s move
today makes sense for the GOP. “While modest in scale, this agreement
represents a positive step forward,” said Boehner, promising to put the measure
to a full House vote on Friday before the Christmas recess. Facing the
Midterms next November, the GOP needs all the help it can get rehabbing its
image. “In divided government you don’t always get what you want,” said
Ryan, putting his credibility on the line pushing fiscal conservatives to back
his plan. If Ryan sticks to his guns, he’ll show mainstream voters that
he’s a legitimate player somewhere down the road. John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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