The Republican Problem With Actual Numbers
That’s an interesting story, starting back with the Reagan tax cuts…
Under Reagan, Republicans cut taxes on the rich and when huge deficits resulted (as intended) they said, “We have a spending problem, and we have to cut government.” Ever since then the propaganda has been flowing, 24/7/365: government spends too much, is too big, wastefraudandabuse, is bankrupting us, etc. But they never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever will tell you what they would cut and by how much. Ever.
This continues to be the case. Republicans are always willing to talk specifics on tax cuts, but they suddenly become very mysterious when it comes to spending cuts. That’s because spending cuts, in the abstract, are popular. When you start talking about cuts to actual government programs and services, though…turns out that’s not so popular. And this is why you get spectacles such as the outline known as the “Ryan Budget” and what Paul Krugman termed “magic asterisks” which stand in for actual numbers.
Yet Ryan claims a big deficit reduction, via two big “magic asterisks”. First, he insists that the tax cuts won’t reduce revenue, because they’ll be offset with unspecified “base-broadening”. [. . .] Second, there are large assumed cuts in discretionary spending relative to current policy. [. . .] all of the alleged deficit reduction comes from revenue and spending numbers that are simply asserted, not the result of any policies actually described in the “plan”. [. . .] All the claims of major deficit reduction therefore rest on the magic asterisks. In that sense, this isn’t even a plan, it’s just a set of assertions.
What this did was leave it to GOP-led House committees to work out the details. So how’s that worked out so far?
In Republicans Choose (More) Vacation Over Governing I wrote about what happened in one instance of a committee having to specify what to cut and by how much,
This week was put up or shut up time for Republicans. After decades demanding unspecified budget cuts they finally had to put their vote where their budget outline was. So what did they do? They are taking a 40th vote on repealing Obamacare and then heading home for five weeks vacation. This is who they are.
The House Republican leadership withdrew its own THUD bill — Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — because the cuts in the bill were just too much for members to stomach. They had to vote to put actual numbers on their eternal promises to cut cut cut, and they couldn’t even stomach it themselves.
This, gentle readers, is why we don’t have a budget. And it is why we are faced with a shutdown over passing a continuing resolution, which is nothing more than a stop-gap bill to fund the government for a few months. That’s right, the Republican party is so invested in protecting Americans from the tyranny of affordable health insurance that they’re willing to hold the entire government, and quite possibly the economy, hostage over a temporary , two-and-a-half month spending measure.
It remains to be seen how this will pan out. One option we haven’t heard much about this go-round, is that a discharge petition could pass the House with all Democrats and just enough reasonable Republicans forcing a bill an acceptable bill to the floor. But remember folks, even if that happens, if Republicans still can’t pull out actual numbers, we still won’t have a budget…and this whole thing starts all over again.
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By: Sandi Behrns
Sandi Behrns is a noted policy nerd, new media & web developer, and consultant to progressive organizations and campaigns. She is a senior contributor to Liberaland, and the Executive Editor of Progressive Congress News.