Well, the government isn’t shutting down – that’s a good thing. They finally reached a budget deal, cutting spending on important programs during a weak recovery. Woo austerity! I think we all knew this was inevitable after Republicans had big wins in November. It’s only going to get worse from here – there’s the debt ceiling fight and the 2012 budget to come. I still haven’t seen full details yet but the EPA and Planned Parenthood riders were removed (with promised votes in the Senate and studies promised). Women in DC got screwed – the budget rider forbidding DC from using its own tax money to fund abortions stayed (so much for let the states decide). Politico has more details on what is getting cut (the Pentagon got an increase). Democrats went more than halfway to get the deal closed so it looks like a win for Boehner. Here’s TPM’s Brian Beutler on the politics:
It’s a mixed bag for both sides politically. Democrats, led by Reid and President Obama, have had to accept cuts to social programs they value ideologically, and that are important to their base. Indeed, the sum of the cuts is higher than Republicans initially thought feasible. But Boehner was walking a tightrope with conservative rank and filers skeptical of any compromise — a rift Democrats stretched to maximum benefit — despite walking away with more fiscal flesh than anybody would have predicted six months ago.
That the government will stay open should come as little solace to Boehner — who to his credit knew the political fallout would harm Republicans. This was a little fight. Puny even. It was the easiest test he’ll face all year, and he barely passed. In just a few weeks, he’ll have to convince the same petulant bloc in his party to support raising the debt limit, or force the country into default. When that’s done, he’ll have to run point on yet another spending fight — to keep the government running next year. In both looming battles, Boehner will demand more spending cuts. But the remaining accounts are much larger, and they pay for programs that have defined Democrats for multiple generations of liberals — popular entitlements like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The former two in particular are issues where there’s no common ground between the two parties. And yet they’re where all the money is.
This means the legislative politics in America have whipsawed over the course of a year from whether and how to provide universal health care in the United States, to which social programs ought to be cut or annihilated. That the focal point of policy on Capitol Hill is on what should be cut — and not when to cut, or whether cutting is even wise — illustrates just how brief the progressive moment lasted after Obama’s election in 2008. It also represents a colossal failure of government.
Despite winning the ideological fight (for now at least) Republicans are bitching. Boehner didn’t get the 218 Republican votes he wanted for the temporary resolution and there’s already talk of primarying Boehner (we will see if that’s hot air or just talk).
Look, I realize the right didn’t get literally everything it demanded, but Republicans managed to play a very weak hand and win a handsome prize. Democrats control the White House and the Senate, polls showed strong opposition to the priorities the GOP wanted to pass, and Republicans still got a favorable deal. For the right to whine about it now is absurd.
As for the practical implications of far-right discontent, there’s almost no chance the budget deal will be derailed — but the House GOP leadership’s goal of passing this without needing Democratic support is a long shot. Remember, Boehner suggested this week that his priority was getting the deal through the House, not just with 218 votes, but with 218 Republican votes. With a 241-member caucus, the Speaker would need to lose no more than 23 GOP votes to reach his partisan goal.
At this point, however, the party believes it may face as many as 40 Republican defections, but leaders will “work strenuously to keep the number below 30.” Either way, Boehner will need some Blue Dogs to cross the finish line.
I do think some victories came out of the fight for Democrats. For one Rpeublicans were definitely losing the PR battle by making it all about Planned Parenthood and making cutting that more important than fiscal matters. Boehner looked weak and there were many, many stories about GOP divisions. We now need to focus on the battles to come – the debt ceiling and the 2012 budget. Paul Ryan helped by releasing a widely panned fantasy budget which ended Medicare. Democrats need to get ahead of the debate. If we are going to talk about more cuts, we should push ending welfare for the rich. Turn the “we can’t afford it” and “shared sacrifice” back on the Republicans. I think the 2012 election will be all about the direction of our country and we can’t afford to lose it.