GOP Divided On Need To Offer Rival Budget Despite Attacks

[babylonsister]

Then get out of the way!

Republicans Split on Need to Offer Rival for Budget

By CARL HULSE
Published: March 13, 2009


WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are engaged in a highly coordinated political assault on President Obama’s budget, but they are not so united when it comes to offering an alternative to the spending plan they have been shredding as irresponsible.

Breaking with the House, Senate Republicans say they do not intend to offer a full counterproposal to Mr. Obama’s sweeping $3.6 trillion spending blueprint, a decision that will spare them from outlining potentially painful decisions required to bring federal books more in line with their call to hold down spending, cut taxes and reduce the deficit.

“The responsibility of the majority is to produce the budget,” said Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, senior Republican on the Budget Committee, “and we think it is more constructive to point out how we would improve their budget.”

With a month to go before Congress is supposed to pass a budget resolution, Democrats say the absence of a competing Senate Republican plan makes Republican complaints about the Obama approach ring hollow. Would Republicans, they ask, continue to keep the costs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan off the books? Account for the costly annual change to protect middle-class taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax? Set up a disaster fund to prepare for emergencies?

“They are long on criticism and short on a plan,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. “They have a communications strategy instead of an economic one.”

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/us/politics/14budget.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[liberal N proud]

1. The only thing they can agree on these days is to be obstructionist

[Still Sensible]

2. I think it is really simple, they believe that ANY plan is

likely to be slow to achieve recovery and that there is nothing to gain by offering any alternatives. Those alternatives would open the door to be attacked the same way the administration's efforts are being constantly attacked. So it's politically better for them to sit on the sidelines, throw up barriers to recovery and do everything in their power to point out any and every instance where the Obama policies fall short. Politics 101 really.

[babylonsister]

3. I agree with you, but their lack of doing anything but complaining

is being noticed and isn't helping them.

[Still Sensible]

4. No question. I think the strategy will ultimately fail for them

but they really don't have much choice. Whether it works or not will depend solely, IMO, on whether the progress made toward economic recovery is perceived as "fast enough" by the electorate for the 2010 midterms and 2012 general elections. I think it will fail because the progress at those points in time will be generally perceived as enough.

To your point, the way the RWers are generally constricting into an ever more narrow and exclusive group of supply siders and fundamentalists is contributing to the general public noticing their complaining and lack of doing anything constructive. The smokescreen of making Steele the GOP chairman is doing nothing but making their dysfunction more obvious.

[lsewpershad]

5. Eactly

The problem is they have NOTHING to offer except more of the same which has brought us to where we are. No shame!!! These people.