The Incredible Shrinking President

The fall out of the election victories for the GOP in 2010 continue. Republicans are leading in Washington to cut the out of control spending resulting in unsustainable deficits. Now, thanks to GOP leadership in the budget negotiations, they again show the way to fiscal sanity. President Obama has to play catch-up and shows his weakness as a leader.

President Obama didn't present any spending cuts in his budget plans to finance the rest of 2011 - since there was no budget in place, thanks to the inability of Democrats last year to produce one. Now, Obama has to announce his plans to reform entitlements, thanks to Rep Paul Ryan's plan presented many days ago.

This is a huge win for the taxpayer.

The President has been reduced to following the lead of a Congressman from Wisconsin. On Fox News Sunday, Maura Liasson, a journalist who carries water for this administration, admitted of the Ryan plan - "the absolute essence of leadership". Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" plan reduces the federal deficit by $3 trillion while Obama's budget he will put forth reduces the federal deficit by only $1 trillion.

The President now faces a battle over the vote on increasing the debt ceiling. As a senator from Illinois, Barack Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling. Back then it was all about opposing anything put forth by George W. Bush and ramping up for his own run for the presidency. Now his re-election guy Plouffe says that Obama now thinks that vote was a mistake. That was then, this is now.

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.

You see, the Democrats have assumed the title of the party of no - the party of the status quo. The American public, led by the sought after Independent voter, has said enough of the craziness. It is simply not possible to spend our way out of a recession as deep as this one or else we would be in high cotton by now. It is the Democrats who have been slow to come up with viable answers outside of the box of raising taxes and fees.

The President made a rather strange statement upon the settling of differences on the budget deal Friday night. He spoke about tourists being able to go to the national monuments now without worry that vacations would be hindered due to a government shutdown. It was as though he was a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce. Then, to add to the silliness, he actually trekked over to the Lincoln Monument Saturday and spoke to tourists there.

“Because Congress was able to settle its differences, that’s why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit,” he said. “And that’s the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward.”

You can't make this stuff up. It is the re-election season, you know.

So, the President will have a roll out of his budget cutting plans this week. Slow to the table, he is following the lead of Rep Paul Ryan and his brave, common sense Path to Prosperity. While the President campaigned, played golf, enjoyed weekly parties with celebrities at the White House and appeared on television at every chance, Republican leadership was working on reining in a runaway deficit. This President doesn't lead. He follows. Now his handlers are producing talking points that he has always been a deficit cutter. Unbelievable.

"We've had to bring this president kicking and screaming to the table to cut spending," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., on "Fox News Sunday." Presidential adviser David Plouffe said Obama has long been committed to finding ways for the nation to spend within its means. He confirmed that the president would unveil more specifics for deficit reduction with a speech Wednesday that would reveal plans to reduce the government's chief health programs for seniors and the poor.