This week brings crucial talks about the fiscal budget balancing cuts necessary to keep our nation's economy sustainable. This is the week President Obama announces his bid for re-election. To Team Obama I say - tone deaf, much?
Obama gave a speech touting his green energy initiatives and spoke to an alleged appearance of an agreement cobbled together between the House and Senate leadership on the budget. Then there was this immediate response from Boehner:
"Let me be clear, there is no agreement", said Speaker of the House Boehner.
Leadership is sorely needed in common sense development of a national budget. Fortunately for the country, Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) is stepping up and offering a real spending cutting budget. And, he acknowledges the political risk of making real, grown-up decisions:
House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan said Sunday that the fiscal 2012 budget proposal he will release this week would cut more than $4 trillion over the next decade, make sweeping changes to Medicare and Medicaid, cap federal spending, and reduce tax rates.
While the Wisconsin Republican made the case that the elements of his proposal are needed to put the nation’s soaring debt on a “downward trajectory,” he acknowledged that the package, which he plans to release Tuesday, could provide fodder for Democrats in the 2012 election cycle.
“We are giving them a political weapon to go against us, but they will have to lie and demagogue to make that a political weapon,” Ryan said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They are going to demagogue us, but it’s that demagoguery that has always prevented political leaders in the past from trying to fix the problem. ... Yes, we will be giving political adversaries things to use against us in the next election, and shame on them if they do that.”
The money quote from Ryan today on the lack of Presidential leadership: "We don't need a good politician, we need a strong leader."
President has been missing in action. Only over the weekend did he made separate phone calls to Speaker Boehner and Leader Reid, in hopes of convincing them of the need for timely work on an agreement towards cuts in spending to put together the deal. There is much speculation that the Democrats and President Obama are truly hoping that the agreement won't be made in time to stop the government deadline at the end of the week and the government will "shut down". The Democrats think this will reflect poorly on the Republicans and the Tea Party coalition that are holding out for the strongest cuts. They may be right but it will soon occur to the general public that it is still very much a Democratically controlled government. The GOP is in the majority of the House, true, but that is all. The Senate and the President can stop any bill brought forth from the House.
Will President Obama take time from his busy re-election campaign to begin to act like a leader?
2 comments:
Why doesn't someone do some investigating about the real cost of privatizing public services. There's got to be enough information by now. We can start with those school districts which have been privatized and find out how much money they are still taking from the Tax Payer.
I have read some of the comments and feel this, the GOP and big business interests want us all to pay the taxes, fight the wars, work for nothing and leave them alone so that can run the country into the ground and live the American Dream. Congressman with signs" pays my way and I will screw the people in every way possible"
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