Budget Talk

When Speaker McCarthy wishes to speak to President Biden it is because
he is weak in his House and caucus. He is weak because he has sold the
House to the Radical Right (whether directed by Putin or Trump) to get
the Speakership. Today, House Republicans are sinking in their own swamp
of Santos, Marjorie Taylor-Green, and all the other disgusting nonsense
they produce. President Biden should set aside his sensitivities about
the documents found at his home and just deal with policy for America
with no concern for his own political position. Right now it's a huge
fight and more moderate people must win.

If you recall the 1993-1996 time-frame it was one where Pres. Clinton
got a great first budget and it led the way to a balanced budget. This
huge victory was opposed solidly by the Republicans who voted
unanimously against it until they won in 1994 and the House Speakership
went to Newt Gingrich. It all seemed great for the Democrats until
Gingrich revealed his revolutionary spirit. At first, he cooperated with
Clinton (as McCarthy is set to do) and that secured himself some
authority and identity in the political world. He also got Pres. Clinton
to sign off on NAFTA which was a huge political win for the Republicans
who wanted those policies, but also wanted Democrats to take the blame
if anything went wrong. The public hated NAFTA, and the Clintons.
Gingrich and House Republicans sanctimoniously impeached Pres. Clinton
to put him under the thumb of the Republicans and to give the
Republicans a shot at taking the presidency in 2000. They succeeded
brilliantly and yet the Crazies weren't satisfied -- they kicked out
Gingrich. Clearly, when Clinton was feeling exposed to criticism he was
pushed to a defensive action to protect himself. It failed spectacularly
and the Republicans learned.

Today the Crazies have important positions on House committees and they
would do huge harm to America and especially to Democrats given half a
chance. This budget fight is the first thing to come up, so this is
their battleground. And do not be fooled, they don't care as much about
the policy as in fighting Democrats to make their voters happy and to
score political points. The way they would do that is a replay of the
Gingrich techniques. Talk, work together, pass blame to Democrats, and
then impeach the president over nothing but hot air. They feel certain
that if the economy suffers and Pres. Biden is politically weak that
they can win the presidency in 2024, perhaps even with Donald Trump.
Already for the mid-terms we've seen how the media can talk the economy
down to hurt Democrats. No doubt they will continue to tear it down in
the coming months. That's another reason they don't want a strong budget
which would help the economy and the Democrats in the next elections.

One way to oppose this is to refuse to talk to terrorists, first and
foremost. Second, the Senate should produce a bi-partisan budget which
suits Democrats and aims for financial soundness. It doesn't have to be
extreme, just Obama-esque (let's say). When the House Republicans send
their legislation to the Senate, amend it to replace it entirely with
the Senate version and hand it back to the House. This will require them
to show their Crazy colors even more or fold if some of the Republicans
side with Democrats on the legislation. Where that may lead is anybody's
guess, but the alternative has been tried and it only helps Republicans,
not America.

Don't be afraid in the face of personal challenges. Think of the
well-being of the nation and the Democratic Party.