Obama loses Sully. When one losers their biggest fans, they have a problem.Andrew Sullivan: "Obama To The Next Generation: Screw You, Suckers"
They have to lead, because this president is too weak, too cautious, too beholden to politics over policy to lead. In this budget, in his refusal to do anything concrete to tackle the looming entitlement debt, in his failure to address the generational injustice, in his blithe indifference to the increasing danger of default, he has betrayed those of us who took him to be a serious president prepared to put the good of the country before his short term political interests. Like his State of the Union, this budget is good short term politics but such a massive pile of fiscal bullshit it makes it perfectly clear that Obama is kicking this vital issue down the road.
To all those under 30 who worked so hard to get this man elected, know this: he just screwed you over. He thinks you're fools. Either the US will go into default because of Obama's cowardice, or you will be paying far far more for far far less because this president has no courage when it counts. He let you down. On the critical issue of America's fiscal crisis, he represents no hope and no change. Just the same old Washington politics he once promised to end.
It will be interesting to see who Sully blog campaigns for in 2012. My guess would be Obama and his justification will be "but he is better than the REPUBLICAN!!!"
Sullivan is referring to Obama's budget proposal which proposes to increase the deficit, borrow more money to pay for spending we cannot afford and clearly shows a president that proposes to continuing to spend more than we take in. (That plus a link to his proposal in yesterday's post)
Quick reminder of the bottom line:
The U.S. government would bring in $2.627 trillion in revenues and spend $3.729 trillion.
According to Obama's so-called "budget" proposal, our 2011 deficit would spike to $1.65 trillion.
Other liberals reactions are more muted, with most understanding Obama's budget isn't going anywhere without change and they know this proposal is just Obama's starting point for negotiations with Republicans.
Blog Reactions from both sides
Taylor Marsh, not an Obamabot, but solidly supported him after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign.
The light has finally dawned. “Hope” and “change” were marketing messaging. Ah, got it. Mr. Sullivan is actually channeling his own grief even if he’s well beyond the under 30 crowd. It has him looking to Mitch Daniels for fiscal salvation, who just had a rhetorical collision with Rush Limbaugh.
Pres. Obama is just another elite corporate politician doing what every other president would do in order to live to fight another day. He’s going to let the opposition propose the devastating cuts to people’s favorite programs, while preemptively cutting some of his own to have as a talking point.
POLITICO proves why Obama did what he did. The first ones up on their “loser” list is “the liberal base.”
Obama thinks that by offering minor spending cuts while still proposing to spend more than we take in, he has a talking point for his 2012 campaign. "See, I tried to show fiscal responsibility by proposing to cut things!!!"
Director Blue has a chart showing exactly how much "cutting" Obama is proposing.
I've marked the Obama cuts in yellow. Repeat: I've marked the Obama cuts in yellow.
It is all laid out over there so please go read the entire thing.
Power Line (Conservative), titles their piece "Steep Cuts?" Even the Left Is Starting to Notice":
I suppose Sullivan was one of the last to figure this out. The only mystery is why anyone would be surprised by Obama's failure to lead. Can you name a single occasion in his life when Obama has ever shown leadership? I can't.
Obama's game is transparent, isn't it? He is playing a game of chicken. He puts forward a series of proposals that he knows are more or less insane; but he also believes that Republicans will come to his rescue. They, not being wholly irresponsible, will come up with plans to reform entitlements--like, for example, the Ryan Roadmap. Ultimately, some combination of those plans will be implemented because the alternative is the collapse, not just of the government of the United States, but of the country itself. But Obama thinks the GOP's reforms will be unpopular, and he will be able to demagogue them, thus having his cake and eating it too. Is that leadership? Of course not. But it is the very essence of Barack Obama.
Andrew Stiles at NRO, breaks down Obama's proposed spending spree and it is worse than anyone thought.
$3.73 trillion — total spending this year (25 percent of GDP, highest levels since World War Two).
$46 trillion — total spending over the next decade.
$8.7 trillion — total new spending over the same period.
$26.3 trillion — Total new debt, including entitlement obligations, predicted by 2021.
$7.2 trillion — Total deficit predicted by the end of the decade.
$1.1 trillion — How much the White House estimates the proposal will reduce the deficit over the next ten years.
$4 trillion — How much the president’s deficit commission recommended reducing the deficit over the next ten years to avoid financial catastrophe.
$1.6 trillion — The projected annual deficit for 2011 (11 percent of GDP), up from $1.3 trillion in 2010.
$2 trillion — Amount the budget will raise taxes on business and upper-income families over the next ten years, which includes letting the Bush-era tax rates expire in 2012 (for incomes $250,000 and up).
$50 billion — Amount the administration plans to spend this year on infrastructure and transportation “investments.”
$30 billion — Amount dedicated to a “National Infrastructure Bank to invest in projects of regional or national significance to the economy,” including the much-touted high-speed rail initiative.
$77.4 billion — Funding allocated for the Department of Education, a 22 percent increase from 2010 levels, and a 35 percent increase from 2008 levels.
$29.5 billion — Total spending on the Department of Energy, a 22 percent increase from 2008 levels.
$9.9 billion — Funding allocated for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a 30 percent increase from 2008 levels.
$150 billion — Total amount the White House plans to spend next year on research and development programs.
8.2 percent — Predicted unemployment rate in 2012.
When all is said and done, Obama's proposal is just that, a proposal. It is Congress that sets the budget, the President simply sends his "wish list" out and hopes Congress gives him some of it. Obama's first two years he had it easy, Democrats controlled the House and the Senate so Obama got what he wanted.
This year is different, he doesn't own Congress any more. Republicans need to stand up, make the difficult decisions on cuts and stick their neck out there. The voting public wants less government spending. We may not like all the specific cuts, but all in all we know that the path we are on is unsustainable.
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