There are a few problems here. 1. The Republicans are insane . 2. The American people, not so smart all the time. 3. Democrats, lousy salesmen. That adds up to more cuts whether we like it or not, and subsequent harm to the economy.
Now, having said that, the President has been fighting back lately. Not enough for some of you, and point well taken, but he's fighting back a heck of a lot harder than the guy who spent the first two and a half years in that office. If the President plays this right, he can paint the GOP into a corner here. But it's tough because the President himself bought into the "cut the budget" rhetoric far too early, and hasn't done enough to explain to the American people how damaging too many cuts, too early, could be to an economy that's barely more than parked in neutral at the moment.
More from Greg Sargent:
The original August 2011 deal that resolved the debt ceiling impasse called for a $1 trillion limit on discretionary spending for fiscal 2013. House conservatives want much deeper cuts. House GOP leaders are offering a compromise that would include some cuts, but not enough for the Tea Partyers, and Dems are vowing to reject anything that breaks the original deal.
Get ready for a rerun of a very bad movie. We’re hurtling towards another government shutdown fight, in which the House GOP leadership will be dealing with a Tea Party wing that prioritizes shrinking government above all else — this time, in the leadup to the elections.
In this sense, another government shutdown fight could help Dems sharpen the contrast with the GOP and Romney over the two parties’ values and priorities. A new Bloomberg poll finds that 51 percent say government spending on infrastructure, education and alternative energy is a better way to grow the economy, while only 41 percent favor more spending and tax cuts.
On the other hand, maybe this will all help Romney. After all, more deep spending cuts sought by conservatives could imperil the recovery, which could weaken Obama and help Romney’s case against his reelection. Perverse, perhaps, but very possible.
