OK, this is pretty interesting re Obama's budget

Obama's budget is irrelevant
The real fight is over how to keep the government going past March 4. Everything else is a sideshow
By Andrew Leonard


Everybody's talking about Obama's budget, and everyone is disappointed. If you are a deficit hawk, he's not cutting enough -- the predicted deficit for the next fiscal year, after all, is $1.65 trillion, which would be Obama's biggest deficit so far. But if your primary worry is unemployment, Obama is cutting too much too soon, cravenly abandoning stimulus before the economy is ready.

I'm going to have much more on this later today, but first, a quick observation: Obama's budget is irrelevant. Obama's last budget was never passed by Congress -- and that was with large Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate. This one -- at least in the form it's in now -- will certainly never get passed either, now that Republicans are in firm control of the House.

The government is currently operating under the terms of a temporary "continuing resolution" that will expire on March 4. The only budget battle that matters is the fight over what kind of "compromise" the White House cuts with Republicans to get the continuing resolution extended. The current Republican position, egged on by their class of newly arrived Tea Party deficit hawks, requires much more severe cuts than anything the White House is comfortable with. Last week, pressure from the rank-and-file forced House GOP leaders to demand deeper cuts than they had previously planned, a clear sign that deficit hawk pressure is going to be front and center in the negotiations over the continuing resolution. It certainly doesn't strain credulity to imagine that Tea Party Republicans would love to force a government shutdown if they don't get what they want.

So any time you read or hear anything about the budget in the next few weeks, put it in this framework: If the White House and the House GOP don't come to an agreement in the next three weeks, the government will shut down. Republicans want deeper cuts than the White House, and may be ready to play hardball. Everything else is just a sideshow.

http://www.salon.com/news/federal_deficit/?story=/tech/htww/2011/02/14/the_irrelevance_of_obama_s_budget

big mess.. disturbing

The House originates budget bills; but the Senate deals with them. An improved bill sent back by the Senate to the House could make the House deal with threatening to shutdown of government by failing to deal with the bill and to pass a continuing resolution.

Of course the Senate is unlikely to rise to this challenge in a timely manner -- or even in a non-timely manner.

The government shutdown resulted in a bloodbath for Newt Gingrich and the repukes in 1998. Let them shut down the goverment and reap what they sow.

of the republican party(which is the majority now) for shrinking the size of government is not in any way,shape or form,similar to the administration's budget cuts.

What the hell, if they had really, REALLY wanted to expose the Big Bad Tea Party Republicans, they should have passed Medicare For All and let Americans watch the 'pubs try to rescind THAT!

Republicans show their ugly plan to the American people. Do not negotiate.

They are not much different from terrorists.

They are terrorists.

If only we had said no to the tax cut extensions before the confederates took over.

administration.

With a whopping 39 members elected in total last November.

And that number includes those members who already have declined to caucus with the remaining tea party members, in effect, no longer a part of the tea party.

tax cut mantras.

Their importance is being blown way out of proportion by the MSM.

downhill and gets really nasty. :patriot:

Same with the filibusters. Why not MAKE them go through the circus of doing it, then make them look ridiculous?

I think I know the answer, I'm just speaking rhetorically.

It's going to be a cruel summer, as the song goes.