Category: Clinton Budgets

Why John Kasich Scares Me Most

Okay, he’s not officially in the race, and in the early polls he’s near the bottom, but I predict one of the last Republican candidates standing in the race for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination will be Ohio Governor John Kasich.

First and foremost, in the last three decades, with one notable exception, voters have selected a president the way a seven-year-old selects a Barbie doll.  They pick the one with the prettiest face.  That’s why Hillary has undergone a complete makeover.

Republicans desperately want to win this one.  That being the case, this beauty contest favors Marco Rubio or John Kasich.  Both have boyish good looks.  Even though Kasich is 19 years older than the junior senator from Florida, he still has what it takes in looks and personality to charm the voters. Continue reading “Why John Kasich Scares Me Most” →

Three Land Mines for Republicans

Now that Republicans have won the election war, the real work begins:  the cleanup.  As with any war, this is the tedious part.  In these next two years there are no more glorious battles to be won, just a lot of grunt work.  As with any war, dealing with the aftermath is difficult.  It requires  hard work, focus, commitment and, make no mistake, it is dangerous.

One of the biggest obstacles is land mines.  These are not real land mines that can physically kill you but if the GOP doesn’t disarm them, they can kill the party’s chance for a victory in 2016.

The three biggest land mines standing between Republicans and victory in 2016 are:

Is Gingrich a “Consistent” Conservative?

Newt Gingrich has billed himself as the more “consistent conservative” in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.  According to Gingrich, he engineered the 1995 Republican takeover of the House of Representatives, balanced the budget and reformed welfare.  If that is the case, why wouldn’t all conservatives want this man in the White House?

In 1994, Gingrich did lead the revolution that enabled Republicans to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.   However, his record on balancing the budget and welfare reform needs an asterisk.  And, sadly, under his leadership, the GOP quickly lost its footing and became part of the problem in Washington.

Under the Contract with America Continue reading “Is Gingrich a “Consistent” Conservative?” →

The dreaded 1995 bogeyman

Will there be a government shutdown?  If Senate Democrats and President Obama refuse to cooperate with the GOP-led House of Representatives and begin the process of cutting the government down to size before we reach the national debt limit, it’s possible.

The Democrats are betting that Republicans will blink and they are using the last, and what they believe to be the best weapon in their arsenal, the 1995 bogeyman, to scare them into abandoning their principled stand.

This boogeyman is without form or substance but in the years that followed those infamous government shutdowns, it has been known to strike fear into the hearts of the most dedicated fiscal conservative representatives on Capitol Hill.  Indeed, this creature has left many a congressman shaking in his or her boots or stilettoes. Continue reading “The dreaded 1995 bogeyman” →

The Rehibilitation of Bill Clinton (his REAL spending record)

Do you find yourself longing for the lazy, hazy days when Bill Clinton was president, when the stock market was booming and deficit spending was headed in the right direction?

It’s true! Bill Clinton was the first president in 50 years to preside over a balanced budget (if you don’t count a trifling $17.9 billion in red ink or the 2001 budget he left for George W. Bush). But, before you give our 42nd president too much credit, you need a little perspective. Continue reading “The Rehibilitation of Bill Clinton (his REAL spending record)” →

The Budget Compromise

(How to Blink with Both Eyes Wide Open)

Republican leaders have reached an agreement with President Clinton so who blinked? They all did — with their eyes wide open. It was an exercise in Washington doublespeak at its best. It did accomplish something — solved a public relations snafu. The rhetoric had reached a point where both sides had painted themselves into their respective corners and there was no room to compromise or back down gracefully. Continue reading “The Budget Compromise” →

Look Republicans, I Shrunk the Deficit

President Clinton upstaged Republicans as they opened debate on their budget reconciliation bill by holding a press conference to announce that deficit spending for fiscal year 1995 has come in lower than his original projections. Since Mr. Clinton has been in office the deficit has gone from a high of $290 billion to $164 billion, so the President proudly claimed, “My policy is working!” Has Clintonomics been good for the country and good for the economy, at least for the short run? Continue reading “Look Republicans, I Shrunk the Deficit” →

The Coming Train Wreck over the Federal Budget

Members of Congress are coming back to Washington next week to finish up their work on the 14 giant appropriations bills that make up the federal budget. President Clinton is coming back to Washington with his veto pen in hand and inside the beltway buffs are getting ready for the big train wreck on October 1st which marks the beginning of the 1996 fiscal year. Continue reading “The Coming Train Wreck over the Federal Budget” →

The New GOP Budget Plan

All the polls show that Americans consider balancing the budget more important than cutting taxes, and that is why the Republicans think they can get away with giving us a puny $245 billion tax cut over the next seven years. That’s only $35 billion a year in tax relief, pocket change to the federal government. Why it doesn’t get us back to where we were before the adoption of Clinton’s tax and spend plan, not to mention the tax hikes that occurred under Mr. Bush. Continue reading “The New GOP Budget Plan” →