Althouse: "The worst-case scenario for us is the sequester hits and nothing bad really happens. And Republicans say: See, that wasn’t so bad."

February 24, 2013

"The worst-case scenario for us is the sequester hits and nothing bad really happens. And Republicans say: See, that wasn’t so bad."

Says a Democratic lobbyist, causing Instapundit to say: "So I guess we can expect the Administration to make it as bad as it can."

That's about the size of it. That's why I haven't been blogging the pre-sequester hysteria. It's less amusing than the Mayan apocalypse.

64 comments:

linsee said...: Journalists often call that tactic "the Washington Monument syndrome."; 2/24/13, 7:22 AM
vet66 said...: Looks like we can expect this type of Thelma and Louise talk every few months for the next four years in lieu of a budget. Reminds me of a looney tunes cartoon with Wiley Coyote treading air over a cliff before he falls yet again into a small puff of dust. Then, back on the cliff with his back to the abyss. Pathetic in real life, funny in a cartoon.; 2/24/13, 7:23 AM
Beta Rube said...: To me this highlights the difference between the government and private sector. Two years ago when things slowed down I reduced my payroll from 11 to 9. This happens all the time, every day, in companies large and small.

That an 85 billion reduction in a budget of 3.6 trillion is the end of the world as we know it is absurd.; 2/24/13, 7:26 AM
TosaGuy said...: Tired of a fake crisis every few months. Time to let things run their course. I welcome select govt employees to the economy the rest of us had had for the past five years.; 2/24/13, 7:34 AM
cubanbob said...: When the cuts lead to a depression in Northern Virginia I will be impressed. Until then it's just bad theater.; 2/24/13, 7:35 AM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 7:40 AM
Anonymous said...: The Ray La Hood Dept of Transportation angle made it clearest for me. He bemoaned having to trim a billion out of his $74B budget. How horrific the cuts would be, endangering air traffic control, highway safety, etc, etc, etc

Somebody pointed out that after losing the Billion, DoT still had more money than the previous year.; 2/24/13, 7:41 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Very interesting. The worst-case scenario isn't the Earth ending (God/Nature) or a conflagration of instant Hellfire covering Boston and Detroit along with Holland and Japan, it is Republicans being correct that nothing bad will happen and saying "I told you so."

This Lib must not believe in the power of the Lib media even after 2012. WTF?; 2/24/13, 7:42 AM
dbp said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 7:44 AM
Tank said...: If I hadn't already given up on this pathetic, but once great, country, this debate over the gov't growing slower than previously planned would be truly depressing.

Nope, it's their country now.

And a ...

DEAD COUNTRY WALKING.; 2/24/13, 7:45 AM
mesquito said...: I dream of a time when The Washington Post is an eight-page weekly and property values in northern Virgina and Maryland are Detroit-y.

For now I'll settle for the "sequester."; 2/24/13, 7:57 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: We might finally start to see how bad of shape the country is in now from the drive-bys, or as Mike Rosen says the dominant liberal mass establishment media.

Because of the heartless, greedy GOP bastards and their fuckin' goddamned sequestration this country is already suffering and on the verge of a deadly deathlike minigenocide, and the GOP warmonger-mavens are bug-eyed and mouth-drooling for more minority and poor people and union member and gay blood.

SAVE US OBAMA!

SAVE US FATHER!; 2/24/13, 7:58 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: To use bagoh20 imagery from last night. Obama stands shamelessly naked and there is hardly a raised eyebrow.; 2/24/13, 8:02 AM
Matt Sablan said...: When I hear about the horrors of sequestration, I'm curious how much thought has gone into actually finding the least painful ways to cut. Furloughs are really the easiest, least thought-intensive way of deciding these things.; 2/24/13, 8:03 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: If we sequester in this country, the whore doctors will just give you a pill instead of the surgery you need.

There will be many more surgeries ordered without a medical basis simply to line the pockets of doctors.

Cops will act stupidly, if we sequester.; 2/24/13, 8:09 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: The Defense Dept gave furlough notices [cut a few days pay every month mth or qtr] to all of its employees instead of selecting a much smaller number to lay off totally. By doing the broad furloughs, they caused angst in all employees - obviously that was their goal- I bet the Obama admin told them to do it that way.; 2/24/13, 8:15 AM
Big Mike said...: This has been a standard Democrat tactic at all levels of government. When in power at the local level they threaten to cut police and firemen and schools, never programs that hardly anyone makes use of. In some places the people have stood up in town hall meetings and announced that if the incumbents can't do better than that, then in the next election the voters will just have to find someone who can. It's a tactic that works more often than it fails, though in this case it cannot be applied until November 2014, and then not to anyone in the administration.; 2/24/13, 8:26 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Democrats are full of shit, they lie and back-stab for the sake of their power? Say it aint so.; 2/24/13, 8:34 AM
Darrell said...: With a 2% reduction in the budget, too bad you HAVE to cut only essential programs. Heck, if I had 2% less to spend, I might skip something like treats or delay new purchases. The Dems have taught me that you have to fire doctors and stop buying oxygen and poison antidotes for the emergency care centers. Go figure.; 2/24/13, 8:42 AM
Matt Sablan said...: I wonder if they have a Budget Hero type game to see where else we could be making cuts. I bet a lot of simple restructuring (combining several government office buildings into one or two offices) could save a lot of money, or not expanding to new buildings.; 2/24/13, 8:44 AM
Tank said...: As ... someone said ... if you're not cutting a trillion this year, what you've got is a DEBT INCREASING PLAN.

The sequestration debate is just stupid. Stupid.

A game for the stupid.; 2/24/13, 8:49 AM
Sam vfm #111 said...: The DemoRats will do the same thing on the Federal level as they do on the city level when forced to grow slower than they wish. The things that impact the middle class will be the first to go. In the cities it is police, fire, parks and trash pickup, never the real fat.; 2/24/13, 8:53 AM
Darrell said...: They should make all Federal employees use both sides of the sheets of toilet paper. After you use it on one side, you just hang it on the dispenser for the next person. That alone should provide all of the savings needed.; 2/24/13, 8:53 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Part of the problem with Budget Hero, now that I look at it, is that there just aren't enough "cut" cards that are specific. There's no "cut golden shiner experiment" cards, just broad "cut discretionary spending" cards. Which is the trap that those of us who are pro-government efficiency always get caught in. No one is ever specific where the cuts will be (Except things like "The Military Industrial Complex"), while everyone is clear who benefits from the spending increases.; 2/24/13, 8:55 AM
Matt Sablan said...: It also seems to think that repealing Obamacare will raise government spending, so, there's that.; 2/24/13, 8:57 AM
Matt Sablan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 9:04 AM
Matt Sablan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 9:04 AM
Matt Sablan said...: I wonder how many Solyndras we would need to have cut to have an effective sequestration. Oh, hey, Solyndra alone was about 500$ billion; man, if the sequester is looking to cut $1.2 trillion, that would've been a pretty nice chunk of change. So, essentially, two or three of those green energy boondoggles could have paid for the sequestration. ... so many typos this morning.; 2/24/13, 9:05 AM
AllenS said...: If you have enough residents enrolled with Concealed Carry permits you wouldn't need half of the cops.; 2/24/13, 9:05 AM
AllenS said...: If you have enough residents enrolled with Concealed Carry permits you wouldn't need half of the cops.; 2/24/13, 9:09 AM
Anonymous said...: The best thing for us to do would be to cap federal spending at $3.5T for the next 5 years and mandate that government can allocate spending to fit within that budget.

This way, the Dems get to keep the spending increase they've inflicted on us over the past 4 years, but the Republicans get to have controlled the growth of big government and the economy can catch up as tax receipts grow.

Likely the budget would be balanced after 5 years.; 2/24/13, 9:14 AM
bleh said...: Obama is going to try to make the cuts as painful as possible, up to a point. He won't go so far as to create havoc or destruction, but he will make it so that his media lackeys will have plenty to report on.; 2/24/13, 9:14 AM
Matt Sablan said...: I do wish though that reports on the sequester began with: "The sequester, the plan proposed by the Obama White House and approved by both houses of Congress, including the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican House," because that's the only way to make it clear how everyone knew it was a bad idea but did it anyway. Sort of like going to Abilene.; 2/24/13, 9:16 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm betting the Obama administration will shut so much stuff down to inflict as much pain as possible, that spending drops even more than the sequester.; 2/24/13, 9:17 AM
KCFleming said...: Our government has become a loan shark.

Pay up or they'll break our thumbs, then our kneecaps, then take our lives.

But we will pay. And it's all Constitutional, so we got that going for us.; 2/24/13, 9:19 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Here is one place to cut: CO: Secret energy lab spawns million dollar govt employee.

NREL is one of the newest DoE labs. Apparently, they are all run by private companies under contract with the Department. Which really means crony capitalism at its worst. In any case, the head of the lab makes close to a million dollars a year, with a bunch of his top people making somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 a million.

We can thank NREL for turning food into ethanol, allowing people around the world to starve, along with a bunch of those failed Obamanomics "green energy" solar project giveaways.

I will admit a somewhat personal stake here. NREL is located on the NE corner of S. Tabletop mesa just east of Golden, CO (the one that used to be featured on Coors bottles). Grew up on the N side of the mesa, and would ride our horses on the mesa after school, and, on occasion would come down to where NREL now is. Knew the Congressman behind this, Ed Perlmutter, from the country club just west of us on the N. edge of the mesa. And, they had Old Golden Road torn up a bit last year to put in a new access road to NREL to what looks like a new entrance.

You think this guy is getting his salary cut?; 2/24/13, 9:26 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Whoops - "NREL is located on the SE corner of S. Tabletop mesa just east of Golden, CO."; 2/24/13, 9:30 AM
sane_voter said...: The GOP needs to be out there contrasting the "painless" cuts when Obama does his expected cutting of the national park/ air traffic controllers, etc.

There has to be a constant drumbeat of asking the why Obama cut the air traffic controllers when there is X, Y or Z that are much better choices. Also need to state that the budget after sequestration is still larger than the previous year budget.; 2/24/13, 9:31 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Obama is going to try to make the cuts as painful as possible, up to a point. He won't go so far as to create havoc or destruction, but he will make it so that his media lackeys will have plenty to report on.

Do love how he is pushing that first responders, teachers, etc. will be hit the worst. Now why, oh why, are they being paid with federal monies in the first place?; 2/24/13, 9:32 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 9:34 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: Saying that a flush federal government needs ever-more amounts of money is like saying a morbidly obese person needs more unfettered free access to a Golden Corral.; 2/24/13, 9:38 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: And if we restrict such access, the morbidly obese person is going to have to give up nutritious food first before giving up the dessert bar.; 2/24/13, 9:40 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Americans' backward, shameful refusal to be properly governed and their willful ignorance about debt have resulted in heat waves and hurricanes, mass murders, economic recession, racial injustice, sexual oppression, shocking statistics and vast swaths of low self-esteem.
And that was just in the last few weeks.
Might as well add near-misses at airports and scary bear encounters in Glacier Park.
What difference at this point does it make?; 2/24/13, 9:42 AM
Anonymous said...: Obama needs to manufacture crises in order to further gain power, instead of you know, actually seeking compromise.

You'd think he was more interested in power and control as much treating the office as though it were a grim duty.

Who is this guy again? Where did he come from?; 2/24/13, 9:44 AM
edutcher said...: Best case scenario:

Enough of Defense shuts down so there's a major Al Qaeda hit in this country and Choom, leading from his behind, gets the blame.; 2/24/13, 9:46 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: I've been cutting back on my media consumption lately because Obama et al. are just driving me nuts. Nothing sticks to them because they are not being judged on results, just appearances. And even though the economy still sucks, the Democrats exult because the GOP looks to be in more disarray. They're on the run; it's time to finish them off once and for all. That is most important.

The Dems seem to prefer disarray over a high-functioning nation state. They have no interest in actually solving problems, just applying their progressive plans with a sledgehammer. And we sit. And take it. Good and hard.; 2/24/13, 9:46 AM
chuckR said...: The Drill Sgt said

"The Ray La Hood Dept of Transportation angle made it clearest for me. He bemoaned having to trim a billion out of his $74B budget. How horrific the cuts would be, endangering air traffic control, highway safety, etc, etc, etc"

Here's an idea - every line item in the DoT budget, starting with LaHoodlum's salary and benefits, gets cut of 1.3% from whats budgeted. Can't live on 1.3% less, screw you, we'll find someone who can.; 2/24/13, 9:49 AM
Original Mike said...: Incredible (but completely unsurprising).

The worst thing that could happen, for us, is if nothing bad happens.; 2/24/13, 9:51 AM
Wince said...: If cutting $50 billion would hurt essential services as much as they say, I propose cutting the other $3.55 trillion of the budget instead and just spend the $50 billion.; 2/24/13, 9:56 AM
Original Mike said...: Apparently, "us" does not equal "the country".; 2/24/13, 9:59 AM
Michael said...: Only very stupid people can be scared by Obama now. All those first responders are going to vanish? No, they are not. The better question is why are we in one state paying for firemen in another. When did the Federal Govt get into the local funding game and why hasnt it had the effect of lowering our property taxes? Only very stupid and gullible people are falling for this.

Now might be a good time for the Republicans to make the point that a " cut" is only a smaller increase.; 2/24/13, 10:40 AM
Michael said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/24/13, 10:41 AM
jr565 said...: Even with the cuts spending will increase this year, so lets not pretend this is anything major.

Also, lets not forget that this was Obama's idea first off and that two we've already have revenue increases.

Obama keeps talking about a "balanced approach" yet as soon as it turns around to spending cuts (which he says should be part of a balanced approach) he immediately resorts to some of the most blatant demagoguery that a president has ever uttered.

Lets also not forget that the repubs have offered two alternatives to the sequestration that would be a little less painful and of course the dems rejected it.

And lets not forget that the dems have yet to offer a budget after 4 years.

They are utterly incapable of cutting spending and are competely unserious about dealing with our financial mess.; 2/24/13, 11:16 AM
jr565 said...: Also, are these agencies not capable of trimmming a little fat? The ONLY option to them is to cut teachers jobs for example? There is no other spending anywhere that could be curtailed that dind't involve armageddon?

It's ludicrous. Just yesterday Althouse mentioned a project invoiving fish and democracy that was costing millions that could be cut. Every agency has programs like this that are marginally useful and cost millions. Trim some freaking fat already.; 2/24/13, 11:18 AM
jr565 said...: Besides, these are military cuts.
Haven't the dems been saying we spend too much on the military as is?; 2/24/13, 11:24 AM
ricpic said...: Why the putdown of Golden Corral? When you're on the road it's the only quick and economical place you can get your decent sitdown meat and veggies meal.; 2/24/13, 11:27 AM
Rusty said...: AllenS said...
If you have enough residents enrolled with Concealed Carry permits you wouldn't need half of the cops.

Except for DC,police are paid with local tax dollars.
More lies from the WH. unfortunately 51% of the people believe it.; 2/24/13, 11:40 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Bruce H.
Great link.
Million dollar tax payer funded green salaries - perks for Ed Permutter(D) and we are no where near closer to the so-called green energy economy.; 2/24/13, 11:49 AM
jacksonjay said...: "Never let a crisis go to waste!"

Create a crisis if we don't have one!; 2/24/13, 12:33 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: Why the putdown of Golden Corral?

What putdown, or do you just need to be perenially aggrieved about something?; 2/24/13, 1:25 PM
Methadras said...: It's typical political doomsdaying and it needs to stop. More of the same Kabuki I've seen for the last 30 years.; 2/24/13, 2:27 PM
geokstr said...: Where's Garage, Inga, Ritmo, et al, to defend their Prevaricator-in-Chief?; 2/24/13, 2:33 PM
geokstr said...: Where's Garage, Inga, Ritmo, et al, to defend their Prevaricator-in-Chief?; 2/24/13, 2:33 PM
AllenS said...: It's not whether you win or lose,
but how you place the blame.; 2/24/13, 4:07 PM