Shut Down Averted - So What?

Hero of the hour.

So a government shutdown was averted. Is that really significant? In my opinion, yes. Because the deal continues the path of budget reduction, even if small. It turns the tide regarding spending by the feds. Further, it sets the tone for the debate for the next fiscal year.

I would also like to point out Boehner's negotiating skills, as reported in the Seattle Times.

The Planned Parenthood provision remained until it was dropped late Friday. In return, Republicans got more spending cuts.

From Politico, here are some more Republican victories from the spending bill.

— Guarantees Senate debate and vote on repeal of Obama’s health reform law. The House passed such a bill in January.

— Requires numerous studies of health reform that Republicans say “will force the Obama administration to reveal the true impact of the law’s mandates,” including studies on the law’s affect on premiums, the number and cost of contractors hired to implement the law and “a full audit of the waivers that the Obama administration has given to firms and organizations – including unions - that can’t meet the new annual coverage limits.”

— Denies additional funding to hire more IRS agents.

— Requires mandatory annual audits of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, by both the private sector and the Government Accountability Office. The audits will examine the effects of the agency’s actions on the economy, including its impact on jobs.

Some of these provisions do not have the practical effect of repealing Obmacare, but the steady drip of negative publicity that will ensue will hurt the President's re-election chances.

Meanwhile, I cruised over to DailyKos to check the pulse of the left. Seeing the anger on the left, especially over the idea that there should be any spending cuts, makes me smile.

And that's what touting the "biggest annual spending cut in history" as a good thing does. More lipstick from Harry Reid in giving kudos to the other side. Instead of praising the Republicans, why not come out and say the GOP screwed rank-and-file Americans? Why not say the Democrats did what they could to slow them down, but that now millions will suffer because of the cuts the party had crammed down its throat to avoid the entire government being shut down? Hell's bells, the Democratic leadership could have even said they did it for the troops.

I also find it ironic that the President is now taking credit for spending cuts, when his budget, as submitted did nothing of the kind. As Pops always says, even a blind pig gets an acorn once in a while.

Look at me, I'm cutting the budget, wee.

Frankly, the bigger budget fights lie ahead. Once we start the debate about entitlements, we are really going to have fight on our hands. But there was no way that entitlements should be part of the current year budget fight. To use a basketball analogy, this fight was akin to getting the best winning percentage you can, going into the playoffs. It's helpful, but you have to win in the playoffs no matter what your regular season record. The playoffs are going to be the debate over entitlements. If we don't get those under control, they will get themselves under control as our country goes into default on its debt.