By Susan Duclos
The Sequester: On March 1, $85 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts—known
in Washington as the sequester or sequestration, are set to begin, prompted by a
2011 law designed to reduce the government's budget deficit.
In four days the automatic spending cuts go into effect and Barack Obama, unable to force Republicans to accept new taxes in any replacement deal for a law that is all about spending cuts, throws a Hail Mary, a state by state breakdown on possible cuts on a local level.
One last attempt to scare Americans, using a method Peggy Noonan accurately describes as, "Government by Freakout."
Obama media puppets dutifully attempt to provide cover for Obama, first in an implied threat to Republicans and secondly, as a preemptive preview into how they plan to spin their coverage once the spending cuts go into effect.
Evidenced by CNN's blaring headline: "If spending is cut, GOP will get the blame."
Until now "sequestration" has been a word that only means something to people living inside the Beltway or to political junkies who depend on their daily dose of Politico and The Hill. But if Congress and the president do not reach a deal by March 1, which appears likely, Americans will quickly learn what it means -- namely deep spending cuts.
The spending cuts pose a significant political threat to Republicans, more so than to Democrats. Although many Republicans are standing firm, insisting that their party will be fine if the cuts go through, there are many reasons for the GOP, through a sober eye, to see the dangers that lay ahead.
The cuts could push congressional politics in a liberal direction and establish the foundation for solid Democratic gains in 2014.
Au contraire.... not the blame, what Republicans are counting on is that they will get "the credit."
Credit for standing firm and forcing a small step in the direction of less government spending. Americans overwhelmingly, in poll after poll, say they want a smaller government, say Washington needs to learn to live within it's means and stop spending money it doesn't have.
Republicans are banking on Americans meaning what they say, when they claim they want Washington to cut spending.
Obama and Democrats are banking on Americans that say they want spending cuts, but when asked about specific program cuts, they shy away and assert "not that program, not this program."
What favors Republicans in this first baby step toward fiscal responsibility, is that the majority of Americans live on a budget themselves. They understand that they cannot spend money they do not have, which is why large majorities favor spending cuts to begin with.
Obama and his lapdog media are forgetting one major point. Americans are not stupid.
When an average American couple sits at the kitchen table discussing their own budget, they do not favor sacrificing anything, yet they will choose to pay their rent or mortgage, buy their food, pay their utilities and deal with their necessities, even if it means sacrificing that brand new TV they wanted.
In the end, when the fallout over spending cuts dies out, the Obama media may have done the Republicans a big favor in trying to cast "blame" on them, because Americans will know exactly which party to "credit" with veering off the path of fiscal irresponsibility and starting down the path of fiscal responsibility.
Republicans are counting on Americans being smart. Democrats are counting on them being stupid.
In the 2014 midterms, we will all see which party is correct.
