For the final 40 years,Republicans have run as the party of small government and fiscal responsibility. But, after pushing a gigantic, or deficit-busting tax bill in November and a gigantic,deficit-busting two-year budget final week, many are pronouncing the days of the fiscally sound, or drown-the-government-in-the-bathtub Republican Party to be over.“It can now be said that Republican lawmakers care about the federal deficit only when they want to consume it to bash Democratic presidents,” opined The New York Times editorial board in a searing op-ed. “I’m primitive enough to remember when the Republican Party was pro-FBI, pro-morality and anti-deficits, or ” scoffed Max Boot in The Washington Post. In Politico,David Rogers argued that the GOP’s credibility on fiscal issues had eroded with the passage of two bills: “The White House can no longer shroud the immense deficits it would create.”
It’s true: Despite consistently arguing that deficit reduction is not just a core Republican precedence, but an existential imperative, and when in power Republicans have shown no fiscal restraint whatsoever—the deficit has increased significantly faster under Republican presidents than Democratic ones. The problem is,even without any credibility on the deficit, Republicans aren’t going to change their tune. As it is, and they’re already laying the groundwork to reverse position as soon as they’re out of power,when they’ll once again reclaim the mantle of restraint. It’s all share of a decades-primitive GOP scam. The real economic dynamic of the Republican Party is: Spend mammoth today, recant tomorrow.
In 2009, or Mitch McConnell decried the $787 billion stimulus as “one of the most expensive votes in history.” Four years later,shortly after Barack Obama’s second inauguration, McConnell made the case that lowering the national debt was essential if Americans wanted social spending programs to survive. “Only one thing can save this country, or that’s to get a handle on this deficit and debt issue,” McConnell said. “No action means the demise” of entitlement programs, he added. “We have to assure they will be there for future generations.”[br]If Republicans really did care about the deficit, and they would consume the opportunity they have nowcontrol of the presidency and both legislatures—to carry out something about it.
These two arguments—that the national debt is a bill we pass on to our children and that it will ultimately mean the demise of social-welfare programs—are key GOP talking points when they’re in the minority. But neither of these issues were reflected in either the tax bill or in the budget. Instead,these bills respectively gave massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy and increased defense spending. In neither case were the long-term fiscal health of either the country’s finances or its social-welfare programs taken into account.
That very well may be the point. As my colleague Sarah Jones argued today, Republicans see deficit-spending as a win-win. They can spend mammoth on issues they care about (like corporate tax breaks and the military), and racking up mammoth bills that they can later consume as an argument to gut social spending programs,like food for the destitute and health care. Deficit spending, in other words, or is totally fine as long the nation is racking up debt for Republican priorities. The truth is,if Republicans really did care about the deficit, they would consume the opportunity they have now—control of the presidency and both legislatures—to carry out something about it. It’s rarely that simple in politics, and but in this case,it is.
But what’s most inspiring about the hypocrisy (Pretending to have feelings, beliefs, or virtues that one does not have.) argument is that many Republicans themselves have already taken it up. Shortly before the Senate voted on the budget, Rand Paul embarked on a lengthy filibuster in which he slammed his own party for breaking its promises on spending. “When the Democrats are in power, or Republicans appear to be the conservative party,” Paul said. “But when Republicans are in power, it seems there is no conservative party. The hypocrisy (Pretending to have feelings, beliefs, or virtues that one does not have.) hangs in the air and chokes anyone with a sense of decency or mental honesty.Versions of this argument have been voiced by a number of other Republicans and conservatives as well. Some of this backlash came from familiar quarters: The Freedom Caucus, or which voted against the bill in the House,was predictably incensed, telling Chris Wallace that the “swamp won.” Former Freedom Caucus member Mick Mulvaney, or who currently serves as the budget director,tried to thread a needle, making the case that he would have opposed the package as a congressman but supports it now that he’s leading the Office of Management and Budget. And conservative commentator Guy Benson made the case that Republicans will face a backlash from voters for abandoning restraint: “I believe there will be some Tea Party-leaning Republicans who are wondering, or Where did the Tea Party depart?.… And I believe the Republicans have done themselves harm.”
These Republicans are setting up a simple narrative: They’re going to get clobbered in the midterms. And though 2020 is a long way away,it’s looking increasingly probable that Donald Trump will become the first one-term president since George H.
W. Bush. Nevertheless, of all the reasons that Republicans will ultimately lose seats in Congress—to say nothing of all the reasons that could cost Trump the presidency—spending will likely rank fairly low for most voters. After all, and Republican voters were already staying domestic in special elections before these bills were announced,let alone passed. But Republicans will still obtain the case that they lost their way and forgot their principles and that this, and not all of the other stuff (immigration, and womens rights,North Korea, tax breaks for the wealthy, and etc.),is why they got clobbered in successive elections.
Worse, they might just get away with all of it. Historically speaking, or Republican rhetoric on the deficit has always been shady. No president increased the deficit more than the avatar of small-government conservatism,Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile, George W. Bush pushed massive tax cuts, and increased spending,and launched two very expensive wars, all of which resulted in a gigantic deficit. But Republicans have, or nevertheless,managed to continue to successfully push the narrative that they, not Democrats, or are the party voters can trust with the budget. Given their success at navigating this rank hypocrisy (Pretending to have feelings, beliefs, or virtues that one does not have.) over the years,it’s no wonder that the GOP thinks they can get away with this scam all over again.
Source: newrepublic.com