House Republicans, Mike Huckabee Blink on Budget Showdown, Sarah Palin Says Don’t Retreat

 It was quite confusing trying to keep up with all the changing positions on this budget brinkmanship (just look at the confusion around Michele Bachmann's comments and actions) but at the end of the day, I have to agree with Tammy Bruce's Tweet; the last 24 hours did prove something. The Tea Party is coming for more Revolution in 2012 and we're bringing Hell with us! Once again, Governor Palin looks like our strongest leader.  ~ teledude

 

Caffeinated Thoughts

by Shane Vander Hart

Well it would seem that Republicans in Congress blinked agreeing to a last minute deal where they compromised everything and Democrats gave nothing.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is doing a victory lap, and President Obama was thankful that funding Planned Parenthood was avoided.

We protected the investments we need to win the future. At the same time, we also made sure at the end of the day this was a debate about spending cuts — not social issues like women’s health and the protection of our air and water. These are important issues that deserve discussion, just not during a debate about our budget.

Whose future was protected?  Certainly not the unborn.  Why shouldn’t the funding for Planned Parenthood be discussed during a budget debate.  We’re talking money.  This wasn’t an abortion ban.  That statement is asinine.  During a budget debate is the perfect time to discuss what is worthy of taxpayer money and what is not.
And House Republicans caved.  Typical.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) mentioned that this didn’t even include defunding Obamacare.  She said that this was a “small ball” battle, and not worth the fight. (I take that back, I must have misunderstood her.  She voted against the CR that averted the shutdown.)

I disagree.  If Republican leadership caves here what possible confidence do we have that they won’t cave in a big battle?

Instead of larger spending cuts and the defunding of Planned Parenthood only $38 billion is being cut this year, and $78 billion in next year’s budget.  Considering the spending binge that Democrats have taken us on and the massive debt that we now face that is no where near good enough.  What exactly did they give?
Couldn’t we at least have had the defunding of Planned Parenthood that the House voted for in February?  After the corruption found in that organization that they get a single taxpayer dime is unacceptable!  It must be defunded and the House had the leverage to do it, and they blinked.

They let the government shutdown bogeyman spook them.  Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) blinked as well.  He said on Fox News quoted by Dave Weigel:

To quote two great government paragons, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, you can’t always get what you want. You get what you can, then you fight for the rest the next day… I’d love to see Planned Parenthood just disappear, I’d love to see NPR defunded… but you’re going to put a lot of pain on people who don’t deserve the pain.

Governor Huckabee is it ok for the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief, to hold the military hostage over Planned Parenthood funding?  Why in the world would they not allow him to make good on the threat to veto the continuing resolution that would have kept our military funded?  His action is appalling and he should be called on the carpet for it.  Instead we cave… so we can be ready to fight another day…. utter nonsense.

Fight now.  I agree with Governor Palin who tweeted twice today… "GOP: don’t retreat! The country is going broke. We can’t AFFORD cowboy poetry & subsidizing abortion. If we can’t fight to defund this nonsense now when we have the chance, do you think we’ll win the big fight on entitlement reform later on?"
It seems to me that as it stands right now that House Republican leadership will take the path of least resistance.  I had hoped not to have to wait until 2012 to make at least some progress.