An increasing number of political observers express dismay at the lack of progress in Washington on a deficit-reduction plan that would avert a final showdown on raising the debt ceiling. And many are increasingly blaming the White House and the Democrats for the lack of progress.
While Republicans see a budget crisis as an opportunity, a chance to revamp and shrink government, Democrats look at it as a math problem that should eventually be solved before returning to a progressive, liberal agenda.
Ezra Klein summed up the GOP’s superior position in The Washington Post:
“The politics are more complicated. It’s easier to get voters excited and find interest groups who’ll support a basket of policies that include dramatic, positive reforms than it is to get anyone interested in a bunch of spending cuts and tax increases.
“But as Republicans have found out with (Rep. Paul) Ryan’s (Medicare) proposal, and as Democrats would learn if they so much as mentioned a carbon tax, big policies also help organize your opposition.
“And insofar as you believe a deal on the deficit is actually important, the further the parties drift from each other, the harder it is to come to an agreement. Compromising between $3 of spending cuts for every $1 of tax hikes and $2 of spending cuts for every $1 of tax hikes is a lot easier than compromising between privatizing and voucherizing Medicare and not privatizing and voucherizing Medicare.
“In the end, Ryan’s plan has made a deal a lot harder than it would’ve been if the two parties had decided to do negotiations first and come out with a final plan together. But from the perspective of Republicans, it’s probably made a good deal a lot likelier.”
