Democrats need to tell Obama to butt out.

[Eddie Haskell]

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 created the Congressional Budget Office and directed more control of the budget to CBO and away from the President's Office of Management and the Budget.

The President, in accordance with the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, must submit a budget to Congress each year. In its current form, federal budget legislation law (31 U.S.C. 1105(a)) specifies that the President submit a budget between the first Monday in January and the first Monday in February. In recent times, the President's budget submission, entitled Budget of the U.S. Government, has been issued in the first week of February. Thus, President George W. Bush submitted the FY2007 budget in February 2006. The President's budget submission, along with supporting documents and historical budget data, can be found at the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) website. The President's budget contains detailed information on spending and revenue proposals, along with policy proposals and initiatives with significant budgetary implications.

This President has no reason to be conducting negotiations. Obama should get on AF1 and go to Hawaii. Nancy can call when she needs a signature.

[DURHAM D]

1. I admit I don't understand the process.

I don't remember it being so exclusively driven by the WH in the past.

[Eddie Haskell]

2. IMO, it's not supposed to be.

[unblock]

3. high level budget outlines nearly always involve the president

the details of course are left to congress, but the broad outline is certainly something the president is involved.

presidents often campaign on tax policies and spending progress or deficit plans; they propose annual budgets and so on.

this is not unusual for most presidents.


in fact in the past, obama usually got dumped on for not being involved enough....

[Eddie Haskell]

6. Maybe so, but not exclusively and quite frankly he doesn't seem to have the stomach for it.

If he was my quarterback, he'd be on the bench.

[unblock]

4. nancy?

obama has veto power that's basically worth 1/6th of each house in congress.

nancy, sadly, gets to get outvoted in one house.

[undeterred]

5. This is not the sort of thing Democrats usually say to a Democratic President.

[MFrohike]

7. True

On the other hand, Democrats have never faced a Democratic president eager to take an ax to Social Security.

[Poll_Blind]

10. ^ This

PB

[Eddie Haskell]

8. In case you haven't noticed, they're saying it now.

[Poll_Blind]

9. Since late 2009, he's decided he wants to negotiate with the Repukes directly and...

..then have the congressional whips, Biden and anyone else he can get everyone else in line to vote for the deals.

Oddly, the deals he's cutting are odious to many congressional Democrats and their constituents, hence the problem.

PB

[sabrina 1]

11. Maybe because we never had a Dem President willing to cut SS benefits before?