Dems must get it right in this fall’s spending fights

[nashville_brook]

The Morning Plum: Dems must get it right in this fall’s spending fights
What if House Republicans are in such disarray that they can’t pass anything funding the government this fall?

By Greg Sargent, Published: August 14 at 9:24 am
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/08/14/the-morning-plum-dems-must-get-it-right-in-this-falls-spending-fights/


In a new interview with the Hill that contains clues to the coming confrontation, Dem Rep. Chris Van Hollen makes it clear Dems are increasingly asking that question as shutdown fever continues to grow among conservatives — and as GOP leaders continue to try to tamp it down. The core point: if GOP divisions translate into more leverage for Dems this fall, they have a chance to get it right this time, as opposed to what happened in the 2011 spending and debt limit fights, when Dems essentially acquiesced to the austerity frame that continues to damage the country today.

One key factor that could shape the budget battles, as Jonathan Bernstein explains, is that House Republicans may not be able to pass anything funding the government even at cut spending levels Republicans themselves say they want (in principle), because they are “stuck between some members who are never satisfied with any level of spending cuts and others who object to those very unpopular cuts.”

(snip)

Van Hollen added Dems will lay down three core principles: No negotiating on the debt limit. No restoring defense spending without hikes in domestic spending. And no entitlement cuts without tax increases (here clarification is needed; what kind of benefit cuts would this entail?)

All of this is absolutely crucial stuff. As I noted here the other day, Dems have an opportunity to make amends for the failures of 2011. With GOP disarray what it is, in the short term probably the best we can hope for is a temporary measure funding the government at current levels. But what matters is the long term. The path to a long term deal runs through the Senate, where a handful of GOP Senators — particularly those who want to undo sequester cuts to defense — have signaled a willingness to compromise. If that happens, pressure would mount on the House. Throughout, Dems must stick to core principles designed to avoid the mistakes of 2011. It’s good to see Van Hollen has begun to establish them.