I do not think "faced down a hardline Republican Congress" means what Ezra Klein thinks it means. [View All]

[TacticalPeek]

"Clinton also faced down a hardline Republican Congress" - Ezra Klein
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/2011-is-not-1995/2011/04/06/AFxPaT5C_blog.html

'Also'?

Also, like as if Obama faced down *anybody*, ever? I don't think that word means what Ezra thinks it means.


President Clinton, 1995:

Five months ago I proposed my balanced budget plan. It balances the budget in the right way. It cuts hundreds of wasteful and outdated programs. But it upholds our fundamental values to provide opportunity, to respect our obligations to our parents and our children, to strengthen families and to strengthen America, because it preserves Medicare and Medicaid, it invests in education and technology, it protects the environment and it gives the tax cuts to working families for child-rearing and for education.

Unfortunately, Republican leaders in Washington have put ideology ahead of common sense and shared values in their pursuit of a budget plan. We can balance the budget without doing what they seek to do. We can balance the budget without the deep cuts in education, without the deep cuts in the environment, without letting Medicare whither on the vine, without imposing tax increases on the hardest-pressed working families in America.

I am fighting for a balanced budget that is good for America and consistent with our values. If they'll give me the tools I'll balance the budget.

I vetoed the spending bill sent to me by Congress last night because America can never accept under pressure what it would not accept in free and open debate. I strongly believe their budget plan is bad for America. I believe it will undermine opportunity, make it harder for families to do the work that they have to do, weaken our obligations to our parents and our children, and make our country more divided. So I will continue to fight for the right kind of balanced budget.

Remember, the Republicans are following a very explicit strategy announced last April by Speaker Gingrich to use the threat of a government shutdown to force America to accept their cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, to accept their cuts in education and technology and the environment.

Yesterday they sent me legislation that said, we will only keep the government going and we will only let it pay its debts if, and only if, we accept their cuts in Medicare, their cuts in education, their cuts in the environment, and their repeal of 25 years of bipartisan commitments to protect the environment and public health.

On behalf of the American people, I said no. If America has to close down access to education, to a clean environment, to affordable health care to keep our government open, then the price is too high.


http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-government-shutdown.html


C-span3 today played video of some key moments in the 95-96 shutdowns. They are also up at their website. Ezra should take the time to review these, and see how well it can work when you know what you believe in and have advanced political skills.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/FederalGove

You have to stand for something!

:kick:


(Btw, technically today we have a divided, not Republican Congress - only professional leftists like myself would call it a Republican Congress. Clinton faced down an R House *AND* an R Senate, and won for the people. It can be done, but you have to *TRY*.)

full speech
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-government-shutdown.html