Democratic senators slow to embrace Obama's budget

[cali]

By Aaron Blake

Updated at 6:06 p.m.

<snip>

Reactions trickled in slowly as senators and House members cautiously reacted to what is going to be a political hot potato.

Some Democratic senators offered general praise for the president's efforts to cut spending, but many had their own gripes with some aspect of the budget, and they weren't holding back.

"This budget proposal raises a lot of questions about where the priorities of this administration are," said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) each decried the cuts in low-income heating assistance, also known as LIHEAP.

"There are certainly areas of the federal budget that could be cut, but LIHEAP is not one of them," Casey said.

Added Blumenthal: "While fiscal responsibility and eliminating excess spending is a top priority, it should not be done on the backs of those struggling every day just to pay their heating bills or put food on the table."

<snip>

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/democratic-senators-slow-to-em.html

[Kolesar]

1. The Washington Theatrical Production Company 2011 season is in progress

Drama! pathos! inaction!!

[sendero]

2. Really...

.. first shock, dismay, defiance, talk, talk, talk - then acquiescence.

[Enthusiast]

3. No acquiescence. It's bipartisanship.

The American people want cooperation don't you know.

[ixion]

4. Game the markets to increase the price of oil, and then remove heating assistance for the poor...

that would be criminally negligent in a society based on the Rule of Law.

The combination of these two factors will be responsible for people freezing to death. And yet there's plenty of money for Wall St, the MIC and our hostile trysts abroad.

Oh yeah. That's some Beacon of Liberty we've got going. :eyes:

[KharmaTrain]

5. And So The Horsetrading Begins...

The game inside the beltway is high stakes poker...and sadly some of the chips on the table are critical to people's day-to-day survival. Right now each Senator and Congresscritter is looking at the budget and seeing what they get out of it or what they're missing...and then it's off to the races.

As it stands right now without a defection from the rushpublicans (which is unlikely to happen) the budget is another beltway game of mental masturbation. A GOTB budget in the House won't make it through the Senate and visa versa...so the final bill (if there is one) will be done in the backrooms and under the table...trading continued LIHEAP assistance for more jet fighters or tax breaks for corporations. The fear, and justified, is that this administration has folded quickly in this game and seem eager to do it again.

While this isn't popular, the ugly truth is this country is broke. Yes...cutting defense spending and raising taxes on the rich would do a lot to fix this problem, however there's no way either house is going near that this year. So...it's a game where numbers surpass people...where statistic have no faces and lives and livlihoods are traded in hopes of getting some political gold down the road.

[Obamanaut]

6. If it is true that Congress actually writes the budget, and the President merely

makes his proposal, does it really matter that Democrats, or Republicans, are slow to embrace that proposal?