bacchys wrote:
The Republicans can make a strong historical argument that agreements to raise taxes and cut spending are good at following through on the tax-raising and horrible at following through on the spending-cutting. While they like to play that as something entirely due to Democrats, the truth is that members of Congress all love spending OPM (Other People's Money), especially if it helps get them reelected. That's why Republican Congressmen were lined up at ribbon-cutting ceremonies across the country from the stimulus spending in '09 that they, to a man, opposed.



I agree with the GOP complaint that tax hikes traded for spending cuts has never paid off.  And for that reason, they should hold the line on any new spending, certainly.  But they have to go further than that and propose some actual cuts, cuts that can be made now, and not put off for some other Congress to repudiate - which is what usually happens.

The problem may be that they really don't have any idea what they want to cut.