Whiney Dems hold breath, turn blue

The Democrats are demanding respect from the President and holding defense spending hostage. Their next step is to hold their collective breath until their collective face turns blue. The head crybaby is David Obey, according to the Washington Post;

A Democratic deal to give President Bush some war funding in exchange for additional domestic spending appeared to collapse last night after House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) accused Republicans of bargaining in bad faith.

Instead, Obey said he will push a huge spending bill that would hew to the president’s spending limit by stripping it of all lawmakers’ pet projects, as well as most of the Bush administration’s top priorities. It would also contain no money for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“When the White House continues to stick it in our eye, I say to hell with it,” House Appropriations Chairman David Obey. He said he will push a stripped-down spending bill.

“Absent a Republican willingness to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise, I think we ought to end the game and go to the president’s numbers,” Obey said. “I was willing to listen to the argument that we ought to at least add more for Afghanistan, but when the White House refuses to compromise, when the White House continues to stick it in our eye, I say to hell with it.”

Yeah, I guess Democrats haven’t been sticking anything in the President’s eye, have they? The Washington Times’ S.A. Miller reports that Congressional Republicans are holding firm in the face of the Democrat tantrum;

“There’s no deal,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican.

He vowed that his party wouldn’t sell out either taxpayers or U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a budget compromise.

As negotiations faltered on the $522 billion omnibus spending package — which exceeds Mr. Bush’s limit by about $18 billion — the Democrats’ top appropriators lashed out at the administration.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, accused Mr. Bush of “political posturing.”

“I refuse to accept the fanciful notion that it is wasteful to provide health care to our veterans, fight increasing levels of violent crime, repair our bridges or educate our children,” the West Virginia Democrat said. 

From the King of Political Posturing a whole pargraph of political posturing. Byrd doesn’t care about veterans, crimes, bridges or children – except as it relates to him getting his name put on some new federal building back in West Virginia.

The Democrats did the same thing in the 1980s – they compromised with President Reagan’s defense spending and loaded the budget with pork. Then when all was said and done, Democrats blamed President Reagan for the deficit. They scream and holler for compromise, but every move they make is a dirty, filthy political trick.

I applaud the President and Congressional Republicans for standing firm – if they continue.

Category: Politics