Obama Campaigns Against Spending Cuts, Again

After Failing to Lead On Federal Deficit, President Rallies Against State Budget Cuts

President Obama took his head-in-the-sand approach to America’s federal spending crisis to the state level today when he insulted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s attempt to rein-in Wisconsin’s state budget:

OBAMA: “Some of what I’ve heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you’re just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally, seems like more of an assault on unions,” President Obama told TMJ4 in Milwaukee.

(“Obama on Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law: An ‘Assault on Unions’”, Real Clear Politics, 2/17/2011)

“Walker said Friday his proposals were necessary to help the state overcome the $137 million hole in the current budget, and eventually help the state make up the $3.6 billion shortfall projected for the next biennial budget.” (Clay Barbour and Mary Spicuzza, “Walker Takes Broad Swipe at Public Employee Unions,” Wisconsin State Journal, 2/12/2011)

Obama then took his fight for more spending even further by mobilizing his campaign to help his Big Labor boss allies organize protests against fiscal responsibility:

“The Democratic National Committee’s Organizing for America arm — the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign — is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.

“OfA, as the campaign group is known, has been criticized at times for staying out of local issues like same-sex marraige, but it’s riding to the aide of the public sector unions who hoping to persuade some Republican legislators to oppose Walker’s plan. And while Obama may have his difference with teachers unions,OfA’s engagement with the fight — and Obama’s own clear stance against Walker — mean that he’s remaining loyal to key Democratic Party allies at what is, for them, a very dangerous moment.” (Ben Smith, “DNC Playing Role in Wisconsin Protests,” Politico, 2/17/2011)

With behavior such as that, it’s no wonder that Obama’s other recent foray into big spending was roundly panned:   

THE WASHINGTON POST: “The President punted. Having been given the chance, the cover and the push by the fiscal commission he created to take bold steps to raise revenue and curb entitlement spending, President Obama, in his fiscal 2012 budget proposal, chose instead to duck. To duck, and to mask some of the ducking with the sort of budgetary gimmicks he once derided.” (Editorial Board, “President Obama’s Budget Kicks the Hard Choices Further Down the Road,” The Washington Post, 2/15/2011)

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES: “President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2012 landed with a thud Monday, laying out short- and long-term tax and spending plans thatdisappointed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The proposal was a remarkably tame response to Washington’s fiscal problems, not the bold statement about belt-tightening that the White House had suggested was coming.” (Editorial Board, “President Obama’s Budget Proposal Is Too Tame,” The Los Angeles Times, 2/15/2011)

USA TODAY: “President Obama likes to talk about those “Sputnik moments” when the nation rises to difficult challenges like the one posed by the Soviet space program in the 1950s. On Monday, he had a chance to turn his federal budget proposal into his own such moment. He whiffed…It’s becoming hard not to conclude that Obama doesn’t much care about the debt threat or has decided to wait until after the 2012 elections. Either would be a shame, and economically risky.” (Editorial Board, “Our View: Obama’s Budget Ducks Tough Choices,” USA Today, 2/15/2011)

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “What Mr. Obama’s budget is most definitely not is a blueprint for dealing with the real long-term problems that feed the budget deficit: rising health care costs, an aging population and a refusal by lawmakers to face the inescapable need to raise taxes at some point. Rather, it defers those critical issues, in hopes, we assume, that both the economy and the political environment will improve in the future.” (Editorial Board, “The Obama Budget,” The New York Times, 2/14/2011)