President Obama's proposed budget for next year recommends cutting some weapons programs that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said are unnecessary and wasteful. But don't hold your breath: Congress has a history of preserving funding for programs that the Defense Department itself wants to kill. Both President Obama and his predecessor, for instance, have for five years tried to eliminate funding for program to develop a backup fighter-jet engine, but Congress has funded it anyway. USA Today noted that the program runs upwards of $450 million annually, enjoys strong bipartisan support, and has been lobbied for aggressively by the engine's developer, General Electric. Gates has called it a "an unnecessary and extravagant expense." Nonetheless, as House Republicans consider measures to fund the government for the remainder of this fiscal year, they're working on a bill that preserves the funding for the alternate engine program, Reuters reported. One of the program's prominent supporters has been House Speaker John Boehner, who has argued that producing a backup engine would encourage competition and result in a better product. The Columbus Dispatch notes that the plant where this engine is built is near Boehner's district, prompting critics to call it essentially a pork-barrel project that runs counter to House Republicans' earmark ban. http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmem...ssary-may-prove-difficult-to-kill.php?ref=fpb
This kind of crap could end up splitting the republican party for good, and that might not be the worst possible outcome. The Tea Party freshmen are not buying this go along to get along routine, at least not so far, while the establishment republicans are falling over themselves to compromise with obama, particularly on the issue of not cutting much. Something has to give, and we will see who folds when the debt limit vote comes up. The party regulars and their paymasters among the K Steet crowd fear another government shutdown far more than the wrath of the voters. Clinton handed Gingrich his head after the last shutdown, and that has been deeply imbedded into their DNA. If obama finds some backbone, which is obviously a big if, he will face the repulcians down easily. The result of that will be smoldering anger among the Tea Party contingent, which could erupt in unforeseeable ways.
Far different circumstances now and lets admit up front, Newt was incredibly naive in his dealings with Bill Clinton and got smoked in the public debate. Many now are all for shutting down the government. Won't make any difference in my life and might actually save a few bucks and remind the federal employees who they really work for. Shut it down. Let the IRS employees go without pay, the curs. Let the TSA go without pay. Let the EPA go without pay. Let penis washing programs in Africa go unfunded! Let NPR go unfunded! Let the UN go unfunded! Let the post-office go unfunded! Pull all the troops back onto the continental United States and let Iraq and Afghanistan build their own nations. Neither country will ever become a meaningful trade partner or allie so what is the point? Show me somebody who won't like seeing the government shut down.
The mainstream media will go to great lengths to paint it was a "radical", "irresponsible" attack on the middle class, etc ,etc. The same kind of stuff they are pulling in Wisconsin only carried to an extreme. Personally, I'm with you. I 'm not so sure the voters wouldn't applaud a radical attack on government waste and giveaways. In encouraging news, the second engine program for the F-35 was defeated by a coalition of dems and Tea party freshmen. No doubt they will be back to try and revive it.