Concerned that the Dems were always winning elections (at least on the House level) because they could play Santa Claus with social programs and infrastructure spending bills and the like, beginning with Ronald Reagan the GOP have pursued the "Two Santa Clauses" strategy:
1. When the GOP is in power, cut taxes to businesses and the wealthy, but don't worry about ballooning defense spending, wars, or whatever else comes to mind.
2. When the Dems are in power (or hold any of the wheels of government), start screaming bloody murder about tax-and-spend, about the need to reduce governmental debt, about the need to slash taxes more, and about needing to slash spending, not increase it.
And, as of tomorrow, the Dems will hold the House of Representatives, where all spending bills originate. And, even though the GOP holding the Senate and the White House means that none of the Go Big spending bills the Dems are likely to propose won't actually go anywhere, the same Republicans (including the President) will suddenly have either the vapors or apoplectic fits about tax-and-spend liberals bankrupting the country, for fear that the American public might be tempted by the Dems promised Santa Claus in the 2020 elections.
Indeed, it's already been creeping into the script, as Donald just last week froze already-approved federal pay raises because the increased costs were "unsustainable." This after the massive tax cuts to businesses and the wealthy over the last two years failed (once again) to actually increase tax income.
Meanwhile, ostensible radical Nancy Pelosi is insisting on a "PAYGO" provision in the House rules, meaning any bills proposed need to be cost-neutral. That's actually in alignment with federal law … but the GOP was more than happy to issue waiver after waiver when they were proposing legislation the last eight years.
It will be interesting to see if any of the Dems are willing to call out the GOP on this, or if the national media let the Republicans get away with the same tactic once again. I'm not getting my hopes up.
[h/t +Stan Pedzick]
The GOP’s most successful scam is about to reboot itself
Get ready to see it on your TV. The GOP is about to kick back into Two Santa Clauses mode and restart the scam they’ve been running since Reagan. It’ll predictably begin in the first week or two of January, probably first on “Meet the Press” and other Sunday shows that feature “serious thinkers” and …
Didn't Trump just reduce the amount of military spending by $50 billion in announcing withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan?
+Kevin Smith the Tax Scam and Corporate Welfare bill has the debt up to $1.4 trillion so that will take 3% off
Of course the Dems wont call out the GOP. They're a bunch of hard talking pansies.
+Kevin Smith The Pentagon says we're spending $45b/yr in Afghanistan, $15b/yr in Syria.
But treating that as a "savings" that's assuming a quick withdrawal, that the money won't be allocated to other operational expenses, or that abruptly yoinking us out of those two theaters won't incur further military costs later on.
And, of course, that money for 2019 is already budgeted, and I strongly suspect that the Pentagon (or the White House on their behalf) will not ask for $60b less in 2020 because of the reduced scale of operations.
Yea, I bet that is the case as well. Pretty much any reduction in spending must come from the house because any department will find out how to spend the money its given.