It was only on June 18 that I posted about David Brooks' concerns with the budget negotiation process--and his call-it-like-it-is assessment of the irresponsibility of both Republicans and Democrats. The President and Democrats appeared to hear or already understand his concerns, and have responded as leaders should in a time of crisis. But not his own Republican Party.
Brooks, the Republican or more "conservative" columnist on the op-ed pages of the New York Times, has now taken it directly to the Republican leadership in blunt, desperate terms. He wants them and the public to fully understand the stakes--for the nation and for the GOP.
I have had old friends and new post or e-mail me about this article, and how it hits right at the heart of their private feelings and concerns, how it affirms their worst fears, as it does mine. And a few of those most thoughtful, well-informed and accountable friends were, like me, once moderate Republicans (fiscal conservatives, social progressives, as one put it). But for most of the last decade they have necessarily become Independents as a matter of principled conviction or default. Perhaps more than others, they lament the state and radical dysfunction of today's GOP leadership.
Here, Brooks' full article, "The Mother of All No-Brainers," NYT (7.4.11):
Brooks, the Republican or more "conservative" columnist on the op-ed pages of the New York Times, has now taken it directly to the Republican leadership in blunt, desperate terms. He wants them and the public to fully understand the stakes--for the nation and for the GOP.
I have had old friends and new post or e-mail me about this article, and how it hits right at the heart of their private feelings and concerns, how it affirms their worst fears, as it does mine. And a few of those most thoughtful, well-informed and accountable friends were, like me, once moderate Republicans (fiscal conservatives, social progressives, as one put it). But for most of the last decade they have necessarily become Independents as a matter of principled conviction or default. Perhaps more than others, they lament the state and radical dysfunction of today's GOP leadership.
Here, Brooks' full article, "The Mother of All No-Brainers," NYT (7.4.11):
The Republicans have changed American politics since they took control of the House of Representatives. They have put spending restraint and debt reduction at the top of the national agenda. They have sparked a discussion on entitlement reform. They have turned a bill to raise the debt limit into an opportunity to put the U.S. on a stable fiscal course.
Republican leaders have also proved to be effective negotiators. They have been tough and inflexible and forced the Democrats to come to them. The Democrats have agreed to tie budget cuts to the debt ceiling bill. They have agreed not to raise tax rates. They have agreed to a roughly 3-to-1 rate of spending cuts to revenue increases, an astonishing concession.
Moreover, many important Democrats are open to a truly large budget deal. President Obama has a strong incentive to reach a deal so he can campaign in 2012 as a moderate. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, has talked about supporting a debt reduction measure of $3 trillion or even $4 trillion if the Republicans meet him part way. There are Democrats in the White House and elsewhere who would be willing to accept Medicare cuts if the Republicans would be willing to increase revenues.
If the Republican Party were a normal party, it would take advantage of this amazing moment. It is being offered the deal of the century: trillions of dollars in spending cuts in exchange for a few hundred billion dollars of revenue increases. A normal Republican Party would seize the opportunity to put a long-term limit on the growth of government. It would seize the opportunity to put the country on a sound fiscal footing. It would seize the opportunity to do these things without putting any real crimp in economic growth.
The party is not being asked to raise marginal tax rates in a way that might pervert incentives. On the contrary, Republicans are merely being asked to close loopholes and eliminate tax expenditures that are themselves distortionary.This, as I say, is the mother of all no-brainers.
But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. That's because the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative. The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch in order to cut government by a foot, they will say no. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch to cut government by a yard, they will still say no.
The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. A thousand impartial experts may tell them that a default on the debt would have calamitous effects, far worse than raising tax revenues a bit. But the members of this movement refuse to believe it.The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency. A nation makes a sacred pledge to pay the money back when it borrows money. But the members of this movement talk blandly of default and are willing to stain their nation's honor.
The members of this movement have no economic theory worthy of the name. Economists have identified many factors that contribute to economic growth, ranging from the productivity of the work force to the share of private savings that is available for private investment. Tax levels matter, but they are far from the only or even the most important factor.
But to members of this movement, tax levels are everything. Members of this tendency have taken a small piece of economic policy and turned it into a sacred fixation. They are willing to cut education and research to preserve tax expenditures. Manufacturing employment is cratering even as output rises, but members of this movement somehow believe such problems can be addressed so long as they continue to worship their idol.
Over the past week, Democrats have stopped making concessions. They are coming to the conclusion that if the Republicans are fanatics then they better be fanatics, too.
The struggles of the next few weeks are about what sort of party the G.O.P. is — a normal conservative party or an odd protest movement that has separated itself from normal governance, the normal rules of evidence and the ancient habits of our nation.
If the debt ceiling talks fail, independent voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don't take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern.
And they will be right.
Link to article in NYT:
No comments:
Post a Comment