Who’s Afraid of a Government Shutdown?

Is the Democrat fixation on failure finally coming to an end?

That's what some may be thinking as Democrats in Congress respond to the introduction of a new stop-gap funding measure by House Republicans last week. After refusing to debate the long-term CR passed by the House last Saturday, Senate Democrats spent last week demagoguing the package, attempting once again to forestall a comprehensive budget plan for the 2011 fiscal year.  However, after refusing to pass a budget last year, forcing the government to operate on stop-gap funds and continuing to clamor for higher spending, Democrats have intimated the short-term measure is an acceptable funding mechanism forthe next two weeks.

The Republican CR  will allow for two more weeks before Congress is once again faced with the decision on how to spend tax dollars for the remainder of the 2011 Fiscal Year, which ends September 30. The package would cut spending by over $4 billion, including many rescissions called for in the President’s budget released earlier this month. The bill also eliminates over $2.5 billion in wasteful earmarks, a practice both the White House and lawmakers on both side of the aisle have agreed to end.

Democrats spent last week decrying the long-term Continuing Resolution passed by the House last Saturday morning, relying on the rhetoric of a government shutdown and recycled talking points on government spending to call for a funding measure that would continue to spend at unsustainable levels. Now, Democrats are supporting the Republican charge to cut spending.  The abrupt about-face on the calls for higher spending show Democrats may finally be ready to acknowledge the abject failure of their big government agenda.

The introduction of the short-term CR shows the blood of a government shutdown is on the hands of Congressional Democrats. After refusing to write a budget last year and forcing the government to operate on stop-gap funds, lawmakers have continually fixated on their explosive new government spending as a means towards economic recovery. The dismal economic growth witnessed under two years of “stimulus,” accompanied by a total allergy to govern on the part of the Democrats, shows the business as usual approach needs to come to an end.

Agreement on the two week CR intimates Democrats may finally be willing to revise their delusions on government spending and have an adult conversation on budgets. However, there's still a long way to go, as agreement on a comprehensive funding plan for the entire fiscal year still remains at large. If President Obama wants to "win the future," he needs his Democrat allies in Congress to learn from these failures in their past.