Amy Traub

Feed that poor beast some apple pie

Don't get me wrong: with the right holding sway from the Oval Office to the halls of Congress, these are dark days for progressives in Washington. But recent events suggest the agenda of the radical right is beginning to run out of steam, as perhaps (call me an optimist) the American people recognize the grim calculus of families thrown off food stamps to finance tax cuts for millionaires and tell their representatives they've had enough.

Congress is fighting over the classic "Starve the beast" scenario, the right-wing strategy to:

1) diminish government revenue through tax cuts, and then

2) with less money available, force cutbacks in public services, even those valued by most Americans.

This week, both parts of the starvation diet ran into trouble. The House tried to ram through legislation slashing funding for food stamps, Medicaid, public health, and education. But the Republican leadership was in for a surprise: when the bill first came to a vote yesterday, 22 Republicans sided with a united Democratic party to defeat it. Republican leaders twisted arms and even changed the bill to make it marginally less unfair, but it took until the wee hours of the morning for the majority party to eke out a passing vote.

Meanwhile, the Senate was dealing with revenue. President Bush wanted his tax cuts extended permanently, but the Senate couldn't muster the votes to maintain breaks for the wealthiest. Instead they prevented tax increases for middle-class families and imposed a new levy on oil companies reaping windfall profits.

Progressives may ultimately lose both sides of the budget battle. But moderate Republicans are reluctant for a reason: they're afraid their constituents are rejecting the "starve the beast" philosophy and will reject them too, if they embrace it. Let's hope they're right.

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Posted at 6:50 PM, Nov 18, 2005 in Fiscal Responsibility
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