W. Examiner Dems, GOP enter 2014 out of sync with America By _MARK TAPSCOTT_ (http://washingtonexaminer.com/AUTHOR/MARK-TAPSCOTT) | JANUARY 3, 2014
It appears the inmates are running the asylum in both major parties, based on what's being planned by Democrats and Republicans for 2014. Okay, not the inmates, but it must be folks who can't see beyond the Hudson or the Potomac. As the Washington Examiner's _Brian Hughes reports_ (http://washingtonexaminer.com/dems-progressive-push-banner-year-or-pipe-dream/article/2541522) this morning, a lot of Democrats think newly elected New York Mayor _Bill de Blasio_ (http://washingtonexaminer.com/section/bill-de-blasio) -- the progressives' progressive -- points the way for their party nationally. "Some Democrats say taking de Blasio’s message nationally would be an effective political tool. They say the party would appear more in tune with the plight of the working poor, while tapping into public frustration over soaring compensation for the wealthiest Americans," Hughes reports. GOP surrenders spending issue Meanwhile, on the Republican side, congressional leaders reportedly plan to "to unveil a giant spending bill next week that staff for appropriators have been preparing on a near daily basis throughout the holiday break," _according to The Hill_ (http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/194208-1t-spending-bill-nears-unveiling) . "Aides say progress on the $1 trillion, 12-part omnibus legislation has been better than expected at the subcommittee level, and that their goal remains to pass the bill through both chambers by Jan. 16 to prevent a government shutdown." In other words, GOP leaders want to get the spending issue off the table as early as possible, so they can concentrate all their fire on winning the 2014 election. So out of touch Here's the essential context for these moves: Seventy-two percent of Americans -- including a majority of Democrats and huge majorities of Republicans and Independents -- view Big Government as the biggest threat facing the nation, _according to a Gallup poll_ (http://www.gallup.com/poll/166535/record-high-say-big-government-greatest-threat.aspx) . That's why Obamacare is a political catastrophe for Democrats. As bad as the program's first three months were in 2013, 2014 will be worse, with endless horror stories about people losing their health insurance, losing their doctors and losing their money. That's not a positive backdrop for Democrats to step into while proposing even more massive Big Government programs aimed at redistributing income by expanding entitlement spending and hiking taxes. Neither are the Gallup poll nor the Obamacare nightmare positive backdrops for GOP leaders arguing that now isn't the time to demand less government spending and regulation. This staggering inability of Democrats and Republicans to stop their respective versions of business-as-usual in Washington will hurt both come November. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
