Okay, so we've now moved out of OMG Scott Brown/corporate campaign spending mode and into I got something right here for you to freeze, Mr. President mode.
One thing I haven't seen anyone address:
If Obama can get a 59-41 Senate/256-178 House Democratic Congress to support a hard spending freeze for three years, well, I'd say I'd eat my hat except I'm the Hat Thief and stolen merchandise tastes nasty.
Seriously, though, anyone who thinks that Obama can get Congress to fully support a hard freeze hasn't paid attention to Congress.
Flash back 5 years ago. President whatshisname's administration was
preparing a budget request that would freeze most spending on agriculture, veterans and science, slash or eliminate dozens of federal programs, and force more costs, from Medicaid to housing, onto state and local governments, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.
Remember, at that time, the Republican party had 55 Senate seats and 232 House seats.
Now, the House didn't do anything, because House rules allow major limits to amendments that can be offered.
But the Senate broke the budget wide open.
NPR's news briefs from that week tell the story
March 16, 2005:
March 16, 2005 -- On Capitol Hill, the Senate has voted to boost health and education spending over the objections of Republican leaders.
... By a vote of 63-37, members approved an amendment to add $1.5 billion to the $28-billion budget of the National Institutes of Health and an additional $500 million for education.
That included all the Democrats as well as George Allen, Robert Bennett, Lincoln Chafee, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Michael Crapo, Mike DeWine, Elizabeth Dole, Orrin Hatch, Kay Hutchison, Dick Lugar, Rick Santorum, Richard Shelby, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, Ted Stevens, Jim Talent and John Thune.
Albeit by a significantly lesser margin, they also overturned the Medicaid cuts.
The Senate has dealt a blow to Republican budget efforts by eliminating proposed cuts to the Medicaid health program for the poor.
Seven Republicans joined Senate Democrats in the 52-48 vote to strip from the budget a proposal to reduce Medicaid spending by some $14 billion over the next five years. The amendment was offered by Oregon Republican Gordon Smith, who said his state had already cut health coverage for 60,000 poor people last year.
To make a long story short, the whole spending freeze fell apart fairly quickly.
And that was just in the budget. When it comes to cutting actual spending, Congress will be even more spend-happy.
Now, of course things are different now, and should he actually go through with it, the President may have success in cutting back spending from what it would otherwise have been.
But a freeze just is not going to happen.