Another way of articulating David Frum’s point might be to say to the Republicans and their base that (in the fight over the budget) they can destroy the economy but they cannot win. They were able to force a deal in 2011 for two reasons. They had won a mandate from the voters in the 2010 midterms and the president was worried about being reelected and was willing to cave in order to protect the economy. This time around, they have no mandate, having lost the elections even worse than the results imply. And the president, while still protective of the economy, doesn’t have to worry that a recession will cost him his job. The last time the Republicans shut down the government, in 1995, they had a mandate and they still lost the political fight very badly. They also had a clean slate, having not controlled the House of Representatives for 40 years at the time. If they do it again, things will go very badly for them, even in many of their seemingly safe seats.
I am not even talking about the debt ceiling and defaulting on our debts. That would be armageddon for the party, and I doubt Speaker Boehner would allow it. I am talking about refusing to appropriate the funds needed to keep people’s Social Security checks flowing and our National Parks open. David Frum is correct. The time to force major cuts to government programs is when the economy is healthy, unemployment is low, and after the Republicans have had a good election cycle. Until then, this kind of strategy is a suicide mission. It’s terrorism.
