By Guy Benson
For the second consecutive year
the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate has unanimously rejected President Obamas 2013 budget. The final vote was 99-0 making the the running two-year tally 196-0. This move follows the House of Representatives
414-0 rebuke of the same fiscal blueprint earlier this year. Astonishingly not a single Senate Democrat has voted in favor of
any budget for three years even as they refuse to offer a plan of their own.
Democrats have claimed that three fig leaves mitigate this embarrassing spectacle:
(1)
The Senate has already passed a budget! False.
The Senate has not passed a budget. It deemed itself a budget as part of a
separate piece of legislation over the summer. That law did not address tax policy entitlement programs and a slew of other items that a real budget entails. Harry Reids hand-picked Senate Parliamentarian
has confirmed Republicans contention that the Senate has not fulfilled its basic budgetary obligations. This is the 1113th day in a row that this has been the case.
(2)
Republican obstructionism! False. Budgets
explicitly cannot be filibustered. If Democrats introduced a budget whipped their members and called a vote it would pass. Simple as that. Republicans couldnt do a thing to stop it. But that would require Democrats to put their long-term plans on paper which theyve been avoiding like the plague for entirely
political reasons.
(3)
This vote is a gimmick! If Democrats want to label an up-or-down vote on a Democratic presidents budget a gimmick theyre welcome to do so. In some ways its an appropriate description given the
pitiful gimmicks upon which Obamas budget relies -- even to achieve the fraudulent savings it claims. Had it not been defeated by Congress 513-0 Obamas budget would have added $11 Trillion to the gross national debt. It would literally
never balance.
The Senate will now move on to vote on
four separate Republican-proposed budgets including the House-passed version. They will all receive more votes than President Obamas brainchild but none is expected to pass. Stay tuned for updates...
UPDATE - The Senate has defeated the
House-passed Ryan budget 41-58. I counted five Republicans joining Democrats in voting it down at least one of whom voted no because it doesnt go far enough. Democrats voted in lockstep against this budget as they have on every proposed budget for the last three years. Head-to-head tally: Paul Ryan 41 - Barack Obama 0
UPDATE II - The Senate has defeated Senator Pat Toomeys (R-PA) budget resolution
42-57. This is the 7th consecutive proposed Senate budget that has failed to attract even one Democrat vote.
UPDATE III - The Senate has rejected the two remaining GOP budget alternatives authored by Senators Lee (
17-82) and Paul (
16-83).
Harry Reids Senate once again goes oh-fer on budgets in an age of $16 Trillion debt a national credit downgrade and a struggling economy. Disgraceful.
Guy Benson is Townhall.coms Political Editor. Follow him on Twitter @guypbenson
