As Obama dithers, Sarah Palin unloads her quiver

Per Dictionary.com:

quiv·er
[kwiv-er]
–noun
1. a case for holding or carrying arrows.
2. the arrows in such a case.

Sarah Palin had a great response to Obama's inaction on a 2011 budget compromise. Keep in mind, our government has been without a budget for the duration of the current fiscal year, which started on October 1, 2010. Yes, that's correct. When the Democrats had a majority in both houses of Congress, they could not find the time to pass a budget, one of the primary functions of the legislative branch. Now we're faced with a shutdown of nonessential government services because the Democrats and Obama don't like the Republican's plan.

In her Facebook post today, Palin said:

The House GOP does not want a shut down. They just want legitimate cuts (and I would argue not even enough!). If we can’t agree to cut a billion here and a billion there, we’ll never close this $1.5 trillion deficit.

Let’s look at the numbers. We have a $1.5 trillion deficit this year. We’re paying $200 billion a year on our interest alone. That’s half a billion dollars per day on interest. And our $1.5 trillion deficit means that we’re borrowing $4 billion per day just to keep afloat. So, we pat ourselves on the back if we cut a billion dollars here or a billion there in discretionary spending, as we borrow $4 billion a day and pay half a billion a day in interest. The deficit for the month of February alone was the highest in our history at $223 billion. That’s more than the entire deficit for the year 2007. And there’s no end in sight. We’re not heading towards the iceberg. We’ve already hit it. Now we’re taking on water. We must find a way to get back to harbor to repair our ship of state before it’s too late.

Where is President Obama in all of this? He just doesn’t get it. His 2012 budget was a signal of that. The President’s proposed budget offered higher taxes and higher spending. A budget is supposed to be more than just numbers crunched on a spreadsheet. It’s supposed to be a credible blueprint of a nation’s priorities and direction. The President’s budget was a political document. It was designed not to ruffle any feathers or take any decisive moves to deal with the deficit problem. Instead of cutting spending, he’s moving us in the opposite direction. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the White House was not telling the truth when they claimed that their 2012 budget reduces the deficit. It actually increases it. Instead of dealing with the hard realities we face, he just kicked the can down the road. That’s not leadership.

To make matters worse, Obama has threatened to veto a measure passed by the House that would guarantee our service members will continue to be paid on schedule for the rest of the fiscal year. Remember, the Democrats didn't bother to pass a 2011 Budget. Sarah observes:

Yesterday the House passed H.R. 1363, which funds our Department of Defense and our military for the rest of the year at their current levels. It allows for the continuation of current military operations, which is pretty important when you’re fighting three wars. It also funds the government for another week and cuts $12 billion in wasteful spending. So why would the Commander in Chief declare that he will veto this? Why would he play politics at the expense of our troops who are putting everything on the line to protect us? Memo to the President: I doubt the insurgents will stop and wait for a government shutdown to end before resuming actions.

Like me, you might be asking yourself: Why on earth would he threaten to veto funding for the troops? What is his game plan? Basically, he’ll veto military funding because he wants the rest of the government funded too. And by the rest of the government, he means things like Harry Reid’s “Cowboy Poetry.” Essentially, he’s holding military funding hostage to NPR funding. This is a perfect analogy for what is wrong with this entire budget showdown. Our federal government has strayed so far from what is constitutionally mandated that they are blind to the fact that NPR funding is not a constitutional duty. Funding our military at a time of war is!

You can read the rest here.

When are we going to see real leadership in Washington? Apparently, the Republicans fear the political fallout of a government shutdown more than standing on principle.

Sarah, are you listening? Paul Ryan certainly is. Check out his video here. For an even better perspective, check out the latest Bill Whittle video here.