Yep, Sequester Stupidity Is Now the Budget Baseline

The baseline for getting even more stupid with even more economy-killing cuts.

Steve Bennen at Maddowblog:

Which then leads us to the second problem: under this approach, spending levels are still at sequestration levels. Why is that important? Because the sequester is a painfully stupid and destructive policy that's hurting the country for no reason.

In August, Boehner said "none of us like" the sequestration policy. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said the sequester "is not the best way to go about spending reductions." House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said the sequester is "unrealistic," "ill-conceived," and a policy that "must be brought to an end."

And yet, the Speaker's plan is to effectively tell the right, "You're not getting the shutdown you wanted, but at least you're getting the destructive sequestration cuts we pretend not to like."

There's a real chance that rank-and-file Republicans oppose the idea because they want to shut down the government, while rank-and-file Democrats balk because they hate the sequester.

All of this will have to be dealt with fairly soon, since the government runs out of money on Sept. 30. Once that's done, we then get to move on to congressional Republicans threatening to crash the global economy on purpose with another debt-ceiling hostage crisis.

So, Hal: will you vote against the sequester budget? Will you propose restoring the trillions in domestic spending your party has eliminated since 2009? And all you Fifth District Democrats who sit home instead of supporting a Democratic challenger to Rogers, when you are looking for someone to blame for the failing economy, will you look in the mirror?