Win-Win for a few, lose-lose for everyone else

When you have no scruples, it makes getting your way much easier.

When fully in control of Washington, the Republican Party has traditionally shown no concern for budget deficits. They had no problem passing both unpaid-for tax cuts or huge entitlement expansion on nearly party line votes. As Republican Vice President Dick Cheney famously said, “Deficits don’t matter” - at least as long as Republicans are in the White House. As soon as the Democrats take control, they manage to always, as if by magic, rediscover a burning passion for fiscal responsibility. Some feel this demonstrates the incredible hypocrisy of the GOP, but it goes beyond that. Whether it developed by clever design or happenstance, in our broken political system, these Democratic victory-inspired revivals of deficit hawking really are a win-win for Republicans. It allows Republicans to get cuts while transferring the blame to Democratic party.

Most specific cuts in government spending are extremely unpopular. Not only that, but cuts often lead to slower growth, which in turn really hurts the party in power. It would be politically a bad decision for Republicans to waste the times when they are fully in control of Washington to push for party-line cuts. Now, if the only way to force cuts in the social safety net was to pass them while Republicans were fully in control, the GOP might actually be willing to take this political hit to achieve this policy goal. After all, most elected Republicans really seem to enjoy slashing the social safety net. For example, think of how the Tories in the UK can only force the spending cuts they want when they are in control, so that is why they are pushing them now, despite it hurting their poll numbers.

Fortunately for Republicans, our broken political system doesn’t function like most democracies, so they are relieved of this tough choice and direct accountability. Thanks to divided government, and more importantly the filibuster, even in the minority, Republicans still have sufficient power to hold basically everything hostage to demand spending cuts. They are able to win the cuts while forcing the Democrats who control the White House to share the political blame for unpopular moves.

Exactly right.  They're doing it right now and, thanks to the stupidity of the Democrats who roll over whenever they're asked, they're succeeding.