THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 17, 1995 TAG: 9511160019
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
President Clinton, House Speaker Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Dole have shut down parts of the government and indulged in scary talk about default. But eventually they have to sit down and agree on a path to a balanced budget. The American people won't settle for anything less.
Unfortunately, Clinton and Dole are running for president and Gingrich is the self-styled leader of a revolution. All apparently think the dramatic standoff makes them look tough and decisive. In fact, it makes them look like children playing a macho game. The public is sick of the posturing and delay.
Republicans have had trouble delivering a budget, even though it's destined for a veto. By the October deadline they had passed only three of 13 appropriations bills. And the delay has had little to do with Democratic obstructionism.
It's had more to do with a split between moderate and conservative Republicans, especially a cadre of young turks in the House who have put ideological purity ahead of results. They have held up a defense appropriations bill over abortion funding, for example.
President Clinton might have offered a welcome contrast by adopting a tone of conciliation. Instead, he has trotted out his own red-meat rhetoric. But despite ritualized name calling, the Washington facts of life have been obvious since the Republican victory last November.
President Clinton and the Democrats are on the outside looking in. They don't have the votes to pass anything in either house without Republican help.
Republicans can pass whatever they want if they can stick together, but they don't have enough votes to override a presidential veto without Democratic help. Since neither side can win everything it wants, the choice is impasse or splitting the difference.
Both sides have chosen impasse so far. They've evoked the High Noon metaphor of a decisive shootout, but that's nonsense. The applicable Old West metaphor is horse trading. The two sides have got to start swapping one program for another, shaving a billion here, adding a half billion there.
There's plenty of room for a deal. Both sides favor a balanced budget, but disagree on the time frame. Both sides agree welfare has got to be reformed and spending has got to be cut. Both sides have favored some tax reduction.
A group of moderate Democrats styling itself The Coalition includes Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., and Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb. It has a plan that could be the basis for a deal. It forgoes a tax cut but reaches balance in seven years that Republicans have insisted on. It slows the growth of spending on Medicare, education and science but by less than Republicans favor. It doesn't trim the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor as much as Republicans want.
The coalition plan is broadly in line with public opinion, and it's a safe bet that an eventual compromise will resemble it. The only question now is whether the president and congressional leaders make a deal sooner - or later.
They can act in a statesmanlike manner and start serious negotiations or they can exasperate the nation with a prolonged cowboy duel. But the longer the delay goes on, the more obvious it becomes that there are no white hats in this shootout. by CNB