By Bill Wilson – Establishment elites are thrilled at the picks made for members of the so-called “Super Committee.” With all 12 members now public, detailed analysis has confirmed that these are “serious” men and women who can be counted on to produce a “reasonable” product that will meet the goal of reducing the national debt by at least $1.2 trillion over ten years.
And, if you believe that I have a bridge I’d love to sell to you.
What is becoming very clear is that the star-chamber known as the Super Committee is stacked, it is loaded with people dedicated to preserving the status quo of bloated government, reckless spending, faddish social policy, and corrupt insider dealing. I know this is a harsh view. And, there will be plenty of apologists and domesticated-conservatives rushing to defend the very existence of the committee and the members on it.
Just look at the membership and it will become obvious where this thing is heading.
The Senate GOP members are Jon Kyl of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Every conservative, free-market advocate in the country is happy to see Toomey on this tribunal. He is committed, right-thinking, tough, and incorruptible. But, he is one guy. The other two Republicans don’t offer as much hope. Senator Kyl is not seeking re-election, he is free to think about his future employment — not encouraging when the horde of rent seekers come pounding on his door. Senator Portman has the most knowledge of anyone from his time as George Bush’s budget director. But that is the worry — he was part of the “compassionate conservative” poison that is responsible in part for the crisis we face.
Being as kind and respectful as possible, there are two GOP Senate votes for accommodation with the Left. There can be no debate about the Senate Democrats — all three are sure to be bad. Beyond their ideological drive, the Chair — Patty Murray of Washington — is the Chair of the Democrat Senate campaign arm. Are we to believe she will not shakedown a wide variety of interests in her new role? I know nobody who thinks she will resist the urge.
Turning to the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has named three reliable statists who never saw a government program or handout they didn’t think needed more money. Jim Clyburn has an absolutely horrible record of pushing wasteful, questionable spending. Chris Van Hollen is a tool of the union-dominated Maryland Democrat establishment, he can’t and won’t think for himself. And finally, Xavier Becerra has already tried to use his membership on the committee to shakedown Wall Street for campaign money. You can see where this guy is heading a mile away.
That leaves the three House Republicans selected by Speaker Boehner. Again, the names are far from encouraging. Jeb Hensarling is a conservative who has a strong record. There is fear, however, that as #4 in the House leadership he will not be a free agent. But give him and the Speaker the benefit of the doubt and call him a Toomey ally. The other two, however, are blood chilling.
Dave Camp is Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. Far from a conservative, Camp is an odd pick. If this Super Committee is not going to accept tax increases, why has the Chairman of the tax writing committee been put on? Camp’s selection is a signal, one that portends “revenue enhancements” or whatever cute term the insider crowd wants to use today.
And the final pick is just plain wrong. Fred Upton, the liberal Republican Chairman of Energy & Commerce, is the worst selection of all. His record is horrible. His willingness to surrender to the Left is more of an obsession than a conscious choice. It was Upton who after the election of Obama went to a meeting with his good friend Rahm Emmanuel and plotted to deliver GOP votes for the Obama agenda. It is Upton who actively looks for ways to advance the mild socialist agenda of the trendy, chic, cool-kids. If all other fears are unfounded about the GOP members, there will always be Upton to provide the 7th vote for a pro-big government outcome.
So, the odds favor a mutant, ugly proposal coming from the Super Committee. And that leaves those who want to save America from the fate of decline, bankruptcy and social upheaval with only one option — defeat the proposal and trigger the automatic cuts. There is unlikely to be any other way.
When that time comes, the establishment propaganda machine will swing into high gear. “The markets will crash,” they will scream, if we don’t accept the decision of the unelected, unaccountable panel. But, we listened to them last time and the markets crashed anyway. Every bit of fear, envy, and hatred will be launched against those who refuse to accept a bogus deal.
And that will be the real battle, a real hand-to-hand combat fight right before Christmas. That is what America gets for falling for the lie that was the “debt ceiling deal.” It only gets more intense and dangerous from here.
Bill Wilson is the President of Americans for Limited Government. You can follow Bill on Twitter at @BillWilsonALG.
