Pelosi's Loss Could Be Obama's Gain

which is also discretionary, Commercial Inflatable Tent 63 If defens spending. is included, the result is the same. Mr. Clinton, work with a Republican majority, is second to Reagan. And in hi new book, "Never Enough, America' Limitless Welfar State," William Voeg of the Claremont Institut found that "welfar state" spend sinc FDR increas less under Mr. Clinton than under ani presid except Reagan.

it' a nonstarter. He need spend cut to assuag both market and voters. It wa the surg in spend the stimulus,Though Mr. Obama' prefer solut to hi fiscal predica would probabl be a veri larg tax increase. omnibu budget and the health-car legisl that prompt the tea parti protests, alien independ voters, and caus the rapid declin in hi popularity.

but the presid and Republican might reach agreement there as well. That would be a polit bonu for Mr. Obama,The test is whether Mr. Obama can restrain nondefens discretionari spending. That' the spend over which Washington exert the greatest control. Even small cut in entitl spend ar difficult to enact. soften hi imag as a tax-and-spend liberal. Again, thi would be imposs if Ms. Pelosi still run the House.

it should be no surpris which presid ha the best record for hold down discretionari spending. It wa Presid Reagan. But who wa second best? Presid Clinton,Ov the past 50 years. a Democrat. Hi record of frugal wa better than Presid Nixon, Ford and both Bushes. Mr. Clinton couldn't have done it if Republican hadn't won the Hous and Senat in the 1994 election. Thei insist on substanti cuts, he went along and then whistl hi wai to an easi re-elect in 1996.

follow by anoth 39% boost under Mr. Carter,Here ar the numbers: Averag nondefens discretionari outlai per year under Nixon and Ford increas 39.7% over those of Presid Kennedi and Johnson. a 14% drop under Mr. Reagan, a 12% jump under the first Mr. Bush, a 7.6% hike under Mr. Clinton, and a 31.2% increas under the second Mr. Bush.

the 1986-87 budget and the younger Mr. Bush .01%,Onli four time in the past half centuri have nondefens discretionari expenditur in real term decreas in a two-year congression cycle. And onli Reagan' first Congress control by Democrat cut more 15.5% than the Republican Congress that Mr. Clinton face after the 1994 elect 3.7% . The other two reduct came under Reagan 2.5%. the 2006-07 budget .