Perhaps it’s time to update a couple commentaries I posted earlier this summer.
“Sex and Second Acts” focused on the electoral prospects of two politicians, one Republican and one Democratic, who were attempting political comebacks in the wake of sex scandals.
The adulterer — former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford — handily won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He defeated his opponent 54-45 in a contest that saw Democrats pouring money into the race in the (as it turned out, vain) hope of picking up a traditionally Republican seat. (Romney carried the district by 18 percentage points.) The victory is a clear triumph for Sanford, whose staunchly conservative politics and substantial personal appeal offset whatever misgivings Republican voters might have had about his private life.
And what of reformed “sexter,” Anthony Weiner? He appears to be gaining traction in his run for mayor of New York City. A recent poll shows him closing on Democratic front runner, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, though he still trails her significantly in a head-to-head contest. Some have suggested that Weiner’s notoriety may now actually be helping him because of his name recognition in a crowded field.
So much for sex. Now for money.
In “The Budget Deficit: Should We Just Declare Victory?” I suggested that a “grand bargain” to close our budgetary gap may do more harm than good at this point. This view — by no means original to me, let me stress — is gaining traction, particularly on the left of the political spectrum. But even the IMF — hardly a hotbed of liberalism — has been critical of recent budget cuts, arguing that they will sharply reduce GDP growth in the United States this year. The Center for American Progress (CAP) has issued a report, “It’s Time to Hit the Reset Button on the Fiscal Debate,” that essentially echoes — though in much greater detail — the argument of my original post. CAP is, of course, a reliably liberal think tank. But it is also very closely aligned with the Obama administration. It is unclear whether CAP’s views are echoed within an administration that, at least in public, continues to call for a “grand bargain.”
My view remains unchanged: Whatever the merits of such a bargain in the long term, any efforts to “front-load” a deal with additional budget cuts or tax increases will only worsen our still weak economy.
Joe Barnes is the Baker Institute’s Bonner Means Baker Fellow. From 1979 to 1993, he was a career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, serving in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.