An Establishment Republican Explains why Boehner's Dink & Dunk Approach on the Budget is the Right One

I'm unsure about the current approach of passing continuing resolutions that get the budget to match what the Republicans want rather than forcing a showdown.  I also admit that the $61M the Republicans are cutting is nowhere near enough but is literally an order of magnitude larger than the ridiculous budget proposed by Obama and the Democrats.  But, I think that it's possibly the best that we can expect at this time, while Republicans control only the House and not the Senate or Presidency.  Regardless of what I think, here is what long-time, respected, establishment Republican Fred Barnes thinks.  I'm not going to make the argument, I'll let Fred:

...The end zone is far away, however, and impatience won't get Republicans there. Impatience is not a strategy. It may lead to a government shutdown with unknown results. To enact the sweeping cuts they desire, Republicans must hold the House and capture the Senate and White House in the 2012 election. Then they'll control Washington. Now they don't.

In the meantime, the incremental strategy is working. Republicans have passed two short-term measures to keep the government in operation since early March while slashing $10 billion in spending. At this rate, they would achieve the target of GOP congressional leaders of lopping off $61 billion from President Obama's proposed budget in the final seven months of the 2011 fiscal year.

Barnes was around in 1995 when Republicans forced a government shutdown to bring Clinton around on the budget. It backfired for Republicans at the ballot box in 1996. Would it backfire for Republicans now? I think the battlefield is much different now, and it may not backfire, but it's certainly prudent to consider that possibility.

His summary:

The House speaker has been accused of playing a weak hand. "I think John Boehner has basically climbed into the Bob Dole suit," columnist Mark Steyn told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt. "Arguing over itsy-bitsy, half a billion here and half a billion there . . . is preposterous."

But it may not be if it's the most you can get under current circumstances. What's unsatisfying to many conservatives is most likely the best Republicans can achieve in 2011. "Public opinion seems to support Republican efforts to cut spending without shutting down the government," notes Keith Hennessey, former domestic policy adviser to President George W. Bush, and some recent polls back him up. Mr. Hennessey supports a gradualist strategy. "Don't change tactics," he says. "Just ratchet up your demands a little."

That makes sense. What doesn't is sacrificing spending cuts you can get on the altar of those you can't.

Of course, Read the whole thing. Not sure if he's right or wrong.