Losing the Budget Fight On the Right's Ground

Part of the idiocy of the Administration's budget fight strategy (in addition to the fact that they seem totally clueless on the "negotiating" element), is the direct comparison to how much (or how little) they put in work during the Bush tax cut fight. So thanks to CAP for giving us this chart (via Balloon Juice):

It's also a reminder about the fight that we could be having. Instead of asking why most corporations payed no taxes over the last 5 years, the Administration wants to show they're willing to cut heating assistance to the poor because... they're assholes? I honestly have no clue what they're trying to prove, I just know it's really stupid.

When you embrace the right's budget rhetoric and philosophy, even when you win, you lose. If you're negotiating with people who think the poor have it too good and barely think the federal government should exist... you're probably not going to come away with a compromise you can be proud of.