Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich seemed provocative and petty when he squared off against President Clinton in 1995 over balanced budgets and budget cuts. Their impasse to prepare the federal budget ended up looking like the Speaker's fault, even though the Republican revolution which had swept him and his party into power was predicated on cutting the deficit and balancing the budget. The Republican base has a better media system now than before. FOX news, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, the TEA Party, all organizations getting out the less-government libertarian message. Also, the budget crisis threatening this country is undeniably obvious, compared to the 1990's, when NASDAQ 5000 wealth covered up mounting debt.
Current House Speaker John Boehner must not let his unsettled apprehensions from 15 years ago prevent him from pursuing a direct course of action. The United States understands the dire need for a balanced budget that cuts expenses and shores up cost. As long as Boehner and company stress that they are not budging on the budget because they have the short-term and long-term well-being of the nation in mind, they will cast President Obama in a spendthrift unserious light which will make him look petty for not pursuing the necessary cuts to preserve the fiscal order of the Union.