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Watch the ‘FOX News Sunday' panel, Bill Kristol, Mara Liasson, Nick Ayers and Evan Bayh, as they discuss the sequester.
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And welcome to FOX News Sunday panel plus -- Bill Kristol Mara Liasson nick Ayers and Evan Bayh and to give you a sense of what this group is like.
Between the first and second -- after we discuss the -- for the next two and a half minutes.
-- -- there off camera and their real lives arguing about the sequestered so we're gonna talk about it with all of you guys.
Maher you're really on a terror about the sequestered -- had.
Look I think the only hope here I know some people are best of us is if -- The Republicans get their spending cut only bill which is the sequester the president got his rate hike only bill at the end of the year and the fiscal cliff deal.
Then the playing field is slightly level and maybe they can go on to talk about the real drivers of the deficit which are entitlements.
They'll go back to regular order people will put their budgets on the table in the spring a first for the senate and since 2009.
And what one thing happened this week that I thought was slightly significant which is the president.
Put on paper his last offer to John Boehner.
With that included entitlement cuts.
Means testing for high income seniors.
And a new calculation of the cost of living increases called chain CPI in Washington -- college superlatives CPI.
That would.
Actually get you a lot of entitlements.
Trends over time -- the gift that keeps on giving.
So he put that out there it would also affect social security and -- put on paper he wants people to know that he's still interested and a big.
Grand bargain that includes entitlement cuts spending cuts and what he gets in return of course is -- All right next -- it let me play the senate care although I suspect you might -- -- as well.
My theory is that this president has decided and I think maybe the other side has his -- what they can't make a deal I don't trust each other when they sit down at only.
Goes to junk.
And so as a result the president is gonna force Republicans into a bunch of situations he thinks.
In a general election.
Well how and a fact will favor him and that his game his -- Is to win and it's -- fourteen and end up as he began.
With a democratic majority in the house of what's -- Chris I think that's right but if our party.
Beliefs and we do that we have to our -- republic of that if if it.
If we believe -- we do that we have to have real spending cuts and we have an opportunity where this is the president's idea he owns it.
And if we can effectively.
Have the fact have the federal budget reduced by 3%.
And go out and and point out not our way of doing it but this is the right approach we need.
You know less spending not more taxes if we can't withstand that heat and effectively win that battle over the next eighteen months.
-- we've got a bigger problem when we just go back to what Morrison.
I agree that I agree with her with her in game but she made it -- important assumption.
And that that's that after sequestration that Republicans and Democrats or on a level playing field.
How do we get there in order to do we cannot -- this time Republicans have to withstand the heat -- in the coming week.
You know -- he puts a much better offer on the table which it's doubtful that he will.
We have to accept didn't go out and create global prank playing field and then I do believe that there's a whole new level -- opera or a whole new.
In a whole new opportunities that -- rise from -- -- It's going to be a very busy three weeks Chris the real end game here is the continuing resolution that funds the government that has to be addressed by I think march 27 and so we're gonna see how the the politics of all this plays out over the next three weeks.
If the Republicans are really taking a beating in the court of public opinion there may be an opportunity for -- larger agreement that the way more describes -- how other.
They -- hang tough on the cuts kind of bring the president you know into the morass.
I think this is the last act on deficit reduction for a long time the ideological differences are just too deep.
The president's team feels as if they've addressed 60% of the problem are ready so what's the rush.
Republicans -- -- on the other hand fuel and a lot more passionately about you know doing something in this regard.
And the politics the Republican primary politics is just totally different -- the general election politics of my best just explain that to folks -- YE.
If you're a Republican who's going to be facing reelection in 2014.
You have a different calculus then the president of vast majority the Republicans in the house come from districts that just -- competitive in the fall -- districts that Mitt Romney carried -- -- it you know in November they're real election is in their primary and take Indiana for example on our senate primary were Richard Lugar was defeated the last spring.
Only 18% of eligible Republicans voted it was really the Tea -- the most conservative element came out so that's the electric a look at the primary.
You don't cave on spending.
If however you're looking at the general election where the president is you don't have to worry about primaries.
You take a much different approach and you try and say that these cuts.
Although in theory -- 3% because a lot of the budget is exempted because they're put into effect over seven months not twelve for some parts of the government has -- Bill's mentioning the military particular they're going to be a lot more difficult and so you.
Trying to make them look as bad as you possibly can and in a sense.
Not a government shut down the way it happened are falling you know 94 and so forth.
But -- a quasi shut down.
And you make the Republicans play real.
-- a quasi shut down I mean if somebody it would with a -- if somebody is civilian worker and I'm not saying this isn't a big deal but if you're a civilian work for the Pentagon.
And you're told -- right one day a week you have to be unpaid furlough.
That's.
Trouble for -- -- -- -- percent pay cut but it's not a shut down.
The government no it's not I'm not saying in fact it would be but for example you start having outlines of an -- -- for two hours to get through security at airports.
Travelers are kind of look at that say my god what's happening here so if there -- other things that touch upon People's Daily lives that really lead them to believe that while lot of shut down.
It's limited but obviously -- huge and I think it's funny -- -- play -- the Republican side of this argument.
It's -- two and a half percent I understand your point about what is that it's a two and a half percent.
-- this and it is what -- said.
If we can't cut two and a half percent from a three and a half trillion dollar.
But yet when we just had a huge increase in spending over the last five years.
When we ever gonna get serious.
Well that's the reason to sequester was created in the first place congress just had no credibility federal government had no credibility.
For ever addressing spending so they had to put it on auto pilot this is not the way to go about it I happen to agree you can find economies of the federal government.
And you should probably have more spending cuts -- revenue -- I think that's what ought to happen.
But we are where we are right now and this was a very blunt instrument that is gonna have a disproportionate effects and some parts of the government the question Chris is.
Are those ports of the government that are disproportionately affected are those things that affect People's Daily lives if yes the president wins if you know the Republicans -- Built in just two points briefly as a substantive matter I honestly believe -- -- this -- -- conservative that canceling the sequester would be better public policy.
Analytical hat you say it doesn't really do much for the overall deficit cuts it by what maximum 545%.
Socket change our credit rating is -- -- -- It doesn't fix the drivers of the debt which are entitlements and I defeated in the mobile identification -- then you've just drawn up your innocence that we're never gonna do anything about it you know -- said let's be serious -- the things that need to be cut in this users -- -- it's not a I don't think it might not less which -- about political point.
Nick correctly cited Republican governors on huge benefit of them and that there's lot of credit dropping them.
Cadillac didn't and help also they ran -- a serious governing agenda.
But think of the Republican governors Scott Walker Bobby Jindal Chris Christie what's the first thing you think when the -- that type -- there -- that it tightened about the investors there reformers.
The front and center of their agenda is a reform agenda -- a big reform agenda growth and what not however -- -- growth agenda how the national Republicans being defined in this fight.
We cut.
3% cut this is the Republican agenda let's is that we've passed faces massive -- Thursday night but the massive welfare state has massive that I state -- dysfunctional government and -- -- cut everything 3% across the way it's not gonna get rid of a single car.
A program -- -- so the right solution isn't to caving cancel sequestration is to teach them and to force them but to become better messengers and get out of DC.
You think Chris Christie was able to cancel that the tunnel that went into New York.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- And -- the economists are right that this reduces our economic growth by half a percent.
If it will keep 750000.
Jobs from being rated and most importantly for damages confidence in the private sector once again.
So business people say it's a circus and -- about one out of 1% of the total economy.
If the economy can't take -- -- and -- half of 1% cut.
Hear me if it causes us to dip back into recession.
If business people in spite of it only being 1% say this is a circus down -- of one I'm just -- -- on -- I'm not gonna hire.
Then I think people were revisit this that's the real question is if you're right if it is just on the margins the Republicans win.
If it -- damages the economy that it's got to be revisited and we won't know that for you know 56 months thank -- -- -- glad we settled all that check -- with us throughout the -- let us know what you think about the -- look -- -- Monday -- -- Wallace unplugged.
Which you can find right here at FOX News Sunday dot com we'll see you back here.
