KEEPING PROMISES – AT 10:43 A.M. ET:  It may only be a symbolic gesture, as Obama's veto pen is out and filled with ink, but Republicans in the House last night cut $60-billion from the federal budget. 

n a rare early morning weekend vote, the House approved an aggressive plan Saturday to eliminate dozens of federal programs and offices while slashing agency budgets by as much as 40 percent, drawing out more than $60 billion in deficit savings.

Setting up a showdown early next month with President Obama and Senate Democrats, House Republicans pushed the legislation through after a marathon debate capped off by an all-night session Friday that spilled into Saturday morning. During the bleary-eyed final roll call at 4:35 a.m., 235 Republicans were joined by no Democrats in support of dramatic spending reductions that they said were needed to address a soaring annual deficit of $1.6 trillion; 189 Democrats -- as well as three Republicans -- opposed it, accusing Republicans of writing the bill with a "double meat ax."

The three Republicans voting against the measure were Reps. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Walter Jones (N.C.) and John Campbell (Calif.).

Already this morning some reporters at CNN were spinning the action as a great threat to the Republic.  Apparently, we will all now starve, suffocate from bad air and die of strange diseases.

This is a first step in keeping the GOP promise to curtail the recklessness of federal spending.  Dems control the Senate, and they'll never go along.  Neither, as noted, will the liberal president. 

But there will be cuts.  They'll have to be negotiated in conference committees, but this budget, as submitted by the president, will not stand. 

I'm surprised Jeff Flake of Arizona voted against the GOP cuts.  He wants to run for the Senate from his state, and this will not help him with the party base.

February 19, 2011