How Obama can link Romney's foreign policy with the economy

In a prior blog, I linked Romney’s proposal to increase spending on the Pentagon by $2 trillion over ten years, an increase that was never requested by the Pentagon needed to meet the threats in the world.  The $2 trillion was also never in the controversial Ryan budget that even then did not reduce the deficit per the Congressional Budget Office.   How to pay for that over the top expense is where the rub is, and the cuts to all discretionary and even non-discretionary spending, would be 40%. 

 

There is another point:  If Romney is painted by Obama tonight as more bellicose and willing to intervene in Middle East conflicts, what will that cost us in terms of treasure, not to mention blood? Tied to that is how to pay for it.  One of the reasons George W Bush left Obama a $10 trillion deficit is that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were not paid for. Instead, huge tax cuts were given that failed to stimulate the economy after 9/11.   In short, unless taxes are raised or draconian cuts in the social safety net and education, infrastructure development, and everything else not military, the economy will be in a more desperate position than it is now.  What improvements we have seen, a booming Wall Street, recovering housing market, consumer confidence, significant reduction in unemployment, creation of more private sector jobs, will be halted if not reversing our recovery.