To sum up my feelings on this, a quote from Jamie Dupree of Cox Radio:

GOP talking point on Obama: “I might agree with 80% of what he’s saying, but I disagree with 80% of what he does”

It’s not that earmark bans and budget freezes are a bad idea. They’re a wonderful idea. But there are a couple of problems:

1) Obama will inevitable find a way around it by some sleazy manner. Perhaps using already-appropriated funds from the stimulus or TARP returns to fund his pet projects through agencies and czars. Somehow he’ll find a way around the ban. Guaranteed.

2) Entitlement costs don’t stop going up. Obama’s not going to accept serious entitlement reforms and costs won’t stop increasing unless we reform. So that means we’ll have to make up for those rising costs by cutting other areas of the budget. Like defense. So you fail to address the real problem while gutting necessary areas like defending the country.

So that “GOP talking point” thoroughly sums up my feelings on the matter. The proposal? Good. The execution? Inevitably corrupt and failed. If only Obama actually followed through on what he proposed and said. But he doesn’t. He says something that sounds great and then ignores it or even does the exact opposite.