Democrats Hear Opportunity Knocking, but CanÛªt Locate the Door V-Xy A A
The House Budget CommitteeÛªs approval of a Democratic budget resolution last week set in motion a test of the DemocratsÛª ability to develop coherent policy in an increasingly anarchic Blouse of Representatives.</br></br>By any standard, the Democratic | Party should be in fat city/ Unemployment is the highest in 40 years, J there is a Republican to blame in the White House, and curing joblessness is supposed to be what Democrats do best.</br></br>The GOP, after repeatedly impaling itself on the issue of Social Security,. is now trying to bury it by turning the outlay into an ÛÏoff-budgetÛ item. Bankruptcies have spread from Main Street to firms listed'on Wall Street.</br></br>The Democrats, meanwhile, seem finally to have achieved some unity; the House Budget Committee re-Û¢ ported out an alternative to Presi-1 dent ReaganÛªs budget last week on a party-line vote, with only one Democrat defecting.</br></br>But the Democrats remain divided and uncertain of their way. Some centrists rail at the liberals. ÛÏThe bongos are all by themselves,Û Rep. LeaÛª Aspin (D*Wis.) lamented the other day, using a term he coined. ÛÏTheir main concern is to increase spending in domestic programs .. . They really donÛªt care about the size of the deficit.Û