In an April 7 Wall Street Journal column, Karl Rove claimed that President Obama “is looking to profit politically from a shutdown of the federal government.” Further, Rove touted the budget plan released by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as “a thoughtful, ambitious blueprint for the next decade.” But as Media Matters has documented, noted economists have condemned the proposal, saying it contains ideas that have “been tried and failed.”

From Rove's column:

In the White House Press Room on Tuesday, President Barack Obama did what comes naturally -- scold others, in this case the Congress. Mr. Obama complained that a budget agreement “could have gotten done three months ago.”

What he didn't say was that the budget should have “gotten done” six months ago, before the current fiscal year started last Oct. 1. Our government's failure to have a budget in place halfway through the fiscal year is the president's responsibility. He and his party dominated Congress by wide margins when the budget was supposed to be put in place.

Also on Tuesday, at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan did what the president has not. Demonstrating leadership and more than a little courage, Mr. Ryan laid out a thoughtful, ambitious blueprint for the next decade.

[...]

The Obama-Ryan budget battle foreshadows what Americans are likely to hear in the 2012 campaign: an unengaged, reactive chief executive versus a bold, reform-minded GOP.

In the short term, it's obvious what Mr. Obama hopes to gain. Having watched his standing as “a strong and decisive leader” drop to 52% in last month's Gallup poll from 60% last year, the president is looking to profit politically from a shutdown of the federal government.