The National Republican Congressional Committee launched robocalls yesterday slamming 10 U.S. House Democrats for not supporting a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Democrats Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Leonard Boswell (IA-03) are two of the targets.

Politico’s James Hohman posted the call script:

“Hello, I’m calling from the National Republican Congressional Committee with an important alert about your Congressman David Loebsack. David Loebsack continues to oppose a Balanced Budget Amendment that would force Washington to live within its means. Loebsack and his fellow Democrats’ addiction to big government spending has led to a downgrade of America’s credit rating and a dramatic loss in the global markets that could force you to pay more for everyday expenses. While David Loebsack keeps standing in the way of real fiscal reform, middle-class families in Iowa could now see a loss in retirement savings while mortgage rates, car payments and student loans could become even more expensive. Call Congressman David Loebsack at 202-225-6576 and tell him to stop his reckless borrowing spree.”

Forcing the federal government to “live within its means” is a popular idea. In a CNN poll conducted last month by ORC International, 74 percent of respondents said they favored “a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget.” Just 24 percent opposed the idea. A Mason-Dixon poll in May found 65 percent support for a balanced budget amendment, with 27 percent opposed.

The amendment would be difficult to enforce and would likely lead to frequent lawsuits. It would also diminish the federal government’s ability to respond to economic downturns, which reduce revenues. Congress could evade the intent of the amendment by pushing a lot of government spending into off-budget categories. That’s likely because balancing the budget quickly would require deep cuts to popular programs and/or significant tax increases. Even House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposed budget wouldn’t be balanced until the 2030s.

Wonky policy discussions aside, the balanced budget amendment is a good sound bite for Republicans, so I’m not surprised they are using it in robocalls. I doubt the public will blame Democrats’ “addiction to big government spending” for the recent stock market declines or S&P’s downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt. The downgrade was as much about political dysfunction as about fiscal conditions, and the flight from stocks globally stems largely from fears about future economic performance. Austerity policies that cut government spending are a drag on the economy. That’s already happened in Spain and Ireland, and now U.K. economic indicators are showing the same problem.

Boswell’s seat has been on the NRCC target list from the beginning, especially since redistricting pits him against nine-term Republican incumbent Tom Latham in IA-03. The new district is politically balanced with an even partisan voting index. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also targeting this race and recently paid for robocalls attacking Latham’s stance during the debt ceiling negotiations.

Loebsack’s new district in southeast Iowa has a PVI of D+4, which means that it leans a bit less Democratic than the old IA-02. Loebsack won easily in 2008 but barely held on against Mariannette Miller-Meeks in 2010. Several Republicans have expressed interest in this race, and it makes sense for the NRCC to signal that they are not writing off the district. Loebsack hasn’t represented the most populous county in the new IA-02, and the district includes pockets of high unemployment (by Iowa standards).

Any comments about next year’s Congressional races are welcome in this thread.