Posted on 01/29/2013 8:52:31 PM PST by TheRhinelander
The House, under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner, has precipitated a postponement in the debt ceiling fight until May. This represents a strategic choice by Boehner to make the Sequester fight, not the debt ceiling fight, the next major engagement. Much of the mainstream media now is accusing Congress of kicking the can down the road. They are missing the strategic implications.
In retrospect, at the Battle at Fiscal Cliff, Boehner took President Obama to the cleaners. He did it suavely, without histrionics. While Obama churlishly, and in a politically amateurish manner, publicly strutted about having forced the Republicans to raise tax rates on the wealthiest Americans Boehner, quietly, was pocketing his winnings.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
’ LOL ‘
Reagan's deficits were about $250b a year. Obama's deficits have averaged $1.2t. Getting spending down a smidgen from Obama's gargantuan levels might be a political feat, but financially-speaking it's a drop in the bucket compared to the staggering size of Obama's deficits.
Right. We will see if this works out as planned. Will the RATs roll over when the sequester hits the welfare state?
Very true.
Oh please, these two maroons are passing choomnesia between themselves.
This should really be in the editorial section. I was somewhat surprised that Obama went for the deal, given the sequestration is still in play.
Chances are they will not. I know one thing, Special Operations stands to lose $1 billion with the cuts. Not good.
Yes, a view the media won’t allow people to see. Including Freepers LOL!
If the RINOs Boehner has coddled so long don’t stab him in the back this could be a very productive session.
We’ll see.
Just my opinion.
Oldplayer
Thank you for posting this.
Boehner may redeem himself if this proves true. I can hardly believe how silence was key on the part of the R’s.
You realize Boehner & Co had to hold their fire until the whites of their eyes, and then BOOM, Obama had to squeal out, “we didn’t really mean it on that sequestration business”.
Priceless! Good on Boehner. Historic actually. The article speaks for itself on the ground shifting, if it works the rest of the way.
I’ll be impressed when they stop stealing money from our grandchildren.
Glad I’m not the only one to see the silent ground shift. The sequester negotiations are going to be interesting. People don’t realize how detached Obama is in these negotiations. He’s an amateur and it will bite him again. Valarie Jarrett runs the WH, not Obama.
The only part I definitely agree with is that nothing in politics ever turns out like you think it will (kind of like the stock market).
And fear not, fellow Freepers. The Defense Department is just as drunk on excess cash as the rest of the federal government, wasting tens of billions on programs that have absolutely nothing to do with defense. The Pentagon is bloated with tons of disgusting fat, and needs to go on a diet along with the rest of Washington.
Glad I’m not the only one to see the silent ground shift. The sequester negotiations are going to be interesting. People don’t realize how detached Obama is in these negotiations. He’s an amateur and it will bite him again. Valarie Jarrett runs the WH, not Obama.
“I know one thing, Special Operations stands to lose $1 billion with the cuts.”
I disagree... With Obama as the CIC, the military need to be starved too. We don’t need to spend tax money on Obama’s military objectives, which only support his fellow Muslims.
The military, with Obama in charge, will not take actions that are in the best interest of this country.
While I do agree with you, the cuts would be best felt elsewhere in the military. We get the best bang for our buck with special operations.
The big problem with this quiet poker playing is that the investment money is still on the sidelines, the big players are not investing and unemployment remains stuck on high. Perception is reality and the bigger reality is that we are way over-regulated, over-taxed and under the crunch of debt servicing that only continues to grow. This deal may help to set up a solid mid-term fight, but the next 2 years are very rough. Boehner needs to give the conservatives more, not less visibility in this session. They need to change the public’s perception of the difference between Obama and conservatism. Only conservatives can put a strong voice to this.
I did like that the payroll tax funding was restored to its previous level and gave the middle class and especially low-information voters the pinch of a Democrat driven tax hike. That was an Obama ploy hidden as a tax cut and Boehner was smart to let the democrats ‘own’ that tax increase.
“We get the best bang for our buck with special operations.”
Isn’t it special operations that are helping the Obama Brotherhood in Syria and Africa?
I agree with you. Too much money for too many social experiments. And as demonstrated in the Libya incursion, Obama doesn’t believe in the War Powers Act.
IF by roll over you mean shut off the EBTs and blame whitey, then yes.
Obama appears aloof and deluded. Having been abandoned as a boy, he has a seething rage that makes it hard to deal effectively with his peers. He would be a far better dictator than president.
That’s CIA.
The one thing FR generally misses about the Sequester is it is 1/2 DoD and 1/2 Domestic Discretionary. The domestic programs are hit just as hard.
These are significant numbers. 1.2T over 10 years divided among the two. That’s 600B from each or about 60B/year.
That’s “fiscal drag” on GDP to the tune of about 0.8% PER YEAR for the next ten years.
And this is not the ball game. The Continuing Resolution will result in additional spending cuts and yes, maybe tax increases, and BOTH are drags on GDP. So the headwinds on GDP this year (with Q4 2012 GDP slated tomorrow to come in well south of 2%) almost guarantee recession.
But no one really is noticing it.
.
“We get the best bang for our buck with special operations.”
Isn’t it special operations that are helping the Obama Brotherhood in Syria and Africa?
>> Glad Im not the only one to see the silent ground shift
Not for nothing, but Boehner is pathetic. What is it specifically that’s inspiring you?
It didn’t make the Bush tax cuts permanent, though. Not on the upper earners, at least, which was the big Dem push in the election. The rest are merely not sunsetted anymore, is all and they absolutely WILL raise those taxes again. With our debt and economic growth it is a fait accompli.
Meanwhile Pubs caving on sequestration is an inevitability, as well. Threatened defense cuts turn them into gimme, gimme, gimme libs.
Dick Darman called it a ‘victory’ when he convinced Bush Sr. to reverse his No-New-Taxes pledge and increase taxes in exchange for ‘future’ spending cuts (LOL).
No doubt Mr. Darman thought it was a victory, right up to that moment in November 1992, when the first results showed that Bill Clinton had won Georgia.
“And fear not, fellow Freepers. The Defense Department is just as drunk on excess cash as the rest of the federal government, wasting tens of billions on programs that have absolutely nothing to do with defense. The Pentagon is bloated with tons of disgusting fat, and needs to go on a diet along with the rest of Washington. “
And you will be there to assure the country that ONLY wasted money gets cut....
Right.
More comfortable as a dictator perhaps. What is a "better" dictator?
You're unquestionably correct, but that "disgusting fat" will keep on trucking while the BCTs get cut back and the front-line equipment repairs suffer greatly. Why? Because the people who are in charge wanted that "disgusting fat" in place to begin with.
I hope this is even halfway right.
You point out something important, of Obama’s detachment. For once, it truly bit him in the netheregion and it worked in our favor to help keep our side quiet, long enough to beat the clock and the calendar.
Just a great article. Forbes reporting rocks. And, it’s nice to see Obama hit the rocks so soon after crossing the rubicon on arrogance and bluster.
That, combined with the unions screaming about the increase in their health care costs under Obamacare, could be a GOOD thing for the 2014 elections, if the Republicans decide to grow a collective SPINE!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.