Posted on 07/12/2011 4:05:49 AM PDT by tobyhill
President Barack Obama’s deficit strategy is a combination of audacity, hope and — in the eyes of Republicans — chutzpah.
Obama, vilified by opponents for ducking the debt debate earlier this year, has seized the opportunity to portray himself as the champion of a $4 trillion “grand bargain” on tax and entitlement reform. This, after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who spent months pushing the president in that direction, pulled out of any attempt to “go big” over the weekend.
“Obama wants $4 trillion in debt reduction, while GOP wants only $2-$3 trillion,” wrote veteran Democratic pollster Geoff Garin. “[It] seems clear now which one is serious about tackling the debt.”
Added a senior Democratic aide, “He’s got the high ground. He’s the adult in the room. He’s looking good right now.”
Many Democrats believe Obama’s proposed $4 trillion deficit-cutting deal, panned by lawmakers in both parties as too unpalatable to pass, may be a win-win politically for the president.
If it were to go through, he would get credit for tackling an issue that is a priority among independent voters likely to decide next year’s presidential election. But failure would have its own rewards, giving Obama the chance to exploit disagreements among Republican leaders while touting a massive deficit reduction plan without expending the political capital necessary to achieve it.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Just another Politicrap white wash story to elevate Dear Leader. It’s a damn shame these dolts don’t know the difference from the high ground and the bottom of the gutter. But then again from their view just getting to the curb of the gutter is a major achievement to get excited about.
It's all about "shared sacrifice," don't you know.
The entire V.I.P. aircraft service operating as the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB should be disbanded and all those military aircraft at the disposal of the Emperor and his Queen and all other courtiers and perfumed princes should be returned to regular service within the active-mission U.S. Air Force and stop wasting the taxpayer's money on expensive day-trips and vacations for the royal court.
Let the privileged class charter their own civilian aircraft.
I thought our American revolution threw off the rule of a pompous king.
For starters, if you want debt reduction, don’t raise the debt ceiling. How can a $2 trillion debt reduction be any sort of “deal” when Obama wants to raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion.
Of course, they fail to mention that the GOP wants 2 trillion in cuts THIS year, and Obama wants 4 trillion over 10 years. . .
“He’s looking good right now.”
Just keep telling yourself that.
“GOP wants only $2-$3 trillion”
Only enough to get them to the lame duck session in 2012 with a continuation of +$1.5T deficits.
The GOP is stretching its number over 10 years too.
So Obama wants $4 trillion in debt reduction, accompanied by a tax increase of $2 trillion, for a net debt reduction of $2 trillion. The debt reduction somehow will disappear while new taxes will stand and further erode our weak economy.
The GOP wants a debt reduction of $2-$3 trillion and NO tax increase.
A tax reduction would be better than no tax increase to facilitate real economic growth.
The Republicans wants to increase the number of tax payers, not the number of taxes.
Most on MSNBC were playing the same theme last night, that Obama looks the most reasonable. But what if the House passes a debt extension with cuts ? Will he really veto it or block it in the Senate with 40 votes? And will House Republicans go it alone on entitlement cuts? And how do they cut medicare in this extension if they do? (Probably extend the age of start of benefits.)
Also here's another related article posted at about the same time as this one.
Medicare cuts discussed, rejected in debt talks (Obama has nothing to offer in "negotiations")
House Republicans brought up billions of dollars in potential cuts to Medicare on Monday, in the latest round of debt-limit talks, but the White House and congressional Democrats rejected the idea in part because it did not include any increases in tax revenue...... “We continue to oppose benefit cuts in Social Security and Medicare,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “These pillars of economic and health security should not be used as a piggybank to subsidize tax cuts for the wealthy.”
-——Republican proposed cuts would shut down orphaned amputee African American schools-——
That can be sharpened a bit
Republican proposed cuts would shut down orphaned amputee African American preschool milk and lunch life supports
Yes, but keep it reasonable for House and Senate Dems to latch onto for escape. Pass a $2 trillion debt ceiling increase with $2 trillion in cuts already agreed to. Then send it over to Dingy Harry. If the Senate does not pass, Dems have blocked the debt ceiling increase. If they pass it and Obama vetoes, then Bam has blocked the debt ceiling increase. Either way, the Dems get blamed for any debt ceiling woes. Just play hardball with these clowns and the electorate will reward in 2012.
” These pillars of economic and health security should not be used as a piggybank to subsidize tax cuts for the wealthy.” “
Check the pillars of ancient Rome....
Me, too.
Comments on it - worth repeating:
Obama is so full of crap. Is anyone still stupid enough to believe anything he says?
The ONLY thing real will be taxes. The rest of it will be promises, and Obama promises are worth manure.
Obama now has us in six wars and before he’s done will have created more debt than ALL past US Presidents.
Obama will bury us.
High Ground???
I’ve always considered ‘high ground” as a “principled stance.”
Our president, who has consistantly lied, bent the truth, changed his position disparaged opposition and belittled the American people has never, never shown he possesses any principles.
It is truly a shame.Don’t blame high earners for Obamas economy.Obama had the senate and congress to do as he pleased.He had all the money in the world to fix the economy.They even had the votes to let the Bush tax cuts expire but he chosed to waste his time on Obamacare plus giving our money way to save government jobs while public sector jobs were going down the drain.Now that he has no more money to spend he needs money from the job creators expecting a miracle doing the same thing as before.NUTS.
The audacity of hype.
In reality, what Obama thinks is not important, because everything he thinks about how the economy works is wrong - and the horrid state of the economy right now bears that out.
What Obama says is not important because everyone knows what a bald-faced liar he is. He is such a liar that he almost makes Clinton look honest. Almost.
This is ALL a show...well produced as usual...but a show.
The heat and outrage from the left is well orchestrated (after all, in the end, they will vote to re-elect Obama no matter what he does).....Obama needs the Dems outrage to help make him look tough, look centrist...look like the great negotiator - in stead of the great Flim Flam Man that he is.
Obama-Pelosi-Reid style negotiations - dangerous for the survival of the USA.
Stay on course John Boehner.
No one is falling for the hype anymore - except those who never learn, and they’re even less important that Obama is.
There’s enough money coming in to keep paying our obligations. If the spendthrift-in-chief wants any more than that, he better start cutting.
A few Budget, Spending and Deficit Facts:
1. The Democratic House Senate and Obama increased the national budget 28% in 2009-10 when they controlled the government.
2. The Dems and Obama increased discretionary Program Spending 75% in 2009-10.
3. Our National Debt increased 40% as a result of the 2009-10 Obama/Democrat spending increases.
4. The Democrats in the House and Senate did not pass any Tax increases to pay for this huge increase in spending.
5. The Democrats in the House and Senate did not submit a Budget for 2011.
6. Obama submitted a Budget in February that was voted down 97-0...and did not receive a single Democrat’s vote.
7. Not raising the Debt Limit and borrowing more, does Not result in Default. No increase in the Debt Limit is necessary at all. We can service the existing debt without borrowing more.
8. The US Tax Code is over 75,000 pages long with over 60,000 deductions.
The truth is, we have a Spending Problem, not a Revenue Problem. Cause by the massive increases in Spending put into the Budget by Democrats in 2009-10. Rolling back these budget increases and Removing these increases will solve the majority of the problem. The rest can be done by simplifying and restructuring the Tax Code to remove deductions and decrease rates across the board....This will result in Jobs, economic growth and an increase in revenue.
Why dont Americans listen and respect our presidents plans and ideas and the debt ceiling policies?Didnt he show us the good the stimulus would do?Didnt he pass an inexpensive health care program?What about the jobs?The unemployment under 10% right?Its not like he started another war or spends money like a drunken sailor! Cmon give him a chance,look at his record,right?
Franklin Roosevelt- “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
John Kennedy- “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”
Ronald Reagan- “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall.”
Barack Obama-” Eat your peas.”
A moron at the helm; an utter moron.
Barack Obama-The Worst President Ever
“Obama wants $4 trillion in debt reduction”
NO he doesn’t, he wants to BAIT The Republicans. Bait them to accept tax hikes, or not, and if not, blame THEM. This is all about posturing.
Another comment:
“President Obama is a phoney. All of a sudden he’s the “leader” in deficit reduction. Yet he has never submitted a single budget that does anything but massively increase the deficit. He never proposed a single cut to anything, never has said what cuts he is is willing to accept. All he really wants are the tax hikes.
This isn’t leadership, it’s deception. This is all political theater, not a poltical conversion.”
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