I would like to know exactly what the end-game strategy is for conservatives who urge opposition to the Boehner bill.
At least I can see what Boehner is up to; I don’t like it, but I understand how it puts us in a better position than we are today.
I don’t see the victory in defeating a bill out of the house. If the goal is to force him to tweak his plan some to make it better, I understand and support that, but if the goal is to defeat it no matter what he does to it, I’d like to see what they think will happen in the end.
Is the goal to get nothing, to give Obama the credit for “solving” the crisis, and then hope that america will reward conservatives for this by electing republican majorities in the house, senate, and white house so we can reverse the damage? I don’t see how that plays out.
Is the goal to prevent the debt ceiling increase, with the intent that we never borrow any more than we already owe now, and that will force spending cuts and we’ll be better off? That would be a fantastic result, but how is that ever going to happen?
Presuming Boehner is wrong-headed as they say he is when he’s in a position of power as he is now, do they really think that, two weeks from now, faced with a manufactured debt crisis (Obama has the power to manipulate almost everything that happens to his favor, and the media will back him), that Boehner and at least 40 other soft republicans WON’T bolt and do anything they can to stop the “pain”, just like they did on TARP?
And once they do, do you think we’ll get ANYTHING else out of this republican congress? Or do you think that the resolution will make people love the conservatives more?
IN some ways, I see this as the same question we are asking the democrats — WHAT IS THE PLAN? Boehner has made an actual plan, which makes it easy to attack him because we don’t like it. WHAT IS THE conservative alternative plan?
(Not “what is the conservative position” — I know that, we’ve passed it, and it is dead. Do we think Reid and Obama are going to get scared about the fate of the country, and capilulate to that plan? When have the democrats done what is good for the country? Why would they start now?)
I’m ready to back the “say no” strategy, but I want to see that it is logical, thought-out, and has a reasonable chance of achieving a better end.
They believe the public will be on their side, I rather suspect the public will not be the very second a single transfer payment, SS check, veterans benefit, etc is cut off. In fact, I'd bet even the moment national parks close down and govt contractors aren't getting paid the majority of the American public will absolutely demand that money restored.
This is 1995 all over again if we aren't careful. People have way too much faith in the American public. If the American public blames the GOP for a shutdown of services any leverage we had will be shot. Think the Boehner plan is bad, just wait till the public is demanding all services are restored.
Being right isn't enough, winning the PR war is every bit if not more important. This American pubic is simply not ready yet for a 40% cut in government services which is basically what were going to get if we can't borrow more money. We need to get the best deal we can, declare victory and keep pushing for more and more and more and more. The terms of the debate have already changed in our favor.