Posted on 07/31/2011 4:21:56 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
By all accounts, it looks like a deal is about to be announced in which the debt ceiling is hiked in exchange for the promise of major spending cuts, including to entitlements, totalling at least $2.4 trillion.
Anything can happen, but it apppears the GOP is on the verge of pulling off a political victory that may be unprecedented in American history. Republicans may succeed in using the threat of a potential outcome that they themselves acknowledged would lead to national catastrophe as leverage to extract enormous concessions from Democrats, without giving up anything of any significance in return.
Not only that, but Republicans — in perhaps the most remarkable example of political up-is-downism in recent memory — cast their willingness to dangle the threat of national crisis as a brave and heroic effort they’d undertaken on behalf of the national interest. Only the threat of national crisis could force the immediate spending cuts supposedly necessary to prevent a far more epic crisis later.
Under the emerging deal, President Obama can hike the debt limit in two stages — the first in exchange for equivalent cuts; the second after a Congressional committee comes up with second round of yet more cuts, including to entitlements. The talks appear close to resolving the spending cut“trigger” that would force the committee to act — without giving the GOP an incentive to deliberately sabotage its work. The remaining question is how to get it through the House. But a deal seems immiment.
Again and again, Dems drew lines in the sand that they promptly erased as the threat of default grew. A clean debt ceiling hike? Dropped. Cuts to Medicare benefits? They’ll likely be in that committee’s crosshairs. The insistence on revenue hikes? Withdrawn.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
If the WaPo says it, you know the opposite is probably true.
Are they swallowing their own BS or do they just serve it up to us?
I’ve heard this deal described both positively and negatively. It wouldn’t be past the Washington Post to pee on us and say it was raining—saying it’s a great deal for the GOP, when it isn’t. Hoping for the best, but doubtful, based on past history.
I am not totally sour on this deal, depending on some of the details on this commission and triggers, etc, but at the same time, this is like the 2011 CR deal where suddenly the mainstream media trumpeted the big Republican win. If they are so willing to pronounce that victory, the deal probably stinks.
Uh, wouldn't those be just minor rate of increase reductions?
Base-line budgeting still kicked their butts.
My mouth was agape while reading this article.
I have to think about it
Are they trying to blame the stinker of the deal on the Republicans so that when America finds out what a truly horrible thing it is the Republicans take the heat?
both you all hit on one of the next targets for TEA: Baseline budgeting.
Seems to be a lot of that going on nowadays.
You have to realize that from the “inside the beltway” view, it is a huge GOP victory-—but we here in the real world measure things in terms of liberal vs. conservative, and this is at best a wash. The best thing about it is that it all has, despite the efforts of the libtards in the media, made Obama and Reid look like impotent silly little children squabbling over whose cat’s-eye marble it is.
Lie.
Yup. If the WAPO says on their weather page that it will rain today, I’m bringing my Ray Bans.
They better not screw us.
Are they swallowing their own BS or do they just serve it up to us?
______________________
The latter. They think it is still 1989, and we will believe any mewling little man in a suit.
(Why can't the House fix a light bulb problem?)
Response: Nonsense.
BOHICA!
Drop both NEAs and I’ll believe that an actual effort was made. Shut down the UN and the EPA—might make enough of a dent to show sincerity. Now, not over ten years.
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