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How the Tea Party ‘hobbits’ won the debt fight
The Washington Post ^ | July 31, 2011 | Marc A. Thiessen

Posted on 07/31/2011 6:47:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

The Tea Party came under fire from all sides Friday after House conservatives nearly brought down Speaker John Boehner’s debt-limit bill. John McCain went to the Senate floor to mock Tea Partyers as “hobbits,” and Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen said Tea Party Republicans “are unfit for governing.”

What a difference a weekend makes. The reported debt-limit deal appears to be a victory for the Tea Party. It includes around $1 trillion in spending cuts and creates a special committee of Congress to recommend cuts of $1.2 trillion more. If Congress does not approve those additional cuts by year’s end, automatic spending cuts go into effect. The package sets an important new precedent that debt-limit increases must be “paid for” with commensurate cuts in spending. According to Sen. Rob Portman, a former White House budget director, if we cut a dollar of spending for every dollar we raise the debt limit, we will balance the budget in 10 years — something that even the Paul Ryan budget would not achieve. And all this is accomplished with no tax increases.

The devil is in the details, of course. There are troubling reports that the agreement may disproportionately cut defense spending. Conservatives should ensure that the final deal, which is still being hammered out at the time of this writing, does not gut defense. They should scour the legislation to make certain it lives up to its billing. If it does, the Tea Party has won.....

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: johnmccain; obama; teaparty; teapartyrebellion
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To: JoanneSD

Boehner promised any bill would give Americans 72hrs to read any bill on the internet, going thru congress, we are so screwed


21 posted on 07/31/2011 7:04:10 PM PDT by JoanneSD (TEA PARTY VERSES TEE TIME)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s very cheering to have the WaPo terrorizing the Left, making them shriek and just generally harassing them, before the leaders only “deal” even goes for a vote. Let’s give this 72 hours and see how this shakes out before we blow up entirely. Pelosi & crowd may not go for it en masse and 20 some of our guys may not bite either.


22 posted on 07/31/2011 7:04:25 PM PDT by RitaOK (We hang together or will hang separately. 2012, or bust)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gandalf:

“Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you.”


23 posted on 07/31/2011 7:07:11 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember (When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

IMHO, we won in the sense that we got nearly the best deal that we could have obtained under the circumstances. We need to win the White House and the Senate next year to really change things for the better.


24 posted on 07/31/2011 7:07:31 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Illegal aliens collect welfare checks that Americans won't collect)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I read that this trillion dollar peso cut is over 10 years?
25 posted on 07/31/2011 7:09:33 PM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: org.whodat

Then you go back and get more tomorrow.

Or did people think the whole thing would be done in one shot?


26 posted on 07/31/2011 7:09:44 PM PDT by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well, the problem with this analysis is that the Tea Party members will be voting against the bill.
Pelosi has been told to whip up 100 plus votes to get it through the House (Obama still has his stimulus stash heh heh).

But he’s right that the Tea Party got a much better bill passed. But it’s still not good enough. It won’t fix the problem.

In sum: the best thing about this ‘Tea Party bill’ is that only Dems and RINOs will be voting for it LOL!
And when the economy worsens, as it will, the Tea Party message will be even more popular- and the Dems’ and RINOs’s will be discredited.

Who says the Tea Party can’t play hardball?


27 posted on 07/31/2011 7:14:06 PM PDT by mrsmith
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To: Kackikat

How can people claim on the one hand that the long term spending cuts will never happen but the deal binds all future congresses to let the Bush tax cuts expire. The next Congress is not bound by the promises of previous Congresses. We have to fight and whittle away at the debt every election cycle v


28 posted on 07/31/2011 7:14:51 PM PDT by Truth is a Weapon (Truth, it hurts so good.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Marc A. Thiessen, a visiting fellow with the American Enterprise Institute and former chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, writes a weekly online column for The Post.

I don't think the writer of the column is exactly the primary mouthpiece of the WaPo.

Dealing with the debt crisis and budget deficits and Obamacare and other issues is a war that will have many battles. Some people need to learn to declare partial victory and go on to the next significant battle. This increase in the debt ceiling has taken up enough time and has become a distraction from all other issues.

Neither side was ever going to get just what it wanted. Declare victory and prepare for the next battle.

29 posted on 07/31/2011 7:16:46 PM PDT by Will88
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

That must have been Obama’s idea.


30 posted on 07/31/2011 7:17:28 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: reformedliberal

The good guys do!


31 posted on 07/31/2011 7:18:37 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: Truth is a Weapon
Bush tax cuts expire

The Bush tax cuts expire on their own. Unless Congress votes to renew them, the tax rates go back up to where they were before Bush became president.

32 posted on 07/31/2011 7:20:20 PM PDT by vbmoneyspender
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To: Will88
The Democrats/Rhinos got 2Trillion more dollars-I count that as a win for them.

Everything else is meaningless.

33 posted on 07/31/2011 7:21:30 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: MichaelNewton
Like the Two Rivers in the Wheel of Time series, as well.
34 posted on 07/31/2011 7:21:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I'll raise $2million for Gov. Sarah Palin. What'll you do?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Smoke and mirrors.
Just tell us when the first cuts take place...
35 posted on 07/31/2011 7:24:26 PM PDT by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Pardon the cynicism, but if WaPoo is giving “credit” to tea party House Representatives, they’re fixing blame for the $%!#storm to come for Democrat political advantage.


36 posted on 07/31/2011 7:25:07 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.
It includes around $1 trillion in spending cuts and creates a special committee of Congress to recommend cuts of $1.2 trillion more. If Congress does not approve those additional cuts by year's end, automatic spending cuts go into effect.

37 posted on 07/31/2011 7:25:24 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: VanDeKoik
No it is not done in one shot, I would say fifteen years of this debt growth and we will be borrowing money off of Greece.
38 posted on 07/31/2011 7:25:55 PM PDT by org.whodat (What does the Republican party stand for////??? absolutely nothing.)
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To: Publius6961

Bush Tax cuts expire also means more taxpayers and everyone’s rates goes up not just the ‘ Rich”.


39 posted on 07/31/2011 7:27:21 PM PDT by scooby321
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To: Truth is a Weapon

Hey Congress should already be tackling appropriations for next year, Oct 1....this fight will start again late Sept...it’s getting old.


40 posted on 07/31/2011 7:27:50 PM PDT by Kackikat
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