Posted on 04/09/2011 3:11:37 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
One week ago, John Boehner was dead meat. Facing a rebellion among his freshman members and with a government shutdown looming, Washington was preparing a professional obituary for the speaker of the House.
If he agreed to any compromise on the plan to fund the government for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, Boehner would lose the confidence of his caucus and be a lame duck. If he dug in and joined the fiscal hard-liners in shutting down the government, Boehner would lose his ability to negotiate with Democrats in future fights. His options were to either lose face or to lose his most important bargaining tool. Checkmate.
Yet today, Boehner’s clout in his caucus and as a negotiator have been enhanced.
He is the primary author of a compromise to keep the government operating for the rest of the year with the largest spending reduction in history – 63 percent of the original GOP request of $61 billion. Republicans also got a potpourri of sweeteners, like up-or-down votes on politically painful subjects like President Obama’s health care law and federal subsidies for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Not too shabby for a guy who held only one of three seats at the negotiating table.
How did he do it?
Managed Expectations
Boehner’s greatest asset in the process was the low expectations of the skeptics and Democrats.
The press has been waiting for the Tea Party revolt since before the November elections. Reporters have been flogging this story so long that tend to see its shadow over everything that happens in Republican politics. If all you have is a hammer…
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
According to Mike Pence three weeks ago this was to be the BIG battle, I guess he was wrong.
There is a really simple way to cut spending and reduce the debt.
DO NOT RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT.
Then they cannot borrow any money and can only spend what is coming in, so to increase that they need to cut taxes.
Problem solved.
“Lot’s more battles to be fought . . ..”
Wasn’t Lot the guy whose wife met a salty fate?
It was a first shot at things to come. And as you indicated, at least our servicemen and women and their loved ones will get paid through this year.
not a victory for the unborn
Don’t forget the Germans at Stalingrad.
Oh yeah, while were waiting, just keep sending millions of those lottery style government retirement checks.
VIctory? No...but I do think we need to realize that we are in a war and perhaps we have won an early battle but just barely. There is no doubt that this is the biggest cut in spending since WWII. (HOw sad is THAT???) THe problem will be that the Dems are going to dig in even more since they feel just as betrayed by Obama as the conservatives do by the REpublicans. It’s going to be near impossible to pass a budget unless the Republicans do an excellent job in explaining it, and Ryan seems to be the only one able to do that.
The big battles...the debt ceiling, 2012 budget and Obamacare and PParenthood which Boehner DID get Reid to agree to a debate and vote on...are still looming. I think that a shutdown would have hurt the Dems, it would have hurt the Republicans too. It does make me feel good that the Democrat liberals are not celebrating this.
This was nothing more than grandstanding as the entire amount being argued about comes to a mere 12 hours of federal spending. That’s right; they argued over an amount of money the federal government spends in just 12 hours.
Um, like, maybe we should grab our pitchforks and march on Washington?
Take a deep breath, brother........
I agree. I think it was brilliant of Boehner to get that put in there. You know he had to stand his ground firm to get that. Too many around here don’t see the value in those two votes coming up. Those votes could give us the extra votes in ’12 to get control of both houses and the Presidency. It’s a no win situation for the Dems or Obama.
Hell, we’re gonna have to machine-gun these bastards to get anything done.
Thanks Ernest!
I’m sure you are fimiliar with that.
Yeah, Congress has been doing that to the People for quite a few decades.
Maybe we should try to compare the current Republicans to George Washington’s Continental Army. He had many defeats and very few big victories, but was always a force to be dealt with. We will not defeat these people in one budget battle, or in one election. Washington’s biggest talent was being able to keep an army together and ready to fight. That is what I am looking most forward to. I am not looking for an Iwo Jima, or a Normandy, but constant pressure and tangible gains against these communist.
Definition: Freeper
1. One who b!tches, p!sses and moans as the aircraft carreer does a 180 degree turn in their direction because it takes too long.
2. One who b!tches, p!sses and moans when republicans win elections.
3. One who b!tches, p!sses and moans at Boehner not going far enough, even though Obama almost had a heart attack during a TV announcement that a deal had been struck.
What assurance do we have that Dinghy Harry will bring Planned Parenthood and Obamacare to a vote? His word? That and 5 bucks will get you a cup of coffee. I hope Boener has got something in writing that says the Senate HAS to vote in a reasonable amount of time or the whole deal is off.
Lots more work this Congress must do. As your bingo card shows, some coins have been placed on the card. Wait till the main battles start in creating a 2012 budget. Things are really going to get interesting.
It wasn’t a victory at all, unless you think that increasing spending from 2010 to 2011 by $300 Billion MORE dollars is a “cut.”
The GOP is corrupt and in bed with the media and the Democrats. Note how virtually NONE of the media is reporting the actual budget figures for this budget. Instead they keep parroting that this is a $39 Billion cut.
But it’s not a cut in actual dollars — just a cut from the increase that Obama wanted. It’s no cut at all — its an increase of about $300 billion over last year’s fiscal budget.
You’re being taken by the GOP. Same crap they’ve been saying since 1985 and TEFRA (another infamous Republican budget compromise, that the Establishment sold us as a victory.)
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