Posted on 07/17/2011 3:39:40 PM PDT by kristinn
Plan B is fast becoming Plan A for raising the debt ceiling and averting a fiscal crisis. With the White House’s push for a “grand bargain” fizzling and two weeks to go before the Aug. 2 debt default deadline set by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Senate leaders are negotiating a way to sidestep a default while providing maximum political cover for Members of Congress who believe they face a potentially career-ending vote.
Of course, the Senate plan would do little to put a dent in the deficit, and it falls well short of the $4 trillion deficit reduction package that Standard & Poor’s warned last week was needed to avoid a downgrade of the United States’ first-rate AAA bond rating.
For now, both chambers are moving forward this week with votes on a tea-party-backed Cut, Cap and Balance plan that would tie a debt ceiling increase to passage of a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget and deep spending cuts. “We have to check the boxes,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “One of them is to engage in this debate,” even though he said there’s no chance the GOP effort would succeed.
The votes in both chambers appear to be designed to give Members a face-saving way to eventually vote for the Plan B proposal.
“Everyone gets to vote on their Plan A before they go to Plan B,” a Senate GOP aide said.
The proposal being written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) builds on McConnell’s fallback plan to give President Barack Obama the authority to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion in three installments. It would also kick the broader budget fight over that elusive $4 trillion grand bargain to a new...
(Excerpt) Read more at rollcall.com ...
Well, I’m not paying for it.
I’m going Galt.
The editorializing with the title is a bit over the top, especially since it hasn’t past both house yet.
1. Decrease debt ceiling.
2. No new taxes.
3. Eliminate ObamaCARE/RomneyCARE
4. NO RINOs.
5. See step 1.
“...builds on|
Oh this will be something to see...............
Except they are setting up the House Tea Party Republicans to be the fall guys if the ceiling is not raised and all hell breaks loose.
Win-win for the establishment. They get their credit limit raised while at the same time creating a death blow to the tea party. Two things the despirately want to happen to stay in power.
Oh, great. Another news story about how the Republicans are ‘gonna’ cave. How many times has this non fact been reported in the past few weeks? Until they actually cave, they are holding out, just as they have been past several ‘final, absolutely final, this time I really, really mean it’, deadlines.
i wish i could change the channel. the song and dance is getting old.
BUT - there will be no real entitlement reform or ANY welfare cuts in the "deal."
The only cut I have identified is a cut to Federal workers salaries, which comes on top of a 2 (actually 3) year pay freeze, and a further cut to locality (high cost area) pay.
Soooo.....DoD civilians, FBI agents, and VA nurses will take yet another hit under the Great Community Organizer, but grannies, welfare cheats, and Food Stamp (sorry, SNAP Card EBT Holders) will get a free pass.
The Republican Rhinos and the Marxist Left conniving to Marginalize the Tea Party Republicans in the House.
Well if the tea party is that Powerful they need to end the Careers of more of the Sellout Rinos
Brave, intelligent, loyal, disciplined, righteous, resourceful, faithful, visionaries and bold leadership. Extremely rare to find these in modern politicians. In fact, quite the opposite is the new norm for our sub par cretins in DC.
Why can’t they just pass “Plan A” alone, get all 47 Senate Repubs on board, and then let the Senate Dems decide whether a few members will cross over, or whether we will go into default?
Obamacare became law in no small measure because Speaker Pelosi made sure that she put a gun to the heads of enough Democrat House members to get to 218 votes.
Now, the only way that Cut, Cap, and Balance would not get to 218 votes for House passage is either because the GOP leadership doesn’t want - or doesn’t have the balls - to make it happen.
I’m not a Pelosi fan, but she got what she wanted because she has balls. The GOP has never had ideological problems, but they are lacking - and have always lacked - testicular fortitude.
“He who will not risk cannot win”. John Paul Jones had it right over 200 years ago. You can’t win if your strategy is to avoid losing.
Just ask the USA Women’s Soccer Team.
The guys over at Roll Call actually can't imagine ever failing to raise the debt ceiling, or reduce the deficit, or take hard measures to rein in the federal government.
It's all quite historic to them.
So, we have the prospect of a three-way split ~ Obama stands pat on raising taxes and spending more. The Senate tries to shift attention away from its member so none of them are held guilty. And, the House says "Here's the Plan ~ .............."
The House speaks with Constitutional authority. It's the end of politics for Obama and for 23 Democrat Senators.
I'm curious.
Has any other President threatened to cut off social security and military checks prior to a possible government shutdown except Obama?
I'm going to take a big leap and answer my own question. No, to my knowledge, they haven't. So Obama must be bluffing or totally insane.
I think we need to just run out the clock and let the chips fall where they may. Plan A, plan B all the way to plan Z isn't going anywhere. Default and reengage the talks again. Next time, Boehner, Cantor and McConnell should grow a pair and push for the 4 Trillion cut and no tax deal all the way.
Blaze away.
Plan A-— defer to Plan B
Plan B-— refer to Plan A
Plan C-— Plan B minus Plan A = Screw the Plebes.
The reason the Republicans have those votes is because Nancy Pelosi, daughter of a Baltimore Siciliano Protectore (mafia), used her own methods.
People rejected Pelosi and her running dog lackeys.
Conservatives should take note that both “Plan A” or “Plan B” involve raising the debt ceiling.
It’s all a scam.
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