Posted on 07/13/2011 9:18:23 PM PDT by Nachum
White House debt-ceiling negotiations have collapsed into a public relations duel, as each political coalition tries to harness the public’s simultaneous fears of defaults and runaway budgets.
Obama administration officials want swing voters to pressure Republicans to agree to a tax increase in advance of the 2012 elections. Republicans want swing voters to pressure Democrats to accept budget cuts.
White House officials believe that they have a winning hand. Republicans, meanwhile, view themselves as better positioned in the current debt ceiling fight than they were in the mid-1990s budget showdowns with President Bill Clinton.
“That’s really the nub of it — each side thinks they’re making progress, otherwise they would not be holding out,“ said Tevi Troy, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former senior official in the George W. Bush administration.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
If the republicans hold steady, and Moodys downgrades the US anyway, we will know how far the fix really goes.
This budget deal is a lose/lose for Republicans. Either they capitulate to THE ONE, which means they will be portrayed as losers; and we all pay higher taxes. Or, they hold firm and BO’s State run Media demonizes them as the party that won’t pay the troops and wants grandma to eat dog food. Yes, it’s BS, but he owns the media.
I am wondering. Can Obama borrow and spend money that the GOP House does not appropriate?
This is a win - win situation for Obama.
If he makes a deal, any deal, he will come out looking great.
Standing firm will result in a default... And a default is probably the best thing that could happen because he will then blame the default for the economy not improving between now and the election and the media will be glad to help. Republicans will then take the blame for the economy.
I predict a deal will be reached with cuts and tax increases. The cuts will be smoke and mirrors, mostly cuts to future increases or some such nonsense, but the increased taxes will take effect immediately.
>>> I am wondering. Can Obama borrow and spend money that the GOP House does not appropriate?
Obama can do anything he damn well pleases!... because nobody will stop him.
He can ignore court orders... Nobody does squat! (Fla. health care ruling / drilling ban reversal)
He can publish fraudulent legal documents on the internet... Everybody yawns!
He can publicly and unilaterally declare previous laws to be unconstitutional and refuse to enforce them (DOMA) Everybody cheers!
And you ask if he can spend money without congressional approval???
Hell... Every democrat in Washington has been doing that for decades now... Just thank your local union buddies.
I think Obama gets up in the morning with a sparkle in his eye about what constitutional law he can break next without being seriously challenged about it... Can’t have them race riots ya know... Only racists accuse black people of doing bad things.
Oh.. I’m sorry... I bet you meant “can he do it legally?”.
Actually yes I did. I just do not understand. I thought Congress had to appropriate any money Obama spends or borrows. But I do not know.
“Obama administration officials want swing voters to pressure Republicans to agree to a tax increase in advance of the 2012 elections”
Oh, yeah, I”m begging the government to raise my damn taxes! That sounds like a winning position to me. /s
>>> Standing firm will result in a default...
No it won’t.
Default is when you don’t make the payments.
We will have the money to service the debt.
We will even have the money to pay SS.
If either of those things don’t get paid, there is only one man to blame... and that is Obama who is in charge of the executive branch.
Mark Levin was talking about this today.
Only Obama can direct an obligation of the US treasury NOT to be paid.
>>> Actually yes I did. I just do not understand.
I was not ranting at you. I just used your question to vent... thats all.
My point was... What the hell difference does it make whether or not something is legal if the law (or constitution) is not enforced?
Congress “Spends” (appropriates) the money... Obama signs the check. Does that help?
Obama could easily direct the treasury to ignore the debt ceiling, AND congress citing some constitutional provision that gives him the authority.... he could even interpolate authority from the back of his Wheaties box and direct his departments to act on his orders... and they would.
The president has all types of authorities when it comes to international relations... war powers act for example...
Yeah... I’m sure he could do it. Legally in his mind, illegally under the constitution, but successfully in reality... because we don’t hold him accountable.
Not so sure. That was the theme in ‘95. I think the Pubs need to hang tough. And they have hung tougher than I ever thought they could. Who’d have guessed that Boehner would be this tough. Time is on the conservative side. BO’s threat to not send out SS checks is pure BS. Forget the press. Lots of people can read between the lines. There is no reason on this green earth that SS checks can’t go out.
agree to a tax increase + spending increase =repeat often
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