GOP on verge of huge, unprecedented political victory

The Washington Post ^ | 07/31/2011 | Greg Sargent

[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 Withdrawn.

[editor-surveyor]

We don't want credit for this kind of stupidity.

Here is Reality:

Watch this video, and send it around:

Brother can you spare a Trillion?

[gogogodzilla]

No, it’s not a trap... *IT’A A TARP!!!”

:-D

[jocon307]

“both you all hit on one of the next targets for TEA: Baseline budgeting.”

Yes, let us stay focused. We are not going to solve these problems in one election cycle.

I heard Bauer & Rose yesterday and they were saying what I was thinking the other day. Look at nationalized medicine, Obama didn’t pull that one out of his hat in Jan, 2009, the libs had been struggling for it for decades.

If we on the right are not prepared to struggle for decades we may as well throw in the towel right now.

Because it is going to take at least 40 years to undo the damage that has been done since the 1960s (at most recent) to this country.

So, be prepared to hang tough and for the really long haul.

There is SO MUCH to be done.

And I just feel so many people are ready to quit, when we’ve only just begun to fight.

[Cronos]

unfortunately, we need to look at the money gone to Medicare and SS as having disappeared.

Medicare and SS should be scrapped and everyone told that it is a write-off. Except for those already in retirement (they have less chance to earn), you and I would have to accept that our money is gone, gone with the wind.

[LS]

Well, that’s not how the Constitution works. Neither the pres nor the senate are required to “submit anything on paper.”

[EternalVigilance]

GOP on verge of huge, unprecedented political victory

You betcha. Here's the Boehner press conference ...