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GOP on verge of huge, unprecedented political victory
The Washington Post ^ | 07/31/2011 | Greg Sargent

Posted on 07/31/2011 4:21:56 PM PDT by 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 Withdrawn.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: beohner; debtceiling; debtlimit; default; demslose; victory
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To: 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 ..”

..... and wapo wants to sell that as victory for GOP

not in my life time


61 posted on 07/31/2011 5:01:43 PM PDT by SF_Redux (Sarah stands for accountablility and personal responsiblity, democrats can't live with that)
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To: edge10

Took the words out of my mouth. This just feels like all those movie plots where a guy is sure he wished correctly, only to find there was a great big loophole and he’s screwed.

This is all too complicated by half.


62 posted on 07/31/2011 5:01:47 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: MinorityRepublican
Well, MP, Shep Smith on FOX is showing his true colors today.

The guy needs to be put out to pasture.

63 posted on 07/31/2011 5:01:59 PM PDT by Balata (It's 'WE THE PEOPLE' Obama, not 'WE THE SHEEPLE'!)
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To: RummyChick
They are laying the increase in debt at the feet of the republicans, Obummer plans on running against their refusal to control the debt. So it is all their fault, the ink will not be dry before Obummer says, your children and grand children have this enormous debt because the republicans are the party of the rich. Damn. Said that was what would happen several days ago.
64 posted on 07/31/2011 5:02:33 PM PDT by org.whodat (What does the Republican party stand for////??? absolutely nothing.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
GOP on verge of huge, unprecedented political victory -- Washington Post

SUCKERS !

65 posted on 07/31/2011 5:03:11 PM PDT by pyx (Rule#1.The LEFT lies.Rule#2.See Rule#1. IF THE LEFT CONTROLS THE LANGUAGE, IT CONTROLS THE ARGUMENT.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
Obama lost on almost every point.

That's a very good thing.

66 posted on 07/31/2011 5:03:11 PM PDT by what's up
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To: Paladin2

Even cutting the rate of increase can bring Federal spending under control as the rest of the economy grows. Perhaps I should say “if” the rest of the economy grows, but when there is less money being taken by the Feds, there’s more money to spend hiring people and paying down the debt to a manageable level.

Next - balanced budgets and deficit reduction.


67 posted on 07/31/2011 5:05:51 PM PDT by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
True or not, it doesn't amount to a hill of beans!

2.4 trillion dollars cut with an established debt of 14 trillion and the baseline budgeting process equals to loads of smoke and mirrors.

Remember, no Congress is bound by what past Congresses have done. So the “cuts” aren't cast in stone.

As I understand it the 2.4 trillion is over a decade; i.e., 240 Billion a year of promised cuts. But with baseline budget automatically forecasting an 8 % growth every year this means we don't reduce the debit a penny!

Math check. Let's say the Federal Budget in 2012 has a deficit of 1.4 trillion. We are going to cut the deficit down to 1.16 trillion. Whoopee, Kalabunga, Dung heap! In 2013 the Federal Budget grows an automatic 8 per cent; without increased revenue (aka taxes) this translates as over 110 billion of increased deficit. Now the debit is 1.5 trillion; but it is reduced to 1.26 trillion (1.5 trillion minus 240 billion). In two years the debit has grown 2.4 trillion and we have eight more years to run.

I don't expect the GDP to resume even a modest growth rate by 2013/14. It looks as if this year we might achieve a 2 % growth if we are lucky.

Until cuts are immediately applied and sustained nothing coming out of Congress or the White House should regarded as anything but political lies of the worse kind.

68 posted on 07/31/2011 5:06:15 PM PDT by Nip (TANSTAAFL and BOHICA)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Greg Sargent is a DNC sock puppet, Obama stenographer and the Leni Riefenstahl of the federal bureaucracy.

If he’s congratulating anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders, he’s lying.


69 posted on 07/31/2011 5:06:35 PM PDT by WeatherGuy
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To: MinorityRepublican
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.
...in exchange for the promise of major spending cuts, including to entitlements, totalling at least $2.4 trillion.

Total BS!!

This type of promise have been made at least 5 times in recent history, and not a single one, ever, has been delivered by the criminal "Democratic" party.

That's just for starters.

Add to that the "promise of cuts in future years (Ha ha) and the rise in the legal debt limit immediately.

We've gone from a dismal scenario to an "utterly dismal scenario!"

Paying down the debt will get easier, as the total debt increases. Uh Huh.
< /sarc >

70 posted on 07/31/2011 5:08:13 PM PDT by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
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To: GAB-1955

It depends on who wins the growth race, spending or expanding economy driven gov’t revenue. If spending growth rate wins, we loose.


71 posted on 07/31/2011 5:08:35 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Terry Mross
I remember during the 1992 Gore constantly crapped on Bush for the “largest tax increase in history”. Never mind that Gore voted for it. Of course the press never mentioned that fact.

Nor did Bush.

72 posted on 07/31/2011 5:09:10 PM PDT by Dahoser (Separation of church and state? No, we need separation of media and state.)
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To: Tzimisce

I still can’t find that part in the proposal about the Republican House defunding Obamacare.


73 posted on 07/31/2011 5:10:55 PM PDT by daler
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To: MinorityRepublican
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.

The increase in the debt limit IS a significant concession, fake journalist.

74 posted on 07/31/2011 5:13:17 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
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To: MinorityRepublican

Greg Sargent is such a drama queen...

You can not rely on anything that Greg Sargent says as actually being true.


75 posted on 07/31/2011 5:15:03 PM PDT by Zeppo ("Happy Pony is on - and I'm NOT missing Happy Pony")
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To: Paladin2

So we keep choking the spending growth rate as we can.


76 posted on 07/31/2011 5:17:49 PM PDT by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
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To: edge10

Amen! And since they will specify that the fictitious “cuts” will be done over at least A DECADE, they will NEVER HAPPEN AT ALL!

I wish I knew how to post photos. I’d love to put up a huge lollypop for all the SUCKERS who think the GOP actually did something for the good of the Country here.

All they did was to put us in hock to the ChiComs another $3 TRILLION, and left Obluffer slip off the hook from having to face up to his ruination of our economy, come November 2012!

One more giant step toward Cloward & Piven! Way to go, GOP! I’m about to lose my sanctification and go to cussin’ here! He’p me, Lord. Please he’p me!


77 posted on 07/31/2011 5:18:02 PM PDT by Tucker39
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To: MinorityRepublican

without giving up anything of any significance in return.
***um, the debt ceiling is getting hiked... not that these guys would consider that something in return.


78 posted on 07/31/2011 5:19:44 PM PDT by Kevmo (Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn't make any sense at all. ~Ronald Reagan)
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To: MinorityRepublican
without giving up anything of any significance in return.

They added 2 trillion in debt!

79 posted on 07/31/2011 5:20:56 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: MinorityRepublican

Somehow since this is the Wash Po, I see this headline as a coded message encouraging the democrats to keep fighting


80 posted on 07/31/2011 5:25:13 PM PDT by silverleaf (All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is that good men do nothing)
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