Super Committee about to be a super failure?

Hot Air ^ | NOVEMBER 20, 2011 | JAZZ SHAW

[Qbert]

With the Washington Post reporting – and Senator Jon Kyl confirming – that there’s a general sense of malaise surrounding budget deal negotiations, the end may be in sight. Unfortunately, the light at the end of the tunnel is looking more and more like it’s the headlight of an oncoming train.

The congressional committee tasked with reducing the federal deficit is poised to admit defeat as soon as Monday, and its unfinished business will set up a year-end battle over emergency jobless benefits and an expiring payroll tax holiday.

Those provisions are among a host of measures set to lapse at the end of December. During nearly three months of negotiations, the “supercommittee” had been weighing whether to extend at least some of them as part of a broader plan to shave a minimum of $1.2 trillion over the next decade.

The mere fact of failure, should it occur, probably won’t come as a shock to most observers. (Our friends at Outside the Beltway, in fact, rather blandly call it “An Unsurprising Failure.”) But from all of these interviews and a sampling of the talking heads this weekend, what was more startling to me was an indication that a lot of these folks really never wanted the committee to succeed in the first place. But why? A few observations follow.

From the Left side of the aisle, there does seem to be one possible answer which led me to one of those forehead slapping, “I coulda’ had a V-8″ moments. I was watching a panel of entirely left wing pundits on MSNBC this morning, two of whom came out without prevarication and said they were openly hoping the group would fail to meet the deadline. The reason? Because then the sequestration would kick in and it leaves entitlement programs essentially untouched while making deep cuts in the military. And as one noted, such cuts to the military are, “long overdue.” Further, they pointed out that failure would result in the end of the Bush era tax cuts which, as one of them put it, “would solve most of our problems right there.”

I’ve long since gotten over being shocked at hearing things like this, and in some ways it was rather refreshing to hear it stated so openly and honestly. Of course, it’s also disastrously wrong as far as I can tell, but at least it’s honest.

But there have been plenty on the Right who have adopted a hang dog attitude about the work the committee is attempting as well. The general consensus seems to be that if there were to be a deal, in order to get any of the Democrats on board it was going to involve massive tax increases. Better to give up and head to sequester rather than give in on that, goes this line of thinking.

But was the entire thing a dog and pony show with no real effect except for 2012 political positioning? The other chatter, including some of the comments from John Kerry, is that none of the threatened “draconian cuts” from the original deal will happen anyway. Remember… they don’t take place until 2013. And at least according to some, that gives Congress an entire year to get together and repeal that decision. And if that happens, you may wind up with tax cuts expiring, no measurable cuts in spending, and no significant change in course in terms of basic government theory. Game.. set.. match.

So.. was this all just for show?

[fortheDeclaration]

There are no CUTS.

[paratrooper82]

WOW! these idiots really believe the American people are that stupid to believe the so called “Super Committee” (SC) was going to find ways to reduce the deficit by 1.2-1.5 trillion dollars! What a laugh, the SC was only created to get the newly elected tea party candidates elected to the House of Representatives to go along with raising the debt ceiling again! Once the debt ceiling was raised, there was no longer any need to reduce the deficit and the SC was just another dog and pony show for the tea party Americans who brought the Republican party to power again in the House of Representatives. The socialist liberal progressives never wanted to lower the Nations deficit and in fact, the liberal socialist have began a campaign of raising another half trillion dollars spending bill all the while trying to convince the American people they were working hard to come up with 1.2 INO) will do the job for the American people! Stop lying to the American people about the SC working to reduce the deficit, it was NEVER their intent to reduce anything, least of which was the deficit of the United States of America!

[denydenydeny]

I called this months ago. The Democrats deliberately sabotaged the Supercommittee by filling it with hardcore socialists like Clyburn. They wanted no moderates anywhere near the Supercommittee. They needed it to fail.

They wanted a complete failure so they could (with the help of their friends in the media) blame it all on “Republican intransigence” with the added bonus of having several USN carrier groups get axed.

They hate, hate, hate America.

[BooBoo1000]

What do you expect, with a committee that contains Max Bacus, and that dummy Senator from WashingtonPatty Murry, they could not run a beer concession for a Sunday School Picnic

[Timber Rattler]

Yep. And the Establishment Repubs appear to have gone right along with the scheme- either that, or they truly are stupid.

The Establishment Repubs---specifically Mitch McConnell---were the ones who came up with this travesty in order to undermine Cut, Cap, & Balance and get around the TEA Party Freshmen in the House.

Sen. McConnell Promises Super Committee Will "Focus On Entitlements"

Super Committee’s First Meeting Tomorrow: ‘Failure Is Not an Option’

'Cut, cap and balance' unlikely to end debt ceiling struggle

RSC Chair Shoots Down McConnell Plan

McConnell Outlines Three-Step Debt Contingency Plan

Conservatives Torn Over McConnell's Debt-Ceiling Plan B

Reid and McConnell Work on Debt Deal

Reid, McConnell Craft ‘Hybrid’ Option (The McConnell Plan gets even worse)

From the last link:

"The plan, which is being hatched by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would ensure that over $1.5 trillion in cuts over ten years be passed into law. It would also grant President Obama the authority to extend the debt ceiling through the 2012 election season while requiring him to propose — but allowing him to ultimately veto — cuts beyond those initial $1.5 trillion.

Additionally, the deal would create a new “deficit commission” compromised solely of lawmakers who would be tasked with finding additional savings in the budget. The commission’s recommendations would be given automatic, amendment-free votes in both chambers of Congress.

Now McConnell and Boehner got what they wanted and it will be back to business as usual on the Hill.

[ez]

Anybody who is surprised by the failure of the “supercommittee” please go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done. The left never gives in, and the right is sick of giving in.

[Carbonsteel]

The so called “Super Committee” was a failure from launch.

When the geniuses on both sides of the isle loaded up the committee with the biggest ideologues they could find, what the heck did they expect.

It was a setup to fail deliberately.

[Tandem]

We need to call for the immediate resignation of all members of the Supercommittee and the Congressional leaders who appointed them. In business, if I were given extraordinary responsibility (and authority) to perform a critical task and I failed miserably, I would be fired.

I see no downside for calling for the resignation of all committee members, Boehner, Reid, Pelosi and McConnell. None of them are worth the powder to blow them to hell - but, I’ll make an exception, this time! Fire in the hole!

[Graewoulf]

“- - - So.. was this all just for show?”

Jazz Shaw, you, like the RINOS in Congress, are to nice a person to write or be in politics.

Let me ‘splain it to you. Obama needed a major divisive issue to campaign with. Bolsheviks Princess Nancy and Reid set up Son-of-a-Mitch McConnell and Boenher with a gang-of-12 that would insure a deadlock as a final result.

The Bolsheviks plan worked to perfection, as nothing will be done, and the Obamanator can then campaign against a do-nothing Congress.

Still to confusing for you? Let me try again.

The Bolsheviks in the US Federal Government want to re-create America in their own image. Thus they will ALWAYS try to REGULATE, CONTROL, AND DESTROY anything that opposes them.

Now pretend that you believe me, and re-write your article.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Super stupid and super unconstitutional. Let it fail and thank God. There is no way those automatic triggers will be allowed to go into effect. Basically this whole thing with the debt bill and the super committee and spending cuts was one big scam by both parties. Once again the american public has been had.

[Qbert]

“The Establishment Repubs-—specifically Mitch McConnell-—were the ones who came up with this travesty in order to undermine Cut, Cap, & Balance and get around the TEA Party Freshmen in the House.”

Yep. Thanks for the links- I remember that last one all too well (I posted it).

[Scythian]

It was all planned so Obama could try to run against congress and not his record, his base will eat it up, the the republicans are the cause of all this.

[FourPeas]

Super surprise to only the super stupid.

[Repeal The 17th]

I am sure we will see a super-duper committee formed
to handle the mess left behind by the super committee.

[Georgia Girl 2]

The only thing I hate worse than a republican is a democrat.