Replies

RE :” A new poll by Hart Research’s Geoff Garin, conducted for Americans for Tax Fairness — a group that wants the Bush-era tax cuts to end for those who earn more than $250,000 — found that a majority of voters cited changing the tax system as a key factor in their votes, and that the majority broke for President Barack Obama.
The survey also found that Democrats have changed the landscape on an issue that has eluded them for years — taxes. The survey found that most want the Bush-era cuts on top earners to expire, but that Republicans will shoulder blame if all of the Bush cuts, including those on the middle class, expire because a deal can’t be reached.
Basically, this works out to a win-win for Obama. Yes, he could look like the great peacemaker and try to strike some sort of grand bargain with Boehner. And if he did, he would likely get some of what he and the Democratic majority want in exchange for taking a slightly less than maximum raise on taxes for the most wealthy. But why?
If he takes a very hard line and forces the showdown to a collapse in discussions, several potentially positive (for him) results are baked into the cake. He can claim that Republicans refused a “balanced approach” and it’s their fault that everyone’s taxes went up. He then has the Democrats force a vote on a bill to only lower taxes on the middle class and the poor and just dares the GOP to vote against it. (They won’t.) At this point he has the tax / revenue increase he promised without giving up a single thing. Now the negotiations start anew to talk about “spending cuts” but the GOP’s major bargaining chip is gone. Obama gets to put up a far more shallow version of cuts, and if the Republicans don’t like it, they can choose to reject the deal and just let the deficit continue to skyrocket.”

Republicans are terrified. So they took the House just to give in on Obama’s demands because they are scared they will get the blame for a bad Obama economy?

I never thought that Republicans (apparent) position that no one no matter how rich they are can have to pay another dime in taxes or the economy ‘Falls off a cliff’. But now they have made this their #1 rule and they are finding it is not going well.

So here we are. GWB was POTUS for eight years and he got the blame for the bad economy in his second term but if the economy goes bad under POTUS O then the Republican House gets the blame instead. Obama is the man of plastic. He gets the blame for nothing.

Bohners idea of playing this poker game is to say ‘I cant get my members to vote for...”

If Bohner caves and taxes go up on the rich and the economy doesn't tank as Republicans spent 4 years claiming it would then no one will ever believe them again. Now if they do go up because Republicans give in (which will probably happen) and the economy tanks then Rs better figure out a way to disown their involvement in it or it wont be useful to them.

RE :”If he takes a very hard line and forces the showdown to a collapse in discussions, several potentially positive (for him) results are baked into the cake. He can claim that Republicans refused a “balanced approach” and it’s their fault that everyone’s taxes went up. He then has the Democrats force a vote on a bill to only lower taxes on the middle class and the poor and just dares the GOP to vote against it. (They won’t.) At this point he has the tax / revenue increase he promised without giving up a single thing. Now the negotiations start anew to talk about “spending cuts” but the GOP’s major bargaining chip is gone.”

Very simple solution here. Let the automatic spending cuts expire without doing anything. and forget about entitlements for now. Why give that to Obama?

So lets say Rs give in under pressure the tax increases on the rich after holding out a bit and making a fuss about it , and then the automatic spending cuts go into effect too.
Will that be enough to put the country back into recession? If so (and I don't know if it is) then what will Obama’s big win on tax increases buy Dems? What will be the lesson for the country? What will Republicans make it?
"See we tried to warn you" ?