2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumNo Deal is Better than going down the river with the GOP's bad ideas and concepts
Why Are We Playing Into The Right's Hands?The only time Republicans care about the deficit is when they are not in the White House. This is a game, an act, an obscene dance of political gamesmanship, but it is NOT a negotiation.
What we should be doing:
Ignore the Villagers' hand-wringing
Stop accepting what they say as truth.
Stop reacting to everything.
Start saying out loud that the only thing that should happen before January 1st is an up or down vote in the House on the Senate extension of middle class tax cuts.
Stomp your feet, call your Congressman, shout it out: ONLY an up or down vote on the middle class tax cuts is warranted, and that means one vote on the Senate bill, not some stupidly crafted package of nonsensical, arcane, ridiculously meaningless "cuts".
Ten days ago we were winning this by not budging at all. Yes, President Obama, that means YOU too. Now suddenly we're engaging in the farce Republicans call "negotiations?" Give me a break. This has been an exercise in how to turn media narratives around for the Republicans' benefit, but it is nothing like a negotiation.
If we really want to win, we simply stop acknowledging all of the stupid GOP party trial balloons floating around us and start pushing for one vote. One vote before December 31st. Just one. No amendments, no extras. One vote on the Senate bill to extend the middle class tax cuts.
Then make them sit at OUR table next year, when the upper rates are set and not going back down. That's how it's done. Our way, not theirs.
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/why-are-we-playing-rights-hands
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)the republicans voted for it a year ago
now are they saying that it was a bad law??
Cosmocat
(14,566 posts)There will be more Ds than Rs who vote for whatever they come up with in BOTH the House and Senate.
SO, the president is negotiating into a worse deal that DEMOCRATS will have to carry the water on passing, only so that:
When the wind blows that particular direction, the Rs will howl about how bad of a bill it was and how it did not go far enough.
When the wind blows the OTHER direction, they will howl about Ds cutting SS.
If the debt ceiling aspect is a hand shake, does anyone REALLY think they hold up their end?
These people are flat jackasses, I know I keep saying the word, but that is what they are.
The President simply needs to flat call them out and put the responsibility on them, let the Bush Tax cuts expire and have the senate bring the proper readjustment bill up, have them come up with whatever they want to replace sequestration, and when the debt ceiling comes around do this again, call the republicans for being the jackasses they are and absolutely refuse to negotiate or give even one inch for them to extend it.
Only democrats would hold a full house and end up folding it and pushing 3/4 of their chips over to the Rs because they scream BOO!
Filibuster Harry
(666 posts)The Rs had their chance 2 years ago on that but didn't want any tax increases. So their gamble was that the president wouldn't be re-elected. I'll say it again: If Romney won, then the Rs wouldn't even be talking about a tax increase. They would just let the "cliff" come and have Romney reduce ALL taxes.
YOU CAN'T GIVE IN TO THESE GUYS ANYMORE.