Congressional Republicans know exactly what they're doing

"Republicans - every single Republican in Congress in 1993 voted against President Clinton's budget, largely because it increased taxes on the wealthy to the same top marginal rate that Obama would like to go back to now. They said it would result in economic disaster. Instead, it was followed by a period of sustained prosperity and ultimately a balanced budget. That is a fact that doesn't matter. They moved on in the Bush administration, cut the taxes back, claimed that this was going to magically create jobs. Basically, the number of jobs created during the Bush administration added up to about zero."

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/13/137822507/economic-lessons-from-the-real-great-depression

The Republicans know and remember this; they're not as stupid as they look. That's why they're so against raising taxes. They know that if they do, the economy will get better and they'll have to wait until 2016 to try to steal back the presidency.

But thanks for remembering, my friend... :hi:

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"the worst political blunder" would have been: leaving additional Medicaid funding, the EITC, unemployment benefits and other aid to the GOP House.

I suppose you'd have been calling for his impeachment for being that stupid!!!!

won't have to be revisited, while letting the UE extension expire early next year, so that millions more will be dirt poor in the run-up to the election. Also, the downturn in demand created by the UE expiration in early 2012 will cause a second (or third) dip, possibly crashing the stock market right before the election - a crash he will be blamed for.

I'm sorry, you can throw up all the straw men you want, I will not waver in my conviction that repeatedly giving in to people whose express desire is to destroy him is very, very bad politics. Appeasement may well cause a short-term relief for those on unemployment, but if it means giving the country to the malignant forces of the Repukes, it's bad politics AND bad governance. If he had stood tall against McConnell and Boner on one of two of these issues, he'd be cruising to re-election AND taking some Congressional seats with him. Look at Maddow's graph - 80% of Americans want the hyper-rich to pay more taxes. 70% want defense spending cut. 80% or so want SS, Medicare, and other "entitlements" (A GOP buzzword the president is fond of) left intact. Why can't he just once get full-bore behind one of these huge, popular issues? This seems like a slam dunk for a Democratic president - to say "Social Security protects millions of seniors from poverty, and does not contribute a single penny to the deficit. It will not be touched, period". the fact that he is unable to make such a moral AND politically savvy stance tells me that there is something desperately dysfunctional about either the president or his administration.

they're also doing it because they're selfish greedy fuckers who resent the idea of paying taxes.

:evilgrin:

If you look up selfish greedy fucker in any dictionary, you'll see "Republican, US Congress".

they also know that taxes are set to go up at the end of 2012, which is after the election.

McConnell knows that submitting to simply raising the debt ceiling and punting on the rest allow the GOP to escape the raising revenue crunch so they can live to fight for spending cuts another day.

The President insisting on closing the loopholes is the GOP's biggest fear. Democrats have been trying unsuccessfully to do that for years. There may never be better opportunity.

Republicans have no bargaining chip except the debt ceiling, which they now realize they no longer have (thanks to Mitch McConnell).

They will crumble in the end.