Every time someone mentions the Deficit Reduction Committee, aka the "Catfood Commission"

[PBS Poll-435]

I laugh, chuckle and might actually pee a little bit.


Who in their right mind thinks that ANY of their recommendations are going to be made into law?
(You know that takes Congress, right?)




Give it a fucking rest, already.

[midnight armadillo]

1. now I could be wrong...

...but I believe that Congress only gets an up or down vote on their recommendation. And there will be massive pressure by their constituents (i.e. Wall St and right wing billionaires) to pass the recommendation.

So don't relax yet.

[PBS Poll-435]

2. No. Wrong.

Separation of powers. Congress has to draft the legislation based on their "recommendations".

House Ways & Means, Senate Appropriations, Senate HELP, Senate Special Committee on Aging, and on and on and on.

[Hannah Bell]

12. really?

"the proposed executive order would establish an 18-member bipartisan commission to propose a multiyear plan to reduce annual deficits. The panel would report after the November elections, and Congress would vote on its recommendations in December."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/us/politics/24debt.html


Nancy Pelosi sneaked language into the rule that the House is voting on tonight regarding war funding.

Embedded in the rule is the requirement that the House will vote on the deficit commission’s recommendations in the lame duck session if they pass the Senate.
...She’s putting this language into the rule in order to deflect responsibility from herself when it comes to the floor for a vote during a lame duck session, since without her approval that could never happen.

http://firedoglake.com/2010/07/01/breaking-pelosi-sneaks-approval-of-vote-on-debt-commission-recommendations-into-rule-regarding-war-funding/


The commission's report is due by December 1. House Democrats have committed to voting up or down on the package if the Senate passes it first.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Peo9QMAJ2y4J:tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/source-debt-commission-fights-over-freezing-military-pay-slashing-benefits.php+deficit+commission+recommendations+congress+vote&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[bluestateguy]

4. They did that with BRAC

But that is not the norm. They did not do it with the 9/11 Commission report, for example.

[napi21]

6. The Prez still has to sign it & he said he wouldn't

touch anything that means privatising or seriously harm SS recipiants.

[MadHound]

7. President also said he wouldn't sign an HCR bill without a public option,

So, there we are. What are you going to believe, the lies of a politician or what he actually does?

[global1]

10. Obama Can Justify Raising The Retirement SS Age And Reduction In Benefits .......

by saying they don't seriously harm SS recipients. He can say that if they didn't do this - that more harm would come to the retirees. So I wouldn't put my money on his not signing these recommendations should they come from this commission.

What pisses me off is that the poor and middle class have made all the sacrifices in this country and in this depressed economy. It's time for the rich and super rich to stand up for this country and make some sacrifices as well. So raising the cap and letting their Bush Tax Cuts expire is only fair.

[bluestateguy]

3. I don't think they will made into law either

BUT....

that does not mean we should be complacent, for if we are, then they could actually enact their think tank masturbation fantasy.

[PBS Poll-435]

5. But I don't understand the fear-mongering, either.

There is a reason it is called the "third rail" of modern American politics.


The committee is pure theatre.

[BurtWorm]

8. Any commission is a political tool to control the conventional wisdom about an issue.

They're designed to create conventional wisdom. True, Congress is not obligated to act on their findings. But a commission's findings are meant to provide a "bipartisan" statement representing the "fair and balanced" official word. They very often lead to legislation being crafted and held up in comparison to the template of "thought" they cut out. If there were no "deficit commission," there would be no gvrand unveiling of its findings.

Maybe the best tack for progressives to take is just to poison this well so thoroughly by a sustained calling out of the bullshit behind it before the Commissioners can even dip their bucket in the well.

[w4rma]

9. Obama poisoned the well by his selections to the Catfood Commission. (nt)

[Marr]

11. I do. I'll bookmark this thread. Let's talk next year.

Bring your hat, and some spices.

[eridani]

13. Yep, a lame duck Congress completely accountable to NOBODY n/t

[Scurrilous]

14. My favorite was the troll who kept referring to it as the Cat Commission.

She got her 'rest' earlier tonight.