The GOP Has Already Won the Debt-Ceiling Fight

[ProSense]

The GOP Has Already Won the Debt-Ceiling Fight

Paul Waldman

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In the current debate over raising the debt ceiling, the same thing is going on. Republicans have taken an extraordinary position, threatening to subvert the American economy and perhaps even trigger a global financial crisis by having America default on its debts, unless they get the spending cuts they want. The problem is, most Americans have no idea just how unprecedented and appalling this position is. The main reason for that is the reaction of Democrats. Some Democrats have certainly condemned it strongly, but the overall message has been, "C'mon guys, let's talk about this." The president told Democrats not to "draw a line in the sand" on the issue. So the result is, once again, a negotiation about whether Republicans will get everything they want or just part of what they want.

And what will the public see when the deal is finally reached? Precisely because Democrats treated Republican actions not as though they were abominable but as though they were just incorrect, for the overwhelming majority of Americans who have only the vaguest sense of what these issues are about, it just looks as though there was some kind of argument in Washington, but now it's over. There was some squabbling about budgets or something, then there was some kind of deal. So in the end, Republicans will have extracted significant policy concessions but paid no political price for their willingness to threaten to destroy the economy. They win again. And next time, when someone on their side comes up with a new outlandish scheme, if someone else says, "Maybe we shouldn't go that far," the rest of them will quite reasonably reply, "Why the hell not?"

Krugman: America Held Hostage

[rgbecker]

1. Democrats are too smart for our britches.

It could be that having smart people in the Democratic party is working against us. Trying to appear reasonable and open to ideas is backfiring as the right wing idiots simply grunt and draw lines in the dirt making it easy for the media to spell out to the poorly educated Americans where they stand and somehow make sense of the phrase: "We don't have enough money to pay for what we have promised to pay for so, whatever else, don't increase our revenues."

[Bluenorthwest]

5. It is not smart to 'try to appear reasonable and open' with

idiots and hate mongers. That is the opposite of smart, it is serving one's public image rather than serving the truth. It is stupid, not smart.

[Avant Guardian]

2. Obama needs to stand his ground and not budge

He needs to tell them he will NOT negotiate with blackmailers. He needs to send his principles out to every talk show, every week to pound this point. He needs to draw a line in the sand and use the bully pulpit to hammer away at the consequences of their doing so. He needs to put the whole thing in their lap. 'If you insist on destroying the whole world economy, your party will pay a permenant price in the aftermath'. 'America will not bend to blackmail.'

He needs to draw a line in the sand in a 'Cuban missile crisis' sort of way.

[Historic NY]

3. The only way the GOP wins is to have Obama fail.....thats their plan.

[msongs]

4. repubs know obama will cooperate without a fight so why not go for it? nt

[CrossChris]

6. Brilliant move on the Democrats' part--they get to play good cop, then ultimately get what they want

They want to destroy the middle class & public sector just as badly as the Republicans.

When you look at the two parties as top 1% vs. bottom 99%, it all makes perfect sense. This is all a well choreographed dance among the top 1%, while we watch and comment on it, locked out on the outside.