Ezra Klein has some very good advice for the Democrats. Rather than focusing so much on how to sunset the irresponsible and budget-busting Bush tax cuts for the rich, they should be focused on how to raise the debt ceiling without finding themselves in a hostage situation. And they should be more concerned about extending unemployment insurance, too. The right strategy is to find a way to force through a vote on raising the debt ceiling by coupling it with a vote on something else that has to pass.
Mr. [Pete] Sessions suggested Mr. Boehner would talk with President Barack Obama about an agreement that could include a debt limit hike packaged with a rollback of parts of Mr. Obama’s health plan.
Mr. Sessions said the issue should not to be politicized, an exhortation likely to be met with skepticism by the Democrats who were targeted by GOP attacks on the issue. “It’s very important to understand that we have a responsibility not to create any issue that divides our country unnecessarily,” he said.
If the Republicans try to roll back ObamaCare by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, here’s what we’d face:
If an increase in the current debt limit of $14.3 trillion does not pass, it would suggest the country may not meet its obligations and would shake the financial system. It could rock the bond market, rattle the dollar and scare away foreign buyers of U.S. debt.
It seems to me that the Democrats should be focused on avoiding that situation. Ezra’s plan just might work.
The right outcome here is not the end of the tax cuts for the rich, though that might be nice. It’s an extension of unemployment insurance and an increase in the debt ceiling. Democrats shouldn’t vote with Republicans to extend the tax cuts — which is, of course, the only way the tax cuts can be extended — unless Republicans will simultaneously vote with them to extend UI and lift the debt ceiling.
Either way, we’re going to have to get used to making some painful concessions, but at least we can be smart about it.
On another note, Austan Goolsbee strikes again.
Make this guy chair of the National Economic Council of Advisers. He knows more about policy and messaging that Larry Summers ever did.
He should get a five-minute slot on the nightly news. Always with the white board, of course.
love the whiteboard!
Remember, he’s the guy who told Canada: “You know how Obama is slamming NAFTA? He’s lying. Nothing is going to be done.”
Say what you will about the reality of the situation (and it is a disappointing one) that is not a smart play.
Goolsbee’s video is good. Why didnt the Administration can any of the bankster CEOs too?
The future’s so grim, I gotta wear shades:
I’d call that Plan C. And why not go there after Plan A (force the GOP to vote against tax cuts for the middle class, national ad campaign funded by labor and outside groups painting GOP as defenders of the rich) and Plan C (decoupling rich and middle class tax cut by permanently extending middle class tax cuts, temporary rich cuts). I don’t understand the negotiation process here, and Im not trying to be snarky. Why are we negotiating against ourselves. Part of negotiation 101 is being creative, like Ezra is, but the bulk of it is really about power dynamics. Are we just conceding that we have no power and the GOP should get what they want and we should just play for scraps?
Well once again the GOP have succeed in convincing enough people (and perhaps themselves) that they are nasty enough to send the country to hell by not raising the debt limit.
The Democrats once again, have shown that they are not willing to play on that level and so, yeah basically. When Republicans are in the minority they must be appeased, when they are in the majority they must be appeased.
Back when Republicans controlled the House, every Republican voted to raise the limit, and every Dem voted no. The moment the House changes hand, everyone reversed their votes. Republicans will have to deliver enough votes to raise it, and they’ll have no problem coming up with forty people in safe seats to do it. After all, they have more than a hundred who have done it before.
Ezra is negotiating with himself, and legitimizing hostage taking.
No retreat. No surrender.
The Republicans block passage of raising the debt limit in an attempt to shut down the government, expecting Obama to do what Clinton did or to negotiate with them on their terms.
The President has the Republican ideas for ending the deficit. That’s what his Debt Commission gave him. Democrats in Congress aren’t likely to pass them.
So Obama gets draconian.
I believe that the President has the executive power or emergency power to do all of these things. Essentially, the idea is to gore every Republican pig at the trough while having enough general items to exert local pressure in the Village to settle the issue and show that once again the Republicans are more interested in stunts than governing.
Those are some awesome ideas Tarheeldem. But you are being foolish and obama is smarter than you because he deals with the world as he finds it. fancy concepts like “leadership” and “tactics” are part of the old politics, not the post-partisanship, one america that will.i.am. sang about when he was crushing an octogenarian in 2008. Nope, he’s going to play the cards that corporate american and the village have decided he can play.
It is a sad state of affairs that I have to agree with your assessment.
USA, it’s been nice up until 1980. You’re gonna be missed after the Republicans finally euthanize you.
THink I’m going to stick around and fight it out and i suspect you and most people on this site will do the same.