It looks like the far right of the Republican Party (as represented by Michele Bachmann and Mike Huckabee) is creating some room for John Boehner to cave and make a deal with the president. Their rationale is identical to the rationale I gave this morning for not making any concessions whatsoever. The size of the dispute is financially inconsequential and the people won’t have any sympathy for shutting down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood or the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. I’d be tempted at this point to start making counter-demands and make Boehner start sweating as he literally begs to make a deal. Let’s face it, Boehner got his ass kicked and now they’re trying to give him a soft-landing so he can fight another day. Let’s make him give up energy subsidies.
Okay, I know that is not going to happen. But we shouldn’t make it easy for Boehner to cave. We should make it as humiliating as possible. I don’t say this out of spite. This battle is not over. And his tactics must be punished.
Update [2011-4-8 23:3:8 by BooMan]: Boehner caved. He apparently got nothing. He agreed to a clean Continuing Resolution which they will pass tonight. The riders are gone. And I think he might have taken home $5 billion more in cuts as his only consolation. The government will not shut down this time. They will probably take it to the very end on the debt limit and then again on the 2012 budget. Now we work on the Boy Who Cried Wolf narrative.
Should make him agree to some sort of tax. Or how about extending unemployment to 15 months? Or dropping the funding ban on ACORN?
My concern is if it doesn’t go to at least a short shutdown and constituent response to Congress, Boehner and crew will pull the same stunt on the debt ceiling to force through a Ryan-style FY 2012 budget agreement.
Boehner has scheduled a 9:45 PM ET meeting with his entire caucus — no staff.
what a punk. He had nothing to say because he got nothing.
Well, nothing except more cuts than he’d originally asked for. Oh, and women in DC lost the right to spend their own money on abortion. So yeah, nothing. Tell that to someone who depends on government programs or needs an abortion.
As if Obama would ever order the Dems to do anything like that.
Of the Dems would have the smarts to do it even if he did!
Ezra Klein feels differently.
From Twitter: “Boehner’s the political winner here. Managed his caucus. Got dems to agree to more than expected. Averted a shutdown. He was very effective.”
http://twitter.com/#!/ezraklein/status/56553012512043009
So which is it?
Ezra also doesnt’ like President Obama’s statement.
“Also, boehner’s short, business-like statement much more reflective of process than this pabulum from Obama. Sheesh.”
http://twitter.com/#!/ezraklein/status/56553716228161536
I called it already.
You’re all fucking media addicts.
When’re you gonna learn?
Whatever the media says..it’s false.
Grow the fuck up.
AG
Nicholas Kristof also came away with a different take; he wrote on Facebook: “A last minute deal has been reached to avert a government shutdown, and i must say that John Boehner proved a tough negotiator who got a lot of what he wanted. But what a wretched, embarrassing way to run a superpower.”
Gotta agree that Boehner did well. Were this a sanely run economy, we wouldn’t be talking about overall budget cuts at all. Instead, the House set a goal of $60 billion. Boehner got nearly 2/3 of it (count on Obama to always meet his opponents more than halfway), while keeping their powder dry for two fights they consider more important and sacrificing inane riders that their base (and ours) will have forgotten in a month.
The Democrats already conceded this fight; by agreeing that budget cuts are necessary, and then bargaining over which programs to cut, they’ve given up on any stimulus, which has been the only thing in the last two years that’s had any positive impact on the economy. That little bump is gone, and by sacrificing any future such efforts the Dems have virtually guaranteed that the economy won’t significantly improve for most people before next year’s election. And oddly enough, a lot more people will vote based on four years of deep recession than anything being debated in these budgets.
I also agree that Boehner is the big winner here. The repubs got huge cuts at a point at which there should be no cuts at all. The discretionary budget is about 700B so this is a significant cut (in the middle of a recession!) And the 37.5B is actually low-balling the value, as it is actually about 70B below what Obama originally wanted.
They eviscerated us, and didn’t even have to deal with the public anger that would have come from a government shutdown. Yes, I would say that the republicans are the big winners tonight. I am not happy.
What magical mystical powers do white liberals have that allow you to see cuts that NO ONE in the public has seen yet?
I like how you always assume everyone who disagrees with you must be white. It’s also amusing because you seem to be under the impression that the cuts made won’t impact the public.
i guess the black people at my job who are disgusted are white people now?
I’m not sure who the winner or loser is here tonight. Both sides look really bad. $40 billion in cuts will hurt.
“A few months ago, we were able to sign a tax cut for the middle class … Now the same cooperation will make possible the biggest annual spending cut in history,” he said. – Obama
I guess that’s how he sees it. Bipartisanship at its best. Bill Clinton was able to beat the Republicans at this game. I guess we’ll see what happens when the debt limit comes up for a vote.
Did he really say it?
God, he is totally useless on messaging.
It seems to me like the Republicans win the narrative here. And once again, the window continues to shift to the right. I don’t think the Democrats come out of this with much in the way of political capital, either. I fear this outcome will only continue to dispirit and depress the base.
The consensus of the liberal punditry seems to be against you, Booman. While you’ve convinced me that you’re right and they’re wrong on other issues, I’m not there yet on this one.
The budget’s closer to the GOP’s original proposal than Obama’s, how does that constitute a loss for Boehner?
Wait til you hear the abortion deal, Rachel. I duspect you’ll change your mind.
I think I’m as unhappy about mandatory audits of the CFPB as I am about banning DC from using local taxes to help with abortions. Of course, anything that raises CFPB’s profile may help Dems in the long run. DC just needs to be a state.
I suspect Dems will come out ahead on the studies of health care reform as well – and that the press will interpret the results otherwise.
After that, my biggest unhappiness is that Boehner is getting positive press. He plays chicken with the recovery and they say it’s leadership, then blame Obama for not engaging sooner. What world does the press live in?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52850.html (sorry it’s politico, but I couldn’t find anything better)
of course he’s getting positive press, HE WON.
And if you have ANY doubt that Boner and the GOP feels like they’re winning, they started threatening to default on the national debt if they don’t get “something really, really big attached to it.”
What will it be? Will it be good bye to medicare? Maybe we can do away with compulsory elementary education. Ooooh, I know: maybe the president can step down.
Seriously guys, you can pretend Boner’s the loser here all you want, just like i can pretend to be a little birdie who can fly.
Obama caved.
Again.
From the NYT:
Emphasis mine.
You might be tempted to make “counter-demands” but Obama sure the hell wasn’t gonna do it.
Oh grow up!!!
Here’s “the news.”
Assholes.
All the rest?
Shadowplay.
Entertainment for the masses.
Reality TV…you know. Like where the fix is in from the day that the concept is bought (by) and sold (to) the networks.
Quel surpise!!!
My own take. (4/8/2011)
My only error?
Not calling it “The Feral Gonerment.”
Wake the fuck up.
Rotten to the core, it is.
Rotten to the core.
So…nu!!!???
Bread and circuses will eventually prove not to be enough.
Bet on it.
Apparently, though…on the ample evidence of hordes of leftiness shmoon taking this shadowplay seriously…not yet.
Soon?
I dunno.
The ability of “the people” to fool themselves seems almost infinite.
Lessee what empty bellies and cold homes contribute to the awakening process.
Soon.
Soon enough.
Watch.
Cold Comfort.
Coming to your neighborhood.
Soon.
Watch.
AG