"While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up," Obama said in remarks in the White House.The Huffington Post
Obama Debt Ceiling Statement: Limit Increase Not Up For Debate After Fiscal Cliff Showdown
Reuters
Excellent framing.
How much you want to bet he is flat out lying?
ReplyDeleteHere's how its going to go down:
OBAMA: "I will not negotiate over the spending Congress has already approved. If Congress passes a permanent extension of the debt ceiling first, I will then be willing to talk to them about entitlement cuts."
CONGRESS: "OK, Here is the debt ceiling extension."
OBAMA: "OK, here is my signature on entitlement cuts."
CONGRESS: "Thank you for negotiating with us."
OBAMA: "That wasn't a negotiation. You passed the debt ceiling extension first."
CONGRESS: "Um ... OK. Whatever"
Words OK but the phrase "bills they have already racked up" troubles me some. There is an implication that the spending is bad but it's on congress because "they did it." While true, I would prefer something like "the already allocated funds we need to move the country forward." The way Obama said it sounds oppositional and seems to make it about him vs. congress. The press loves that kind of thing for their inane "scoreboard coverage" of every issue, but I don't really care which "team" gets the win. I'd like the country as a whole to win.
ReplyDeleteDan, if O does that he has won the debt ceiling debate and chosen to give away the store anyway. I think he wants to cut entitlements to look serious for his legacy, like Clinton cutting welfare.
ReplyDeleteWords OK but the phrase "bills they have already racked up" troubles me some. There is an implication that the spending is bad but it's on congress because "they did it." While true, I would prefer something like "the already allocated funds we need to move the country forward." The way Obama said it sounds oppositional and seems to make it about him vs. congress.
ReplyDeleteDavid, this is politics, not soft ball. It's bare knuckle. Obama has finally figured out he needs to bring a gun to knife fight.
Right Tom. People have to remember that a lot of these big words are just Obama's rhetorical posturing to buffalo the left side of his party. He thinks the left are annoying gnats and idiots, and will swallow whatever he feeds them.
ReplyDeleteDavid, this is politics, not soft ball. It's bare knuckle. Obama has finally figured out he needs to bring a gun to knife fight.
ReplyDeleteSurely, Tom, and I've got no problem with that. Just saying that "Speak softly and carry a big stick" might actually work better, if his intention was to really fight cuts. Everything we've seen so far indicates that he wants to cut entitlements as you and Dan pointed out, though.
David,
ReplyDeleteI sort of agree with you but can see Tom's point that it's the results that matter... so you come up with framing that "works"...
It's "form over substance". (Not that I agree with it, but this ay be interesting to watch)
Look at your words here: ""they already allocated funds we need to move the country forward."
This sounds like "big government" and the country is all caught up in libertarianism on both sides and this doesnt fly right now... so you have to say "it has to pay the bills" which puts govt authority in the back seat which is where all the libertarians want it for now... ie "it works" for today perhaps...
rsp,
Obama tried the "nice guy," "reasonable" and trans-partisan approaches and got stiffed. He is now sending a message that he will not be rolled again. Anything he gives away will be his choice.
ReplyDeleteObama is all talk here. His statement is probably meaningless. He can say he won't have a debate over the debt ceiling, but guess what's not going to get raised without a debate.
ReplyDeleteHe could put teeth behind that comment by threatening the Platinum Coin, or some other workaround. I'm not crossing my fingers.
I reckon the only reason Republicans passed the fiscal cliff deal is because they realized that for the fiscal cliff, Obama and the Democrats had the leverage. With the debt ceiling, AFTER Obama gets his tax increases on the wealthy, now Republicans have the leverage. Is Obama serious about deficit reduction or not?? Ok… spending cuts!
Or… Obama's one hell of a Ninja-Neoliberal.
Not really. He is daring the GOP to shut down govt and default on the debt. He knows that he is tossing them a political hand grenade. They can choose to blow themselves up, or not. He is betting not. If they do, fine. That's the end of them.
ReplyDelete(Rerun chicken scene from Rebel Without A Cause.)
In the very first weeks of the Obama administration, Obama emitted some tough-sounding talk on Israeli settlements, and directed Bibi Netanyahu to halt them. Netanyahu just said "no". And then it turned out that Obama wasn't actually prepared to do anything concrete to stop the settlements, and that it had never occurred to Obama that tough talk wouldn't be enough. Obama caved immediately, and that set the agenda for four years of craven administration nothingness in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
ReplyDeleteIn the recent round of negotiations, Obama was all set to throw entitlements under the bus. But Harry Reid literally tore up Obama's plan and threw it in the fire.
Nothing Obama says means anything. He's an empty suit who like to hear himself talk.