January 2013 Tax Hike - Spending Cuts

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[saxitoxin]

From Liberal "Victory" to Total Disempowerment in Six Steps

STEP ONE: Liberals will declare that cutting social security and Medicare benefits – including raising the eligibility age or introducing "means-testing" –are absolutely unacceptable, that they will never support any bill that does so no matter what other provisions it contains, that they will wage war on Democrats if they try.

STEP TWO: As the deal gets negotiated and takes shape, progressive pundits in Washington, with Obama officials persuasively whispering in their ear, will begin to argue that the proposed cuts are really not that bad, that they are modest and acceptable, that they are even necessary to save the programs from greater cuts or even dismantlement.

STEP THREE: Many progressives – ones who are not persuaded that these cuts are less than draconian or defensible on the merits – will nonetheless begin to view them with resignation and acquiescence on pragmatic grounds. Obama has no real choice, they will insist, because he must reach a deal with the crazy, evil GOP to save the economy from crippling harm, and the only way he can do so is by agreeing to entitlement cuts. It is a pragmatic necessity, they will insist, and anyone who refuses to support it is being a purist, unreasonably blind to political realities, recklessly willing to blow up Obama's second term before it even begins.

STEP FOUR: The few liberal holdouts, who continue to vehemently oppose any bill that cuts social security and Medicare, will be isolated and marginalized, excluded from the key meetings where these matters are being negotiated, confined to a few MSNBC appearances where they explain their inconsequential opposition.

STEP FIVE: Once a deal is announced, and everyone from Obama to Harry Reid and the DNC are behind it, any progressives still vocally angry about it and insisting on its defeat will be castigated as ideologues and purists, compared to the Tea Party for their refusal to compromise, and scorned (by compliant progressives) as fringe Far Left malcontents.

STEP SIX: Once the deal is enacted with bipartisan support and Obama signs it in a ceremony, standing in front of his new Treasury Secretary, the supreme corporatist Erskine Bowles, where he touts the virtues of bipartisanship and making "tough choices", any progressives still complaining will be told that it is time to move on. Any who do not will be constantly reminded that there is an Extremely Important Election coming – the 2014 midterm – where it will be Absolutely Vital that Democrats hold onto the Senate and that they take over the House. Any progressive, still infuriated by cuts to social security and Medicare, who still refuses to get meekly in line behind the Party will be told that they are jeopardizing the Party's chances for winning that Vital Election and – as a result of their opposition - are helping Mitch McConnell take over control of the Senate and John Boehner retain control of the House.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/07-7

[Phatscotty]

Well, we know the House of Representatives already passed a balanced budget in 2011. Living within our means sounds reasonable to me...

As I have always said, and as Ron Paul is saying, we don't have "choices" here. We already went over the cliff, it's just that we had our eyes closed and figured if we did not see it, then it wasn't happening. The downgrades to America's credit ratings already happened over a year ago, and we got 3 separate downgrades.

EVERYTHING needs to be cut, and I say we should not raise a dime in taxes. Not because I am an Anarchist or think there should be a 0% tax rate, but because the government we are giving our money to is the worst and most wasteful entity in the world. Don't give them another dime!!!! They already showed they don't understand the situation before the downgrades. Only a large minority of the House of Representatives and a few Senators "get it" and they showed us that by passing a balanced budget.

Obama should have signed the balanced budget.

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[Phatscotty]

Well, we know the House of Representatives already passed a balanced budget in 2011. Living within our means sounds reasonable to me...

As I have always said, and as Ron Paul is saying, we don't have "choices" here. We already went over the cliff, it's just that we had our eyes closed and figured if we did not see it, then it wasn't happening. The downgrades to America's credit ratings already happened over a year ago, and we got 3 separate downgrades.

EVERYTHING needs to be cut, and I say we should not raise a dime in taxes. Not because I am an Anarchist or think there should be a 0% tax rate, but because the government we are giving our money to is the worst and most wasteful entity in the world. Don't give them another dime!!!! They already showed they don't understand the situation before the downgrades. Only a large minority of the House of Representatives and a few Senators "get it" and they showed us that by passing a balanced budget.

Obama should have signed the balanced budget.

There are an infinite "balanced budgets" that can be passed. Just because the House of Reps managed to pass a balanced budget doesn't mean it should be signed into law.

Well, then they should have come up with their own version (they didn't). I just thought we were keeping it real-ity.

Much more realistic to balance the budget by passing a balanced budget rather than "they should have done a different balanced budget". ...but you see, they didn't pass an alternative. The only alternative was Obama's budget, which could not even get a single Democrat to vote for it......Gotta work with what ya got

[Ray Rider]

Well, then they should have come up with their own version (they didn't). I just thought we were keeping it real-ity.

Much more realistic to balance the budget by passing a balanced budget rather than "they should have done a different balanced budget". ...but you see, they didn't pass an alternative. The only alternative was Obama's budget, which could not even get a single Democrat to vote for it......Gotta work with what ya got

Agreed. People seem to attack the Congress' budget proposals quite a bit while failing to note that the Senate never proposed any alternative and Obama's proposal was so bad not a single member of even his own party would vote for it. Kudos to Congress for at least making a serious attempt at avoiding the impending crisis.

[thegreekdog]

From Liberal "Victory" to Total Disempowerment in Six Steps

STEP ONE: Liberals will declare that cutting social security and Medicare benefits – including raising the eligibility age or introducing "means-testing" –are absolutely unacceptable, that they will never support any bill that does so no matter what other provisions it contains, that they will wage war on Democrats if they try.

STEP TWO: As the deal gets negotiated and takes shape, progressive pundits in Washington, with Obama officials persuasively whispering in their ear, will begin to argue that the proposed cuts are really not that bad, that they are modest and acceptable, that they are even necessary to save the programs from greater cuts or even dismantlement.

STEP THREE: Many progressives – ones who are not persuaded that these cuts are less than draconian or defensible on the merits – will nonetheless begin to view them with resignation and acquiescence on pragmatic grounds. Obama has no real choice, they will insist, because he must reach a deal with the crazy, evil GOP to save the economy from crippling harm, and the only way he can do so is by agreeing to entitlement cuts. It is a pragmatic necessity, they will insist, and anyone who refuses to support it is being a purist, unreasonably blind to political realities, recklessly willing to blow up Obama's second term before it even begins.

STEP FOUR: The few liberal holdouts, who continue to vehemently oppose any bill that cuts social security and Medicare, will be isolated and marginalized, excluded from the key meetings where these matters are being negotiated, confined to a few MSNBC appearances where they explain their inconsequential opposition.

STEP FIVE: Once a deal is announced, and everyone from Obama to Harry Reid and the DNC are behind it, any progressives still vocally angry about it and insisting on its defeat will be castigated as ideologues and purists, compared to the Tea Party for their refusal to compromise, and scorned (by compliant progressives) as fringe Far Left malcontents.

STEP SIX: Once the deal is enacted with bipartisan support and Obama signs it in a ceremony, standing in front of his new Treasury Secretary, the supreme corporatist Erskine Bowles, where he touts the virtues of bipartisanship and making "tough choices", any progressives still complaining will be told that it is time to move on. Any who do not will be constantly reminded that there is an Extremely Important Election coming – the 2014 midterm – where it will be Absolutely Vital that Democrats hold onto the Senate and that they take over the House. Any progressive, still infuriated by cuts to social security and Medicare, who still refuses to get meekly in line behind the Party will be told that they are jeopardizing the Party's chances for winning that Vital Election and – as a result of their opposition - are helping Mitch McConnell take over control of the Senate and John Boehner retain control of the House.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/07-7

I guarantee this or something like this will happen.