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The Spectacle Blog
Dan Foster at National Review presents the strongest case for the Mitch McConnell back-up plan, which boils down to a recognition of the possibility "[t]here is no deal to be had that is a deal worth having," and so it's up to the responsible McConnell to prevent the nation's credit from being destroyed.
That could be right. But, albeit without having the inside information that McConnell does, I share Ross Douthat's worry that the Republicans are leaving a very good deal on the table:
I just hope Republicans are clear on the implications of a punt. If Ezra Klein's reporting is right, their debt-ceiling brinksmanship has earned them the chance to have a Democratic White House sign off on raising the Medicare retirement age and modestly cutting Social Security, in exchange for pre-empting the expiration of the Bush tax cuts with a revenue-increasing Bowles-Simpson-style tax reform. Maybe this deal doesn't really, or maybe it isn't a deal worth taking; maybe, as Yuval Levin suggests, Republicans should only contemplate a revenue-increasing tax reform in the context of more fundamental changes to entitlements. But if they don't make a deal now, the G.O.P. is effectively putting the spending debate in the hands of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign (or Rick Perry's, or Michele Bachmann's ...), and betting the future of the tax code on the outcome of the 2012 election. And as Josh Barro notes, the whole "we'll wait till after the election to push on shrinking government" has tended to go poorly for Republicans in the past.
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http://spectator.org/blog/2011/07/13/the-pro-mcconnell-case
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Siegfried X| 7.13.11 @ 2:23PM
Exactly. The Democrats were showing signs of caving in. The 48 hours before McConnell's betrayal looked great for Republicans.
Floyd Looney| 7.13.11 @ 2:37PM
The "plan" gives the unilateral power to the President to raise the debt ceiling without any cuts. Plus he only needs 1/3 of Congress on his side.
Meanwhile we cannot pass any conservative legislation without 2/3rds of the vote to bring it to the floor. (like unbanning light bulbs)
This "plan" is an abject surrender in the face of a win-win situation. It's the opposite of the Kobiyashi Maru.
Wayne | 7.13.11 @ 4:39PM
How is raising the medicare age a win for the GOP. I don't get it. Go after ObamaCare and the government pensions and benefits that far outpace the private sector rather than sticking another dagger into the heart of main street.
Michael L. Hauschild| 7.13.11 @ 4:59PM
The only think "pro" about the McConnell case is that now the residents of Kentucky are completely assured that this bozo is certifiably insane.
Clint| 7.13.11 @ 7:46PM
The Stupid Party Is Headin' Right For Debt Increases & Mitt Romney.
Stupid Is , As Stupid Does.
john dubose| 7.13.11 @ 10:04PM
Having the presidency and the senate, the Dems ( at least theoretically ) would have more say about how to close the gap. It takes at least two elections to turn the ship of state. There has been only one. The republicans ought to settle for less than it all. Then finish the job in Nov.
Clint| 7.14.11 @ 5:44AM
"Debt Ceiling Betrayal Petition to:
My Representative and Senators
Whereas: The American people put the Republicans back in power in 2010 to stop the runaway spending in Washington, D.C.; and
Whereas: Republican House Speaker John Boehner may yet give in to Barack Obama's "debt ceiling deal" that involves a trillion dollars in tax increases and includes mostly phony spending and tax "cuts;" and
Whereas: Virtually every time deals have been cut in Washington, D.C., massive tax hikes follow, while the promised spending cuts never come; and
Whereas: House Republicans would be foolish to go for this ploy and be taken in by the Obama Administration, only to leave the American taxpayers on the hook yet again for more out-of-control government spending;
Therefore: I demand that you stand up to the political establishment by rejecting any business-as-usual compromise on the debt ceiling. Instead, I urge you to join Ron Paul in signing the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" pledge immediately if you have not yet done so."
Timothy L. Pennell| 7.14.11 @ 7:05AM
Every career Politician, in this Party, needs to go. These are new times. We're UNDER ASSAULT by a man, and a Political Party, that are ANETHEMA to everything this Country believes in. Freedom. Liberty. Private Property. Individual Responsibility. It's getting to be time to GET ACTIVE.
The RNC telephone # is 1-202-863-8500. Boehner's # is 1-202-225-6205. Eric Cantor's # is 1-202-225-2815.
Do NOT be civil. Do NOT be respectful. You tell them EXACTLY what's on your mind. THREATEN them with a Primary. REMIND them WHOM they work for.
As the Marxist/Muslim in the White House once said: GET IN THEIR FACE!
We don't need Mitch McConnell's - too clever by half - little gimmick. We need REPUBLICANS with the BACKBONE to DO, what they were SENT TO DO.
And THEY need to know, that, if they're not up to it? We'll find someone who is.
And, we can START in Kentucky.
yisong| 10.29.11 @ 2:43AM
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