The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Now for Senate Democrats?

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It now looks as though the House is poised to pass a version of the Boehner plan that would force a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment in order to raise the debt by enough to fund the government through the 2012 election.

In other words, the House is reshaping its proposal, which already would have faced trouble in the Senate, to make it even more conservative. In fact, it's now not far from a version of Cut, Cap, and Balance. And unlike with the original Cut, Cap, and Balance bill, which passed on a bipartisan basis, Boehner won't get any Democratic votes.

Assuming the bill is passed today, the focus will shift to the Senate. Harry Reid, as of now, is stating that the Senate will work on his own compromise measure instead of whatever the House passes. The one advantage that passing the updated Reid plan will have for the GOP is that the Senate Democrats will have to negotiate with themselves and vote for a compromise, taking the spotlight off of the Tea Party House Republican holdout.

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simon templar| 7.29.11 @ 12:39PM

It should be clear to anyone with a brain cell and a molecule of honesty that the GOP establishment had no intention of playing hardball with the Dems and this president or managing this debate to the advantage of conservativism or the wishes of the public.

It was never about presenting a bill from the House and running a logical, and smart negotiating strategy to win either politically or practically. It was handled with complete incompetence, stupidity, and chaos. Conservatives do not need to be told that we do not have the presidency and total control of the Senate nor do we have to be reminded that there are serious and formidable challeges to our ability to get 100 percent of our aims.

We knew that this fight would require significant flexibility and acceptance that we would have to 'compromise' and fight this game with the idea of winning more political gain than practical gain. The first bill, CC&B was a huge compromise. What actually happened was the GOP establishment did not exercise any kind of smart leadership, did not control the media image and the message, negotiated with themselves like morons, failed to hold the opposition to the fire, offered a confusing myriad of bills, put the natural disagreement and dirty laundry out for view by the media and the opposition, allowed obama to have secret behind closed door meetings, allowed them not to propose anything, and continued to walk with fear rather than boldness and confidence.

The GOP old guard even went further by insulting and attacking its very base and the very people that gave them power. These GOP DC pundits and politicians have used this as an opportunity to actually falsely blame the Tea Party and the fiscal conservatives for their failures. The Old guard focused the issue and the opponent media on its own base rather than on the opponent party and presented its base as obstructionist. This is the political suicide that many of you apologist have accused us of doing...my god was there ever a case of clear projection.

The Fact is the GOP leadership and old guard really do not have a plan or strategy to deal with this politically or practically. That is the frigin truth. FACE IT!

-From the land of the Hobbits

Have you considered| 7.29.11 @ 1:40PM

I agree with you SimonT.

Also, what I think most people are forgetting is that, once this passes in the house, the senate will pass something, and then it will go to Conference.

This is where the caving in will really begin.

Once it comes out of conference, the house will be forced to vote on it, and of course the clock is still ticking.

It will be a lose/lose for the taxpayers....Again.

We are so screwed.

Indy| 7.29.11 @ 5:37PM

Yep, that is Plan C game over

Conservative View| 7.30.11 @ 10:05AM

Le Saint is correct again. I think, come 2012, the Tea Party is going to rise up and toss a bunch of self serving PPs (professional politicans) out on their cans. It will be old politicans getting kicked down the road along with the problem they refused to solve.

Conservative Bob| 7.29.11 @ 12:41PM

Smoke and Mirrors here we come.

I think the advantage will be greater than you are suggesting.

Our side needs to let Reid and co actually propose something.

The light of day will show Harry and the Dems for the frauds they are.

sre| 7.29.11 @ 12:55PM

It's not much, but it forces the Senate Dems to affirmatively reject the BBA. That might be a useable talking point for 2012.

glenny44| 7.29.11 @ 4:13PM

sre, you're right. It's good to require the Dems to vote AGAINST a balanced budget amendment, something the American people support and can understand w/o the LSM filters.
I'm in Louisiana. Sen. Landreau may have to think twice about voting against a BBA.
My friends in Nebraska, what about Sen. Nelson???
Missouri, what about McCaskill???
glenny

Kingofthenet| 7.29.11 @ 1:20PM

The Tea Party is examining Sovereign Debt. issues with a 3rd graders eye. National Debt is NOT like Personal Family Finances, more like business. It doesn’t matter how bad it gets you don’t want to destroy your future by cutting marketing or R&D or selling off all your good product lines to raise Cash. Families who run out of money face NOTHING but bad decisions, like Junior doesn’t go to College, and instead gets a job at the Mill, that has negative ramifications FOREVER!

simon templar| 7.29.11 @ 1:49PM

King Of Idiot Liberals:
I would prefer you just string a name of explicatives calling cnservatives stupid like the other trolls and be done with it. Your comments, particularly, this one is so stunningly inaccurate, out of touch with reality, ignorant, smarmy, and filled with utter nonsense, it leaves me speechless. I am afraid to admit that I was ever a liberal. In fact at my highest liberalism in my youth, I would have never made the insane ignorant claims you just made. That was the biggest load of deluded ignorant and false crap that I think I have ever heard. Speechless....

Truth to Power| 7.29.11 @ 2:46PM

McDonald's is hiring due to the President giving them an ObamaCare waiver. No more mills, just minimum wage jobs at companies that toe the Presidents line. Welcome to the corrupt world of the progressive. Hope and change.

Warrior| 7.29.11 @ 5:50PM

Jackass. The Federal Government is not in "business" nor is it a business. While you've posted stupid comments before, you have removed any doubts as to your inability to pass a pre-school history or economics course.

By the way, when America was at its strongest, many young teenagers went to work in mills and shipyards to help support their families. Families that run out of cash used to get a second job or reduce their budgets to meet expenses. Now, they apply for food stamps and section8.

Lastly, R&D should be paid for the the private businesses that compete in a capitalist market place. If their products are good, they will be rewarded by the consumer. Your socialist model is nothing more than a bunch of horse shit thrown together where you want the government to pick the winners and losers in a not so free enterprise system. A hearty middle finger is thrown in your direction.