The Deal To End All Deals
by digby
So the President explained this morning that the most important thing is to "send signals" that we are serious about spending cuts (he didn't specify who we are sending them to.) Also, it would be better if millionaires have to "sacrifice" what amounts to tip money so that old and sick people will feel better about living in even worse poverty than they already do. (This would seem to be what's become of the Grand Bargain) And finally, progressives should support this "deal to end all deals" because if we cut spending to fix the deficit then we'll be able to start spending again on all the things we really care about. (He didn't say anything about "birth pangs" of a brave new world, but I did have to step out for minute so I might have missed it.)
Judging from my twitter feed, many liberals are soothed by this message so I'd guess he's looking at a winning formula. I do have to wonder how the president is going to slip enough Ecstasy into the GOP water cooler to make them cooperate with that wonderful plan.
I've been rooting for McConnell for the past couple of days, but it looks like the Democrats have decided to screw that up too. Here's Greg Sargent:
Larry Kudlow, who’s plugged in with Congressional Republicans, scoops a key new detail about the emerging Mitch McConnell proposal to transfer control of the debt ceiling to the president:
McConnell is negotiating now with Sen. Harry Reid for a large-scale package that will allow the debt ceiling to rise unless overturned by a two-thirds vote. If a White House debt-ceiling deal comes through with $1.5 trillion of spending cuts, that will be part of the package. Right now, it’s not completed because enforceable spending caps have not been determined.
The key part of the new McConnell package is a joint committee to review entitlements in a massive deficit-reduction package. Unlike the Bowles-Simpson commission, this committee will be mandated to have a legislative outcome — an actual vote — that will occur early next year. No White House members. Evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. No outsiders. This will be the first time such a study would have an expedited procedure mandated with no amendments permitted. Also, tax reform could be air-dropped into this committee’s report.
A source with knowledge of the emerging proposal confirms to me that while nothing has been finalized, this is where the discussions are headed.
I'm afraid that the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that grandma must pay, come what may.
And the sad thing is that because Democrats have a right wing opposition party that's batshit insane it means that they can run as Ronald Reagan and people feel they have no choice but to vote for them anyway. It must be so liberating for politicians not to have to worry about the effects of their policies on real people.
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