Senior Republicans conceded Wednesday that a deal is unlikely on a contentious plan to overhaul Medicare and offered to open budget talks with the White House by focusing on areas where both parties can agree, such as cutting farm subsidies.
On the eve of debt-reduction talks led by Vice President Biden, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.) said Republicans remain convinced that reining in federal retirement programs is the key to stabilizing the nation’s finances over the long term. But he said Republicans recognize they may need to look elsewhere to achieve consensus after President Obama “excoriated us” for a proposal to privatize Medicare...
Democrats said they were encouraged by the move, which could smooth the way to a compromise allowing Congress to raise the legal limit on government borrowing and avoid a national default.
It's too early to declare victory:
Ryan has proposed slashing $127 billion from the food-stamp program, which was expanded during the recent recession. He has also suggested cutting contributions to federal worker pension plans and eliminating the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a centerpiece of recent legislation overhauling financial regulations.
And we still need to press on the dreaded (for Republicans) "t" word:
As talks progress, Van Hollen said Democrats will insist on scrutinizing the tax code just as thoroughly. One fat target for savings, he said, is tax breaks for major oil producers. “We still want the overall approach to be a balanced one” that does not focus just on spending cuts, he said.
But as Leonard Cohen says:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything...
That's how the light gets in.
Two things that I think got us here. First of all, Republicans are just returning to work from all of those town hall meetings where voters erupted about their proposal to "end Medicare as we know it." They can also read the polls - the Ryan plan is DOA.
And then there's this...
Good Morning, SP & others in this community!
ReplyDelete'Still, the offer suggests that Republicans and Democrats are engaging in the same exercise, scouring the proliferation of debt-reduction plans in hopes of cobbling together enough mutually acceptable ideas to cut a deal.'
So it has taken two and a half years of persistence (on Prez O's part), response to Paul Ryan's branchild, and the capture of bin Laden for the Republican 'leaders' to admit (?) that the President's approach to governing has some merit? I wonder which of these was the most powerful??? From reading the full article I got the impression that the Republican 'leaders' are not very experienced negotiaters. Both Cantor and Ryan seem to me to be putting themselves in a corner going in by stating what they want, so if they don't end up with all of it there's not much space to save face. Of course, I knew this before reading the article because their preferred negotiating stance that has been on display has been "my way" or 'no'.
Anyway, hearing that they are taking tentative steps in the right direction is encouraging. Children do grow - even adult ones. : )
Hi SP
ReplyDeleteThanks once again for a great post.
What strikes me is the comparison of the repugs as domestic violence criminals and the dems as their victims. The repug strategy to "take Pres Obama down" through pure resistance has worked brilliantly, help enormously by an ignorant public. The president has used to great effect persistent and perseverance just like he said he would in his press conference. The dems are in recovery with some of them less healed than others.
I do not think we bang on the repugs enough. Yes we can pressure the dems too but our major focus should be on the repugs through media, op-eds, calls, etc.
I believe the president is going to come out of these negotiations just fine.
Smlingl8dy
Hello, Smling. Good day to you!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that while I agree with your overall sentiment, I do not agree with the choice of the word 'brilliantly', nor do I agree that the president has been 'taken down'.
'The repug strategy to "take Pres Obama down" through pure resistance has worked brilliantly, help enormously by an ignorant public.'
I concur though that the President will come out of these negotiations with benefits for the country as a whole because he is just determined and caring enough about America's progress.
I'm still budgeted out on the budget but did enjoy Leonard Cohen. But my god, how did he come to be so old??
ReplyDeleteAnd the Obama photo––priceless!