Remember the "triggers" in the debt-ceiling agreement? At this point, congressional Republicans would like to forget them, at least the parts they came up with.
Let's take a moment to review. GOP lawmakers, in a move without precedent in American history, held the full faith and credit of the United States hostage. Democrats, fearful that the GOP wasn't bluffing, were willing to cut an unpleasant deal: $900 billion in debt reduction, on top of another $1.2 trillion agreement to be worked out by a so-called super-committee.
At the time, Dems weren't completely willing to roll over -- they wanted to create an incentive for Republicans to work in good faith on the $1.2 trillion in savings. Democrats proposed the threat of automatic tax increases to push GOP officials to be responsible, but Republicans refused and offered an alternative: if the committee failed, the GOP would accept $600 billion in defense cuts and Dems would accept $600 billion in non-defense domestic cuts.
Remember, the point was to create an incentive that the parties would be desperate to avoid. Pentagon cuts were Republicans' contribution to the process. The cuts were their idea.
Six months later, the GOP has decided it doesn't like its idea anymore.
Republican leaders in Congress have all but reneged on a key agreement they reached with the White House last summer rather than reconsider their unwavering stance against new tax revenue. [...]
"I've got concerns about the sequester," House Speaker John Boehner told reporters Thursday. "I've made that pretty clear. And replacing the sequester certainly has value. The defense portion of the sequester, in my view, would clearly hollow our military. The Secretary of Defense has said that, members of Congress have said it. But the question I would pose is, where's the White House? Where's the leadership that should be there to ensure that this sequester does not go into effect."
"Sequester" is budget-speak for across-the-board cuts. But the cuts he's talking about were part of a deal he recently claimed he'd honor.
Republicans still want the debt reduction; they just don't want to live up to their end of the bargain. As recently as November, the House Speaker was asked about the agreement he helped strike and he told reporters he would "feel bound" to honor it. That no longer appears to be the case.
What's more, Senate Republicans are getting specific about their preferred alternative.
Several Republican senators said Thursday that they had crafted legislation that would replace large planned cuts to defense programs with reductions in other areas. The proposed cuts resulted from last year's failure of a bipartisan panel to determine ways to reduce the deficit.
Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Marco Rubio of Florida propose replacing $110 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts for 2013 with a freeze in federal employee pay through 2014, all toward avoiding approximately $500 billion in cuts the Pentagon means to spread over 10 years.
The bill also seeks to restrict federal hiring to only two employees for every three leaving, until the size of the federal government workforce is reduced by 5 percent.
It's a curious approach to negotiating. As Republican lawmakers see it, the debt-reduction "compromise" should include $2 trillion in savings, without any tax increases on anyone, and without cutting priorities the GOP likes.
Time will tell if Democrats are amenable to GOP demands -- it seems unlikely they will be -- but in the bigger picture, this is quite a reversal. In effect, Republicans said in August, "If we fail, we'll accept these cuts we don't want." The same Republicans are now effectively saying, "It turns out, we don't like our idea anymore."
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The GOP is constantly saying it doesn't like its own idea anymore, whether it is on individual mandates, the DREAM Act or spending cuts.
Sorry Steve...
You are losing credibility when you use the word honor and Boehner in the same paragraph without being crystal clear that you are providing us with our daily laugh!
As always, the repuknican bargaining position is Give us everything we want and then when you agree to that we will say no!
Shameless reneging of a signed-off deal? Scroundrels, the lot of 'em!
Bring on the cuts, and stop the shenanigans! Hey Boehner - you're disreputable and your house of cards is about to be blown down by the election results of November, 2012! -Kevo
democrats should just do nothing, and let the cuts take effect. same thing when the bush tax cuts are ready to expire. do nothing and let it happen.
Agreed!
Dems need to stand united on this - they need to trumpet the GOP backpeddling as loud as possible, and often. Also, they need to bring to the table their $600 billion in cuts and demand that the GOP do the same. Get on all the social media and say, "We've tightened our belt on programs we hold dear - Now let's see your belt tightening." Stand firm, Dems. Make the case. And follow through!
What did I say back in July? This is exactly what I thought would happen once all the bloviating and hyperventilating was over. The President really is a Jedi Chessmaster, you know. ;D
Again and again and again, with the intent of being repetitious, I repeat that the annual cost of ameriKKKan militarization is about $1.3 TRILLION and not the $600-700 Billion most commonly stated by the corporately owned media.
The DOD budget is only the starting point of the cost of our militarization. That the Obomination administration has increased expenditures on militarization and not already reduced them is a disgusting failure on their part. That the repukes are arguing that Obama is gutting defense and not spending enough is a flat out miserable lie!
I ask everyone to answer the following: Do you honestly believe that we are getting our money's worth?
When you hear republican politicians talk about the government in DC being broken, remember that they are not complaining; they are bragging about what they have accomplished!
Yep. A few minutes of internet research will show how the game is played.
'Pubes claim "spending" is bankrupting the country but they never say spending on what. It's military spending. Federal revenue is twice the amount spent on welfare. If 'Pubes want a huge military fine, let them pay for it. But they are not, they are lying as usual. They claim the spending is on "food stamps" or "entitlements".
If Romney calls the Democratic Party the Democrat Party I'll call Republicans 'Pubes.
Republicans lie and cannot be trusted. What's not to understand, WMD anyone ?
And if Boehner is any indication, they're weasly little chiselers, too! Reptilicans are just too sad for words.
"Time will tell if Democrats are amenable to GOP demands"
In Barter Town; you bust a deal, you face the wheel.
The GOP does not have any principles. It never did. Otherwise, they would not have lost their 'permanent majority' they had had in 2002 which they promptly (maybe not soon enough) by 2006, for Congress, and 2008, for the White House. The turn around time is usually 4 years. Ditto when Newt was in town. The GOP took Congress in 1994 and then by 1998, the public mood had soured on them, even if a Democratic president won re-election in 96. So, since the GOP won handsomely in 2010, they will probably stay till 2014 in power in the House, and maybe Senate, but a Democratic president will most probably still win re-election in 2012, given recent historical precedent.
Leading right-wing commentators are saying the disgusting show 'Pubes are putting on they call the campaign for the presidency will disgrace Republican candidates so the Democrats take back the House and keep the Senate. Obama will win in a landslide. Romney poses no credible opposition.
I am hoping Democrats find the nerve to stand up to Republican extortion over extending Bush tax cuts. If they can be allowed to expire it will go a long way to reducing deficit. Increasing employment will reduce spending and increase revenue. When the feds no longer have to sell treasury bonds the rich will have to find some place else to put their money, and actually make jobs for a change.
In Dec. 2010 Obama extended Bush tax cuts two years, until the end of this year, after the election. Let's hope that Democrats sweep the election and thumb their noses at 'Pubes.
Sorry, the GOP have NO HONOR! And while they're trying to get the democrats to forget about those "Defense" cuts, they're still more than willing to screw over working Americans with more budget cuts!! They have lied, twisted their own words, and their very actions are traitorous to the 99% of working Americans - they all need to become unemployed next November!!
Repugnicants renegging on a deal is news? Yawn. Same ole; same ole. Seems planned and I think POTUS should call their bluff. There are consequences to your actions and children need to learn that lesson.
Here's the interesting part to me:
That must be the Jobs, jobs, jobs plan they touted all year. Cut more of them!
The President is slowly turning the GOP scorched earth tactics against them. What was viewed by the left as a lack spine and capitulation to GOP demands was in fact a tactical retreat that encouraged an over confident enemy to vastly over reach itself.
As the President allowed the GOP to dominate the conversation and demand ever more concessions their true nature and goals became even more starkly defined.
IMO the stage is set and all the Democrats need to do to achieve victory this fall is to use the GOP's own words and action to define them.
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" is the very simple tactical path to victory for the President and Democratic Party.
You're saying that he's using classic Soviet Army tactics against them?
That PROVES what they've been saying all along: he's a Communist!
No, he's a center-right moderate who has the self-control to stand by and let a fanatic, hopelessly corrupt movement implode. He's not a Cylon. He didn't have A Plan. And if he is and he did from the begining, it's about as organized A Plan as whatevertf was happening beyond season 2.5.
The President is not all powerful. He operates within a defined set of constraints. His most powerful tool is public opinion.
It is standard military tactics for all militaries, at least all intelligent militaries.
To follow in a military vein, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The President adapted and improvised. He appeared to lose the battle of the tax hike but look at the disarray of the GOP as they contemplate the military budget cuts.
President Obama will go down in history as a statesman of the first rank and one of the most accomplished strategic thinkers to ever hold the office.
Okay. I'm 63. I served in the AF from '67 to '71.
When people talk about cutting entitlements, even Social Security, I have to laugh.
In my ENTIRE life, I've seen that it is harder to cut money to the Pentagon than to any other government program. Even when the Secretary of Defense WANTS the cuts, Congress will still ignore them.
Thank you.
I am suspicious that the "debt trigger" is nothing but a ruse to cut defense spending without appearing to cut defense spending.
I would prefer a slimmer, smarter, military to a skinny, poorer working class. BHO's slim, smart military is beginning to look really good. Especially special ops. Really hot.
Repugs made the wager. Time to pay up.
The time to consider the foolish of eating the frog is before you swallow.
I doubt that 600 billion will hollow out the military. What it will do is force the military to replace private contractors with military personnel. When the government contracts end, so does the gravy train for these private contractors. There is a lot of money at stake for private contractors. The amount of the sequester is going to create a fight over what programs get cut and what bases get closed. These cuts are going to severely impact the southern states because we are shifting our focus to the Pacific which takes the West Coast states off the table for cuts. The lobbyists are going to be like a swarm of locusts when Congress takes up the issue.
"So be it," Speaker Boehner.
Is it just me or it is a pattern that the GOP current solution to any of this budget issue is more unemployment?
Very Bain if you ask me... ;)
When looking for the underlying pattern in GOP tactics simply look for the 1%'ers with a vested interest. Follow the money
For social issues simply look at who is being attacked. Follow the hate.
Hate and Greed are the basic functional operating programs for all GOP policy and tactics.
See starve the beast on Wikipedia. The GOP has been trying since Reagan to keep taxes low, spending high to try to rollback the social successes of the Dems.
Wouldn't it be interesting if the next debate was conducted under oath.