Political news, yo.

[geerussell]

I haven't seen anything out of congress or the white house to suggest they understand the condition of the patient, so their diagnosis is naturally pretty fucked up. We have a debt crisis but it's a private debt crisis not a public debt crisis. Nothing is going to improve until the underwater private sector finishes paying down debt and starts spending again. There's no substitute for time in this process and there is no instant fix for it through government action. Until it's over we have a deflationary cycle of low demand feeding unemployment feeding even more demand destruction.

The government can do one of two things. Spend more to prop up demand, softening the downturn keeping unemployment in check until the private sector has healed. Or the government can spend less causing more demand destruction, more unemployment making for a longer, more severe downturn.

All I see is Obama and Boehner arguing over how much worse to make it.

If you want to see shrinking deficits, the economy has to get through the downturn into growth where deficits automatically shrink as safety net spending decreases and tax revenues rise on the tide of a growing economy. Cutting into a downturn shrinks the economy, perversely making deficits even bigger.

[Glenn]

Should be pretty obvious why the Prez couldn't get an agreement with Boehner, Boehner can't even get agreement in his own party.

[Glenn]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the NY Post went with "Raging Boehner" as a headline, lol.

[Uncle Mxy]

I haven't seen anything out of congress or the white house to suggest they understand the condition of the patient,

I haven't seen too much by the patient to suggest they understand their own condition.

[UxKa]

I like cake.

[Tahoe]

Should be pretty obvious why the Prez couldn't get an agreement with Boehner, Boehner can't even get agreement in his own party.

Oh really? I thought Boehner passed something and your Prince Harry wouldn't let it come up for a vote in the Senate??? I could be wrong cuz I'm not following this and hyperventolating about everything like you are.

And see my sig, dumb ass, your Messiah couldn't even get one vote for his budget.

[Tahoe]

This is still a tragedy that the Dems took taxpayer money and didn't even pass a budget when they had control of EVERY FUCKIN THING!

What a bunch of TARDS! Seriously. What the fuck is wrong with you libs?

You dumb asses could have increased the debt limit then too.

Instead you whine and cry like lil bitches.

Seriously, LOL @ YOU!

[Uncle Mxy]

The Dems in Congress thought that, by kicking the budget (and the at-the-time associated debt limit) to the curb, somehow things would end up better for them in 2010. It was idiotic. Tahoe is absolutely correct on that point.

I am curious about how defunding defense is going to work out for the non-tea party Republicans.

[geerussell]

The Dems in Congress thought that, by kicking the budget (and the at-the-time associated debt limit) to the curb, somehow things would end up better for them in 2010. It was idiotic. Tahoe is absolutely correct on that point.

I am curious about how defunding defense is going to work out for the non-tea party Republicans.

In that vein, would you say this was naive, stupid or just the outcome Obama wanted?

Obama, at his press conference last December, announcing his surrender to the GOP on tax cuts; the questioner was Marc Ambinder:

Q Mr. President, thank you. How do these negotiations affect negotiations or talks with Republicans about raising the debt limit? Because it would seem that they have a significant amount of leverage over the White House now, going in. Was there ever any attempt by the White House to include raising the debt limit as a part of this package?

THE PRESIDENT: When you say it would seem they’ll have a significant amount of leverage over the White House, what do you mean?

Q Just in the sense that they’ll say essentially we’re not going to raise the — we’re not going to agree to it unless the White House is able to or willing to agree to significant spending cuts across the board that probably go deeper and further than what you’re willing to do. I mean, what leverage would you have –

THE PRESIDENT: Look, here’s my expectation — and I’ll take John Boehner at his word — that nobody, Democrat or Republican, is willing to see the full faith and credit of the United States government collapse, that that would not be a good thing to happen. And so I think that there will be significant discussions about the debt limit vote. That’s something that nobody ever likes to vote on. But once John Boehner is sworn in as Speaker, then he’s going to have responsibilities to govern. You can’t just stand on the sidelines and be a bomb thrower.

[Glenn]

I'm not as tuned into this stuff as gee and Mxy, but my feeling during all of this is that Obama knew that whatever he got behind, the party of no was going to oppose at face value.

By choosing to sort of stay out of the fray, he's getting what he really wanted/needed all along.

When you're not dealing with reasonable people, you have to adjust accordingly.