RSS Feed Menu
The New York Times reports:
The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said Tuesday that a bipartisan budget deal with President Obama was probably out of reach, and he proposed a plan under which the president could increase the federal debt limit without Congressional approval for offsetting spending cuts.
Mr. McConnell’s proposal reflected a growing sense of pessimism on Capitol Hill about the prospects that Mr. Obama and Congressional leaders could come to terms on a budget deal before the government’s borrowing authority hits its limit on Aug. 2. The negotiators sat down for another round of talks at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
In an interview with CBS News, Mr. Obama said he “cannot guarantee” that the government can pay benefits next month to Social Security recipients, veterans and the disabled if Congress does not increase the federal debt limit, raising the political stakes even as Republicans hardened their opposition to him.
Mr. McConnell’s proposal would give Mr. Obama sweeping power to increase the government’s borrowing authority, in increments, by up to $2.4 trillion — enough, it is estimated, to cover federal obligations through next year — only if Mr. Obama specified spending cuts of equal amounts. But Congress would not have to approve the spending cuts prior to the debt-limit increase.
It is not clear whether House Republicans would sign on to such a measure, given their drive to extract deep spending cuts in return for any debt-limit increase.
One might take this as a capitulation.
At least Red State came out with an initial headline that it was time to Burn McConnel In Effigy!
This is the epitome of political cowardice. Rather than a willingness to engage in a genuine negotiation leading to a compromise decision on raising the debt ceiling, McConnell twists like a pretzel to find a way to continue the conflict and the political rhetoric while blaming the president for the Republican failure.
I have trouble looking at this person.
I have to look away when he comes up to speak..
He looked like he was sweating when he came to the podium
tonight to make his big announcement..
He has one goal in mind and has made it perfectly clear.
He will not support the President in anything, .
I would like to see him retire and go home asap..
(I will pray)
Ppppplleeaze, Mr. McConnell! Please don’t throw us into that briar patch!
I have a hard time seeing this as anything other than capitulation. It completely abrogates responsibility for making any decision on the subject. It completely gives away any negotiating position the GOP had on deficit reduction whatsoever. It places the responsibility on President Obama and gives him nearly unilateral power to raise the debt ceiling limit, with the potential for Congressional veto. This isn’t even “small-ball.” This is NO ball.
The only things I can take from McConnell’s move are:
- The GOP would rather walk away from this issue than allow taxes to increase in any form in any amount.
- The GOP would rather walk away from this issue than allow party unity to be damaged — and I suspect McConnell’s move is mostly about this issue. He must be sensing that his own caucus and Boehner’s caucus are gonna go for the “Grand Bargain” in just enough of a margin to get it to pass with Dem support. Which would be — shock! amazement! — ACTUAL bipartisanship! But which would come at the cost of party unity and which would pretty much completely sour the Tea Party crew (and the base) on the GOP old dogs.
- The GOP believes that the raising of the debt ceiling would be sufficiently unpopular on its own that this particular move is the one which would cause Obama the most pain. Although I think they misread that. If they punt on this, my sense is Obama COULD go for this deal rather than a smaller one, but I’m not sure on that.
Regardless, it’s pretty stunning to see McConnell trot this out. They must take their party unity VERY seriously. If I’m Obama, I’m smelling blood in the water at this point. Time to lean on some GOP defectors.
wsj reported on this yesterday, with the headline that mcconnell didn’t think any deal was possible as long as obama was in the white house. which is a stunning statement.
but as far as the deal, the mechanics of it are such a fig leaf. it allows the republicans in both houses to maintain the illusion of their tax virginity by changing the vote for raising the debt limit into a vote to not allow the president to do it. so of course, all republicans get to happily vote yes- don’t let him ruin our economy. then obama gets to veto them, and the republicans get to strive mightily to over-ride the veto, but will sadly come up just short. all of this charade gets played out three times, once for 700B, and twice later on for 900B. and the president has to propose matching bugdet cuts for each raise of the ceiling, but congress reserves for iteself the right to vote affirmatively on that one, so obama gets tarred for raising the debt, but they get to claim credit for cutting costs.
so crazy, it might just work. unless, that is, the democrats decide to vote “present.” or it might just be illegal on the face of it. only congress can borrow, the most they can do is affirmatively delegate administration of that. the president cannot simply veto his way into expanded power.
so the entire plan, from the very fact that it was conceived, to what it contains, to how it was presented represent a massive failure to govern responsibly. mcconnell- grow a pair, take your lumps and make your country better.