Knaves, Scoundrels and Fools

We just got a tax hike. But if Jay Leno does his "Jaywalking" segment tonight most folks will say we got a tax cut, except for the rich who were asked to "pay a little more". Nevermind that middle-class rates remain exactly the same as the Bush tax cuts which were demagogued as "unaffordable" and were responsible for "unpatriotic exploding deficits" and were part of "what got us into trouble to start with". Nevermind that they just kicked the can down the road for a couple of months. Nevermind that spending was hardly addressed at all. Nevermind all that. We mustn't mention that. This was about "fairness".

Oh well, as they say, if it happened it was necessary. But I believe what a Mr. E. A. Blair once said "... we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time; the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality". So we've got tax hikes with tiny, miniscule spending cuts which will impact the debt and deficit not one iota. And the foolish Republicans participated in this Kabuki dance to the delight of the Democrats and the media.

Did you ever see that Tom Cruise movie in which the protagonist's teenage buddy, in an effort to get the kid to raise a little hell while the parents are out of town tells him -and please, pardon the language- "Sometimes you gotta say what the fuck, make your move"? Well that's what Boehner and McConnell should have done. They should have said no deal, and here's why.
•No matter how this all plays out the Republicans will be blamed short term but Obama will be blamed (or praised) long term. There are no quick fixes to this mess, and one high profile negotiation will make no difference politically or economically.
•Right now we're at a disadvantage, wait awhile until the debt ceiling debate can be thrown into the mix. Let American feel the sting of Obama's policies. When the Dems start squawking run ads showing them vehemently and vocally opposing Bush's tax cuts. Feed them their own words until they choke.
•We need more time to crank up the pressure and make our case. Get the word out, be aggressive. Spending is out of control, it is unsustainable, we'll crash and burn etc.
• Then, if at the end of the day, after you're sure the American people have the facts and they still prefer the Democrat approach then that's fine. The Republicans should make a statement of principle, speak with once voice and say we realize the American people have chosen the President's policies over ours, we strongly disagree but we won't stand in the way. We will do everything within our power to make them work, but a square wheel is a square wheel and we're not optimistic. Just remember, this is the President and the Democrat's doing with the full knowledge and approval of a majority of the American people. We disagree but let the chips fall where they may.

This way we make sure whatever happens, the Democrats own the outcome. But for Republicans to just play the game, vote against their principles, kowtowing to media threats and acting like cowards is different from acquiescing to political reality. The only thing Republicans will get out of this deal is the blame when it all goes ass over tits. The Republicans have given Obama everything he could possibly hope to get, including political cover.