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Title: On the cusp (Debt deal almost reached)
Source:
MSNBC
URL Source: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_new ... 338-first-thoughts-on-the-cusp
Published: Jul 22, 2011
Author: MSNBC
Post Date: 2011-07-22 10:07:30 by go65
Keywords: None
Views: 2723
Comments: 10
The Obama White House and House Speaker John Boehner are now thisclose to reaching a “grand bargain” deal. That framework includes spending cuts, plus entitlement changes and increased tax revenues (as part of a tax overhaul) that would come later. But there are two big hurdles left: 1) on the substance, and 2) on soothing egos. On the substance, the most contentious matter is how you “trigger” the provisions to guarantee completing tax and entitlement reform. The Democrats have offered a trigger of letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making $250,000 or more. Republicans, meanwhile, have countered that if those Bush tax cuts are hanging in the balance, they’d offer a trigger of their own to ensure Dem action: scaling back Obama’s health-care law and eliminating the mandate. Bottom line: If entitlement and tax reform is completed on time, then the Bush tax cuts and the health-care law don’t get touched. Also on the substance front, we’re hearing that there’s yet to be an agreement on the scope of the entitlement changes. And never mind the actual individual cuts on the discretionary side. Details, details. The K Street Army is gathering forces if this deal goes through because we haven't seen this much change in the way government spends and gathers money in a generation. And that brings us to soothing egos. There would be two winners if this deal gets reached: President Obama and John Boehner. Obama gets his deal, avoids default, and advances his brand -- as the Washington Post's Fixers write -- of being able to bring people together when others have failed. Boehner gets his deal too, accomplishes something historic, and provides some stability for his House majority. But here’s the deal: No one else wins. Not Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats who want to take back that chamber. Ditto Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans. So the next couple of days are all about soothing egos and convincing folks that it’s either this deal or nothing. By the way, one way Republicans are selling this to their rank-and-file, unlike previous "grand bargains" (think 1982 or 1990 or 1995) is this one has cuts up front. The best Democratic sales pitch is the Bush tax cuts aspect.
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#1. To: jwpegler (#0)
you might want to read the above a few times.
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And why is the Military Budget a separate issue. The fix is in...kabuki theatre. "But the major offices of the state, its laws, its apparatus and its division of labour (social as well as technical) were elaborated under bourgeois domination, thus giving us a concrete example of how a state becomes 'impregnated' (in Therborn's phrase) with the drives of a particular social class, the capitalist class, allowing that class to rule politically. So, this brings us to the role of the police, whose relationship to News International becomes all the more understandable once the former's role is better understood. This relationship included not merely the bribing of junior to middle rank police officers, and not merely wining and dining of senior officers, but the constant circulation of personnel between News International and the Met. There was a confluence of interests and a concert of actions. For example, when the police murdered Jean Charles de Menezes, it was the newspapers, particularly News International that they turned to to vilify the dead man. Lo and behold, we discover that News International was hacking the phone belonging to Menezes' cousin. And the favours were returned. The police not only failed to properly investigate News International's phone hacking when it was revealed, but actively applied pressure on the competition not to pursue the case.
Isn't today the deadline - in order to meet the August 2d deadline?
this was the day that Obama and others suggested was the cut-off for negotiations, but they could always pass a short-term extension. I'd bet now that you'll see a deal announced, then a short-term extension while the particulars of the deal are worked through.
Tagline for sale - inquire within
A few weeks ago the House quietly passed a military funding bill of nearly $700 billion, with a $17 billion increase.
Tagline for sale - inquire within
A few weeks ago the House quietly passed a military funding bill of nearly $700 billion, with a $17 billion increase. exactly. And the Bottom 90% think they actually have a choice. I keep thinking of Jude Law in the cattle car going to the Front at Stalingrad....Enemy at the Gate...;} "But the major offices of the state, its laws, its apparatus and its division of labour (social as well as technical) were elaborated under bourgeois domination, thus giving us a concrete example of how a state becomes 'impregnated' (in Therborn's phrase) with the drives of a particular social class, the capitalist class, allowing that class to rule politically. So, this brings us to the role of the police, whose relationship to News International becomes all the more understandable once the former's role is better understood. This relationship included not merely the bribing of junior to middle rank police officers, and not merely wining and dining of senior officers, but the constant circulation of personnel between News International and the Met. There was a confluence of interests and a concert of actions. For example, when the police murdered Jean Charles de Menezes, it was the newspapers, particularly News International that they turned to to vilify the dead man. Lo and behold, we discover that News International was hacking the phone belonging to Menezes' cousin. And the favours were returned. The police not only failed to properly investigate News International's phone hacking when it was revealed, but actively applied pressure on the competition not to pursue the case.
"Though the German is constantly told he is bailing out Greece, the truth is Greece is just the conduit: he's actually bailing out the EU's Banker Lords. We can clear up much of the purposeful obfuscation by asking: exactly what tragedy befalls Europe (US) if all the sovereign debt in the EU was wiped off the books? The one and only "tragedy" would be the destruction of the "too big to fail" banks, not just in Europe but around the world. charles hughes smith
Just as a refresher, here is a definition of kleptocracy: Kleptocracy, alternatively cleptocracy or kleptarchy, from the Ancient Greek for "thief" and "rule," is a term applied to a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats), via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even the pretense of honest service. The term means "rule by thieves". 8D
Obama and Boehner were denying that any grand bargain has been reached.
By the way, one way Republicans are selling this to their rank-and-file, unlike previous "grand bargains" (think 1982 or 1990 or 1995) is this one has cuts up front.
#2. To: go65 (#0)
#3. To: go65 (#0)
#4. To: go65 (#1)
this one has cuts up front.
#5. To: Fred Mertz (#3)
Isn't today the deadline - in order to meet the August 2d deadline?
#6. To: mcgowanjm (#2)
And why is the Military Budget a separate issue.
#7. To: go65 (#6)
And why is the Military Budget a separate issue.
#8. To: All (#7)
#9. To: All (#8)
#10. To: go65 (#0)
To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. — Thomas Jefferson
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