Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Latest Word

There goes Pelosi... Biden... Reid... And there's Obama last out of the clown car.

Now we hear that Obama has offered Le Grande Bargain.  They're talking $4 trillion in deficit reduction that includes cuts to entitlements, discretionary spending and increased revenues.  The devil is obviously in the details - my guess is the Social Security cuts are means tested - but this is especially true of the revenue portion.

Having proposed this, we shall see if there is anything the GOP will do with it.

On the one hand, Obama has called the GOP bluff on deficits and simultaneously endeared himself to the Very Serious People of Washington who LOVE Le Grande Bargain.  For them, Tip O'Neill and St. Ronald of Reagan sitting down together and saving Social Security is the awesomest thing ever in the history of forever and ever amen.

If the cuts are bad, I have to wonder WTF Obama is doing.  Defending Medicare and Social Security is the route back to a Democratic majority in the House.  Unless maybe he's offering an unbelievable package to the GOP, knowing they will vote against it, cementing for even the most serious of Very Serious People the idea that the GOP is f-ing nuts.

It's the old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.

UPDATE: I think John Cole is right on target here.

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