You offered a sweetheart deal to the other side … and they turned it down. Further attempts at appeasement are pointless.
So -- short & sweet. You say: You want cuts? Here are some cuts. Starting with corporate welfare. Say:
(1) I will veto any budget bill that does not end the ethanol subsidies, now. Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline tax effective immediately. End to the oil-depletion allowance.
But what happens to the debt ceiling if the Teabaggers continue to stall? You say:
(2) As President, I am responsible for guaranteeing the full faith and credit of this country. I do so guarantee it. Promises will be met, debts will be paid -- regardless.
For: The Republicans recently offered the President what they hoped was a poisoned chalice, letting him unilaterally raise the ceiling and take the heat. Well, by now he’s fed up and not afraid of heat. Say: Yes, excellent suggestion. Our legal counsel has looked into the matter (Fourteenth Amendment yadda yadda), and have ruled that is constitutionally permitted or even required. As a professor of constitutional law, I agree. Let it be done.
Then the Tea Party types can squabble all they like.
*
This should be done because it’s the right thing to do. But it might prove more popular than would appear at first glance.
Re (1): This morning, the Boston Globe featured some stupid hoopla about NASCAR and ethanol. But check out the readers’ comments -- no-one is fooled.
Re (2): There’s frustration (building to fear) because Congress is flailing. Decisive action by a President who is deliberative (to a fault) and obviously not given to rash actions, could give everyone a boost in confidence.
[Update, Sunday afternoon, 31 July -- D-Day minus 48 hours]
As I write, Senate Republicans are filibustering. Filibustering !
This is criminal.
[Update, Monday (tick tick tick): Krugman.]
[Update 2 Aug 2011]
Well, one good thing came out of this mess: a grammatical epigram.
"It isn't the best possible bill, but it was the best bill possible."
(BTW... difficult to say this in French.)
[Update, Sunday afternoon, 31 July -- D-Day minus 48 hours]
As I write, Senate Republicans are filibustering. Filibustering !
This is criminal.
[Update, Monday (tick tick tick): Krugman.]
[Update 2 Aug 2011]
Well, one good thing came out of this mess: a grammatical epigram.
"It isn't the best possible bill, but it was the best bill possible."
(BTW... difficult to say this in French.)
"I will veto any budget bill that does not end the ethanol subsidies, now."
ReplyDeleteAnd how are the megafarms supposed to respond to that? They still have all the subsidy money already given to them. If Obama makes them angry enough, they'll spend it on negative advertising. It could be Hilarycare all over again.
The rightists and wingnuts have shown very little discretion in sliming our President. Attempting to placate them further is a fool's errand, as the debt-ceiling debacle demonstrated. Here, the best defense is a good offense.
ReplyDeleteWell, the only positive outcome I can see is that this is another empirical data point toward Lessig's hypothesis of "Good Soul Corruption" and it also added a new term to the English dictionary: super congress. Which rings extremely funny in my ears, since "super" is has a VERY positive connotation in German, while the American meaning is rather that of the emperor of congress ("Hail to the Super Congress!").
ReplyDelete