RS
EDITOR OF REDSTATE
They Are Not Serious
Senator Helms once said, “Compromise, hell! That’s what has happened to us all down the line — and that’s the very cause of our woes. If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?”
The Democrats and Republicans in Washington may be trying to compromise, but they just aren’t that serious. They really aren’t. And now a bunch of House Republicans are going wobbly, backing down from holding the line, and willing to take John Boehner’s plan — a compromise wherein they are compromising only with themselves.
According to Forbes, a ratings downgrade would be worse than a technical default. Unfortunately, sources who have spoken to Standards & Poor tell CNN’s Erin Burnett that John Boehner’s plan — the one Allen West and others are lining up to support — would cause the U.S. to lose its AAA credit rating.
Why? No, ti has nothing to do with John Boehner embracing the McConnell idea of letting the President raise the debt ceiling without congressional approval and then letting Congress vote to “disapprove”. But it does that too.
No, it’s because the credit reporting agencies have said the U.S. Congress must show real cuts of $4 trillion or more. John Boehner’s plan doesn’t even come close in real dollar terms — excluding accounting gimmicks the credit agencies are not buying. John Boehner’s plan could best be called “Punt, Kick, and Pass.” It punts the problem to another stupid commission, kicks the can down the road, and passes more debt onto future generations.
So here is the great conundrum for the House GOP. Reid’s plan cannot pass the House. John Boehner’s plan probably can. Ultimately, John Boehner’s plan and Harry Reid’s plan are pretty close and both would probably result in a credit downgrade.
I suspect the House and Senate will use Boehner’s plan as a compromise and get it passed. House Republicans may think they’ll get another bite at the apple, but this could be it. But then, when the credit agencies downgrade our credit, the GOP will get the blame because it was the GOP’s plan that passed. Don’t believe me? I’d just point out Harry Reid intentionally opted not to have the debt ceiling fight back in December because he wanted Republicans to own it.
In fact, there is only one plan ready to go that meets the credit agencies’ demands for substantial cuts. It is called “Cut, Cap, and Balance.” It is only four votes shy of a majority in the United States Senate.
John Boehner has succeeded in dividing conservatives, even though many of them acknowledge Boehner’s plan will cause a credit downgrade.
It need not be this way. House Republicans could hold the line. They’ve compromised enough. Why not fight instead? Fight for cut, cap, and balance. it’s the only plan to avoid a credit downgrade.
The House GOP need not compromise. President Obama cannot afford to be the first President in American history to witness a default or credit downgrade. We’ve had 17 commissions in 30 years to cut our debt and the debt has gone up $13 trillion. What the House GOP is proposing is more of the same.
I interviewed Donald Trump last week and he pointed out the House Republicans are terrible negotiators. He said if the House GOP were fighting the revolutionary war, we’d still be British.
Instead of compromising with themselves, Republicans should hold the line on cut, cap, and balance and fight on.
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