Before walking out of the room, Cantor said, the president told him: “Eric, don’t call my bluff. I’m going to the American people with this.”

Thanks for the idea. Champ, you’re the greatest.

You’ve had your three pressers with your adoring journalists, now it is time for the GOP to take the case to the American people.  For the time being, that might be hard to do with Mitch McConnell negotiating to provide cover to Harry Reid’s vulnerable Democratic Senators.  Now in defense of McConnell, he has a very hard job with this kind of enormous challenge. I certainly sympathize with trying to figure out something that can pass the Senate and stand a chance of passing the House as well.   However, sometimes you have to walk away and take your case to the voters.  Here is why:

A fall-back plan to avert a national default is under negotiation by Senate leaders and is on track to be unveiled by Wednesday or Thursday of next week, according to a Senate Democratic aide.

Senate leaders estimate they will have to have the contingency plan ready to go by Thursday to have enough time to get it passed through both chambers by Aug. 2.

A Democratic aide said it would likely take nearly two weeks to pass it because of expected filibusters.

Assuming McConnell is actually thinking of going ahead with this, the Democratic aide is likely talking about Jim DeMint and the conservative wing raising a stink.  Here lies the main fundamental problem with McConnell’s approach and fall back plan.  He is putting the GOP Senate in a position to filibuster, not the Democrats.  When a party filibusters, they are playing defense and look like obstructionists which is what apparently Boehner and McConnell fear.

Make Reid and Democratic Senators filibuster.  Make them and President Obama vote “no”

So how does Boehner and McConnell do that?  Simple. Let Boehner take the reins:

Walk away from the negotiating table and take your case to the American people just like the president did.

1. Your message to the American people should be clear.  The people sent you to do a job in Washington and that message was clear and still is today:  DO NOT INCREASE DEBT ANYMORE, DO NOT INCREASE TAXES.  We have heard the American people, we will do just that and here is how we will do it:
2. We will pass a bill that will cut spending so that there is at minimum a zero net increase in the debt ceiling.  We will do it with spending cuts that are clear that will start in the immediate future, will be in writing and will be law, not based on some murky promises or understandings that would be conveniently forgotten eventually. If the Senate or the President turns the bill down or ignores it, we will send another bill right back up and we will continue to do so because that is the will and the demand of the American people.  No matter how many times it takes, we will do so though the Senate and the president may show their utter defiance and contempt for the voice of the people and our nation’s economy with each time they turn fiscally responsible legislation down.

Further Confirmation

From the Hill article that was linked earlier:

The leaders are also talking about adding a provision that would set up a special bipartisan committee in Congress that would recommend additional savings that could be brought straight to the floor for an up or down vote. The committee would be modeled on the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC).

McConnell has asked that the special committee recommend its savings package by the end of this year while Reid prefers the recommendation come after the 2012 election.

As was stated a few nights back, it’s about keeping any foothold in the Executive and Legislative branches past 2012 for the Democrats.  I have to admire the strenuous, Herculean effort of Golum Harry Reid  protecting his preccccccioussssss Democratic Senators from taking tough votes that would provide them no cover. 

Cuts are going to be necessary and will continue to be so as long as unemployment is at the level it is currently at.  Heck, this is a whole other economic discussion that I’ll post some other time.  The Democrats love to talk about raising revenue (taxes) to right the ship.  Fundamental Economics 101:  You don’t raise revenue by raising taxes on the job creators or on the people in general,  you raise revenue with job growth and getting government regulation out of the free market economy that has made our country great.  The financial difficulty that this country is in is very serious.  We need to confront this, start to turn around our financial direction and…to quote Ronald Reagan:

“The Time is Now.”