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Charles Krauthammer is right

By: tooncesthecat (Diary)  |  July 23rd, 2011 at 12:13 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Krauthammer says that John Boehner and the House Republicans should call Obama’s bluff.  Earlier this week, he proposed that the Republicans should pass a $500 billion cut in spending and a $500 billion increase in the debt ceiling.   This would buy 3 to 5 months of time to work towards passage of tax reform and to sell CCB.  After the President’s press conference tonight, Krauthammer was furious.  He upped the ante by saying that the House Republicans should pass a short term increase in the debt ceiling and then recess the House for their summer break. Boehner should dare Harry Reid and Barack Obama to reject the short term increase.  Obama would have to either eat his idle threat to veto a short term increase or allow the government to default.  If they didn’t agree to the short term measure, then Obama and the Democrats would own the default.

Ron Johnson was on board with this plan tonight also.  He noted that the Krauthammer proposal would give Republicans the time and opportunity to sell CCB to the country.  It should be clear, however, that ultimately CCB will be the only acceptable path to a long term deal on raising the debt ceiling.  Given the polls that show the public  supports a balanced budget amendment (75%)–the House Republicans need to buy our side some time.  And conservative 527′s need to crank up the ads to sell CCB.  John Boehner needs to recognize that he can’t negotiate in good faith with the Democrats (or even Mitch McConnell for that matter)–the Krauthammer plan doesn’t require negotiations.  The House should immediately pass the Krauthammer plan and tell the President, Harry Reid, and Dick Durbin to take it or leave it.  Then they should go home.

Conservatives need to begin immediately pushing the Krauthammer plan as the only acceptable temporary back-up to CCB.  We should also continue to make it clear that the McConnell Pontius Pilate Plan is totally unacceptable and should not  even be debated or brought to a vote by the House–since Harry Reid stifled open debate  on CCB in the Senate.   I’m making my calls tomorrow.  And I’m ready to write a check to help pay for ads.

COMMENTS

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  • http://www.ipsnational.com Craig Whitelock

    Just a few days ago I was calling for a compromise, you know give and take. Well that’s not possible after Obama’s comments and his unwillingness to stop moving the goal line.

    Boehner should hold the House steady by embracing the Krauthammer plan, buy 3-5 months and take CCB to the American people who will support this approach if they understand the details. Toones is dead on.

    To Hades with Obama. Put him on a side car railing and forget he exists. We also need to find 4-5 very vulnerable Democrats in the Senate to work over during the 3-5 month extension.

    Now it’s time to unite behind CCB, and as Toones calls for, dump as much money into commercializing the CCB plan as we can afford.

    • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

      This is the problem that Erick E. has pointed out.
      We go in there with a “we must make a deal” and get jerked around by a President who seems to WANT the crisis to happen.

      Boehner is doing well, but is NOT going for the firm position we want. He has already, if you read between the lines, given up on cut cap balance as the framework.

      Yes he SHOULD embrace the Krauthammer plan as the LEAST dangerous. BUT he and obama want a ‘big’ deal….. FOLLY!!!!

      I dont see this as blood in the water, it looks more like a ‘defeat from the jaws of victory’ moment. How can Boehner be already giving up on $800 billion in revenues?!?!?!? We need to CUT $9 TRILLION to get back to balance.

      Way way way off course from what we need. Cut Cap and Balance was and is the minimum that we can do.

      • http://www.tooncesthecat.wordpress.com tooncesthecat

        even if we have to drag Boehner kicking and screaming to this position–which is pretty much what happened with CCB as we all know.

      • lastgopinillinois

        in front of the C-Span camera. Thats fine. What is better is that he has not actually changed his tune since way back in the spring when this thing got started. He is sticking to NO tax increases.
        There isnt a deal yet. So I am giving Boehner the benefit of the doubt for now.
        There would have been a deal by now if O and the democomms hadn’t backed out of an earlier agreement they had with the White house that called for restructuring the tax code (lowering the rates and broadening the base) which would have stimulated the economy, created jobs and brought in new revenue. The democomms came back to the table the next day and added in raising capital gains taxes and other tax hikes.
        Thats how the deal fell apart.
        Boehner has not budged yet from what he said in the beginning of this and so far he has stuck to it.

  • audax

    Congress needs to stay and fight. Fight Everything proposed by Obama and the Democrats. NO RECESS appointments for Obama! No Vacation for this Congress until January 2013!

    • dbkohl

      The House Passes $500B debt ceiling increase with $500B tax cuts… then they recess. They don’t go on vacation… they go back to thier constituents and push the CCB. It shuoldn’t be hard at 75% like the idea. But they garner support from home. Also, NOT being in DC, they Senate and Obama are stuck with what the House has passed. Take it or leave it. The GOP has acted (again)… and the Dems will have to act one way or the other… They can’t do nothing and Obama can’t vote “present”.

      It’s putting the screws to Ried and Obama, thats what this is about.

      • RealQuiet

        I didn’t get around to reading this until this morning. This is a good fall back plan since Reid tabled CCB.

    • edintexas

      The House can Recess without the Senate doing the same. The House has nothing to do with Advise and Consent on political appointments, that is solely a Senate responsibility.

      • audax

        …is it true that the Senate cannot recess without the approval of the House and vice-versa?

        • http://www.tooncesthecat.wordpress.com tooncesthecat

          The Senate and House operate under separate rules and each sets its own calendar and work schedule independently. So the House can recess without approval of the Senate and vice versa. However, both usually take a summer recess at the same time. This year it is scheduled from Aug 9 to Sept. 10.

  • jimmyneutron

    Krauthammer plan, but one of the main things I am concerned with is that I hope that any plan we pass (assuming that they don’t get CCB) is only a short term plan. I do not want Obama to be able to sweep debt ceiling increases under the rug until after the next presidental election! I would really like us all to see them asking for another trillion dollars several times between now and then.

    • http://www.tooncesthecat.wordpress.com tooncesthecat

      $1 in debt reduction for each $1 in spending reductions;
      spending reductions to be front-end loaded;
      no accounting gimmicks;
      and no tax increases;

      He suggests a five month plan. I personally prefer 2 months until the start of the new fiscal year. What’s relevant is that it would be short term to give time for CCB to get the extra votes needed in the Senate.

    • Spiral

      The debt ceiling is a double edged sword.

      Obama would like a debt ceiling increase large enough so that the issue does not come up until after the next election.

      But so do members of Congress. Members of Congress don’t want to have to vote to raise the debt ceiling 10 different times during the next 16 months.

      It’s one big poker game. And no one has a very good hand to play. There are no royal flushes, no four of a kind, no straights. Just a pair of 8′s.

      On all sides of the debate.

      • Spiral

        I like Charles Krauthammer. I think he understands more about politics than most people.

        But George Will hits the nail on the head in this column.

        Real Change Possible When Obama Is Gone

        The tea party, the most welcome political development since the Goldwater insurgency in 1964, lacks only the patience necessary when America lacks the consensus required to propel fundamental change through our constitutional system of checks and balances. If Washington’s trajectory could be turned as quickly as tea partyers wish, their movement would not be as necessary as it is. Fortunately, not much patience is required.

        The Goldwater impulse took 16 years to reach fruition in the election of Ronald Reagan. The tea party can succeed in 16 months by helping elect a president who will not veto necessary reforms. To achieve that, however, tea partyers must not help the incumbent achieve his objectives in the debt-ceiling dispute.

        • keysconservative

          In sixteen years our debt will be over $30 trillion, our dollar will be worthless, unemployment will be around 50% and there will be talk among the various States of succession. We don’t have sixteen years. We just don’t.

          • KC

            ….would increase the debt to $27 trillion by the end of 2021 per the CBO.

            http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12103/FederalDebt.pdf

            Assuming an average interest rate on that debt of 4% – over $1 trillion goes just to interest.

  • http://www.ipsnational.com Craig Whitelock

    you know we are right! Here’s what Vince Cable, British Business Secretary said earlier today “The irony of the situation at the moment, with markets opening tomorrow morning, is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American congress rather than the euro zone,”

    A few Right wing “Nutters” my arse. The American people want CCB to succeed. Time for the House to adjourn. All in favor…..

  • KC

    ….watch Boehner’s press conference after Obama’s Temper Tantrum? Did anybody besides me hear our glorious Speaker concede he had reached a tentative deal with Obama that included $800B in new, NET tax increases?

    Did anybody besides me blow a gasket when Boehner told us he is caving and backing off his solemn promise to NOT allow taxes to be raised?

  • steve010

    I can’t include everyone in on this, but I knew that the election in 2010 was a two step process. Real reform wasn’t going to happen until a President is elected in 2012 who won’t veto real reform and a Senate with at least 52 to 54 (R)s.

    What is important now is that BHO is shown to be incompetent. Any action that shows that BHO is potentially a good president is harmful to the two step process. Boehner can put the short term deal on the Oval Office desk and dare Obama to veto it. and the Obama spokespeople on the Sunday shows all indicated that Obama was ready to Gumby. And even if Obama vetoes it, Boehner can call for an override vote and dare the dems to vote against a debt ceiling extention. Lots of good stuff to run on in 2012,.

    • Spiral

      steve010,

      You are on top of things. I agree with your comments completely.

      George Will’s latest column pointed in the same direction.

      With divided government, the country can not change course.

  • http://www.tooncesthecat.wordpress.com tooncesthecat

    appears prepared to go through with some version of the Krauthammer plan, if all else fails. Geitner continues to insist they will reject a shortterm increase.

  • jeffreywturner

    Even when you don’t know what Krauthammer has said, saying that he is right about something is one of the safest statements a person can make. The guy is just a genius.