(Steve Esh) – 1. President authorized to increase the debt limit by at least $2.1 trillion, eliminating the need for further increases until 2013. Deal Removes Cloud of Uncertainty Until 2013, Eliminating Key Headwind on the Economy.
This enables Obama to look good until the 2012 elections are over. With this, the butcher’s bill will not come due until too late to change course and Obama can claim the Republicans are the architects of the inevitable resulting debacle. Now his posterior is covered and he can campaign on his “bipartisanship”, his “budgeting skills” and his “astute leadership”.
2. Immediately enacted 10-year discretionary spending caps generating nearly $1 trillion in deficit reduction; balanced between defense and non-defense spending.
When the deficit is projected to grow by more than $6 trillion in the same interval, this is not a reduction, it is a cynical, political token.
A 50/50 defense-domestic reduction split is shortsighted in the extreme. How can we know what our needs in each area will be in the next ten years, especially considering the Middle East? All this does is to allow the liberals and left-wing crowd to hold Defense hostage to their own domestic agendas.
3. Enforcement mechanism established to force all parties – Republican and Democrat – to agree to balanced deficit reduction. If Committee fails, enforcement mechanism will trigger spending reductions beginning in 2013.
Who are they kidding? The Democrats have already programmed several, well-spaced financial crisis via the Obama-Care bill that they will use to create major, timely distractions to eliminate public awareness of this provision. Does anyone expect the crisis architects will fail to exploit this? None of this is being addressed.
4. To Meet This Target, the Committee Will Consider Responsible Entitlement and Tax Reform. This means putting all the priorities of both parties on the table – including both entitlement reform and revenue-raising tax reform.
The key word is “Consider”. All a future committee needs to do is acknowledge the mere existence of this just before trashing it and they can then claim they met all the requirements of the “Deal!”
“Revenue-raising tax reform”? The devil will be in the details. Just whose idea of “reform” will this be? By agreeing to a vague, unspecific statement now, Republican merely give de-facto approval to anything that may come. Cave in now, cave in later.
5. The Deal Sets the Stage for Balanced Deficit Reduction, Consistent with the President’s Values.
Consistent with Barrack Obama’s values? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
John Boehnor, what exactly makes you fear the Democrats? Their name calling? The alphabet press will vilify you no matter what you do, so why not do the right thing anyway? Have you made some sweetheart deal you won’t reveal? A “compromise” does not consist of marching to your own five yard line and giving the first down to your opposition. Congratulations on providing Obama and his minions with re-election fodder!
(Steve Esh is a veteran, teacher, engineer, and pilot who has written and staffed for several political campaigns, hosted radio shows, and has been published in other publications. He is active with the Clark County Republican Party.)