US POLITICS SPRING 2011: Let's just call off this country.

how the other side thinks:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271695/mcconnells-contingency-plan-rich-lowry

It’s beginning to get out on the Hill. It’s complicated, but here is the gist as I understand it: Congress authorizes in legislation the president to submit a request for an increase in the debt limit in three tranches over the next year or so, with corresponding proposals for spending cuts; when the president submits his request, Congress immediately considers a resolution of disapproval; if the resolution passes, the president can veto it and–assuming his veto is subsequently upheld–he gets the increase in the debt limit. Got it? More later…

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271706/more-contingency-plan-rich-lowry

[Approved commenter] John Galt

07/12/11 15:11

Hell. to. the. No.

I am calling McConnell's office right now. Unless he wants a 3rd party in American politics, he sould re-think this "contingency plan".

lol

whatever the outcome of this proposal, the damage has already been done wr2 Obama. that he was willing to slash SS and Medicare to meet a GOP-created crisis will not be forgotten soon.

eisbaer i think you're getting into "feature not bug" territory frankly

that he was willing to slash SS and Medicare to meet a GOP-created crisis will not be forgotten soon.

public has already forgotten about it. they can't even keep track of legislation that actually passed, much less crap that was just proposed.

hi guys! I went to lunch and suddenly "Kabuki" seems relevant again!

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/170987-mcconnell-fall-back-plan-that-leaves-debt-ceiling-hike-to-obama

The legislation would also require Obama to suggest spending cuts to accompany those increases in the debt limit, but would not require such cuts. The legislation would prohibit Obama from recommending tax increases along with the requests to increase the debt limit.

So are Dems gonna sign off on this?

If this is true, then the GOP has acknowledged openly for the first time that it's not serious about running the country.

re kabuki http://www.slate.com/id/2250081/

He's right. Into the ash heap it goes.

If this is true, then the GOP has acknowledged openly for the first time that it's not serious about running the country.

I know, right? It cedes all authority to the president. GOP just reserves the right to complain.

But what about this:

The legislation would prohibit Obama from recommending tax increases along with the requests to increase the debt limit.

oh no the president can't "request" something. he can "suggest" cuts though. *whew* CRISIS AVERTED

that he was willing to slash SS and Medicare to meet a GOP-created crisis will not be forgotten soon.

i guess i have trouble reconciling these two poles that we've traveled from "obama proposes liberal apocalypse" to "mcconnell proposes GOP nightmare" while still demonizing obama

They will shoot an already lame economy and throw the Republic into chaos just so they can 'starve the beast'. Lovely ppl; not patriots tho

maybe the reporting was faulty on exactly what obama was proposing? idk

is there any reputable source reporting on this story? it sounds insane

on of those corner links is apparently text from mcconnell's office

But look at this summary on a Washington Post blog--Mcconnell is still trying to force Obama to do what the Republicans want re spending cuts, or at least to force Dems to vote on the Boehner plan and Obama to decide whether to sign off on it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/mcconnell-unveils-debt-limit-plan-b/2011/07/12/gIQAjqh3AI_blog.html

Along with each debt-limit increase, Obama would be required to submit a proposal for spending cuts greater than or equal to the figure by which the ceiling was raised – a move that would be in line with House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) position in the debt-limit talks

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/170987-mcconnell-fall-back-plan-that-leaves-debt-ceiling-hike-to-obama

The legislation would also require Obama to suggest spending cuts to accompany those increases in the debt limit, but would not require such cuts. The legislation would prohibit Obama from recommending tax increases along with the requests to increase the debt limit.

So are Dems gonna sign off on this?

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, July 12, 2011 3:54 PM (18 minutes ago)

"obama" = "the president", surely?

Maybe House Dems (in my dreams) will say that they do not want to play this game that involves only spending cuts and will vote against it, as will Tea party Republicans who may not like it. Thus it won't reach Obama.

But they still separately will have to consider the expiring Bush tax cuts and Republicans will run gazillions of tv ads accusing Dems of the largest tax increases in history

anyway what are the chances of this actually passing? republicans control the house iirc

no cuts are required, unless I'm misreading something...? Obama can just raise the limit, congress gets to complain.

i think shakey's reading is right -- obama can't "recommend" tax increases, which doesn't mean that tax increases can't happen

Weird. A Democratic Senate could propose tax increases but they won't pass in the house. Cuts have to be suggested by the President but the various appropriation committees don't have to include them. The Washington Post says that moderate Dems in the Senate will not like the plan's requirement that they vote 6 times from now through election time on raising the debt

Telling the president what he can or cannot suggest is extremely stupid

Yes

^^^^ that's what the GOP will run ads about.

xxpost

it seems incredibly bizarre + also stupid for the republicans to bet that ppl are going to give a flying fuck about the debt ceiling come a year from now

This is a face-saving gesture, guys: it allows Macca to think he's holding the President and Congressional Dems responsible for "adding to the debt" when the 2012 elections begin, and it lets Obama keep his dignity intact.

Why do you think Macca made that statement today re we gotta get Obama out of the White House? He knows the score.

honestly they would've been better off writing that obama can't suggest that casey anthony was guilty & that the senate will have to vote 6 more times on whether or not they agreed w/ the verdict

http://dystimulation.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/suggestion-box-closed.png

Alfred otm that this is all election cycle posturing, which lines up with Michael's point that this is like a public admission that the GOP has no actual interest in governing. because they don't.

also now I can't get the image of a blobfish singing Let It Be out of my head

and none of this means a damn to anyone outside the Beltway.

ding ding ding....we have a winner

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/13/us/13secession.html?ref=us

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Natives here have long called this area the Inland Empire, a grand title for a stretch of cities about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Now, a few political leaders are hoping this empire will lead a movement to break off from the State of California.

Frustrated by a state government he calls “completely dysfunctional” and “totally unresponsive,” a conservative Republican county supervisor is pushing a proposal for roughly a dozen counties in the eastern and southern parts of the nation’s third-largest state — conspicuously not including the heavily Democratic city of Los Angeles — to form a new state to be called South California.

is this, like, a thing?

lol every smartass socal punk has been floating that idea for years, but only as an excuse to hate on NoCal some more between cans of Meister Brau

meister brau, that's my name, that name again is meister brau

possibly the high water mark of my adolescence was me & two other guys killing off a short case of MB during the lunch break at the mandatory driver's ed for people who got a speeding ticket class

Meister Brau! so many dubious college memories tied to that name

meister brau, that's my name, that name again is meister brau

― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, July 13, 2011 12:36 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark

IRL LOL

hahaha
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Natives here have long called this area the Inland Empire, a grand title for a stretch of cities about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Now, a few political leaders are hoping this empire will lead a movement to break off from the State of California.

Frustrated by a state government he calls “completely dysfunctional” and “totally unresponsive,” a conservative Republican county supervisor is pushing a proposal for roughly a dozen counties in the eastern and southern parts of the nation’s third-largest state — conspicuously not including the heavily Democratic city of Los Angeles — to form a new state to be called South California.

i grew up in SoCal. Riverside is the toxic waste capital and armpit of California. good freakin' riddance fascists!

I was born in Riverside.

true story

Meanwhile Congressional leaders and Obama are gonna meet again at the White House this afternoon. 3 weeks more or so of this, or will Obama capitulate before that time, no matter what is on the table -the McConnell plan or whatever.

uh McConnell's plan is a total capitulation by the GOP

As long as it doesn't involve Republicans raising taxes on the rich themselves, McConnell may see it as a partial victory. While we wait to see the outcome, some insiders are just fixating on the Boehner versus Cantor issues- this from the w. post-

Since pulling the plug on the deal, Boehner has been largely silent in the meetings, leaving House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to present details of the House’s position. On Tuesday, people in both parties said, Obama tried to reestablish Boehner’s primacy.

Cantor, who is advocating a smaller deal, at one point demanded that Obama offer the details of his vision for a “grand bargain.”

“Where’s your paper?” he asked angrily.

Obama snapped back: “Frankly, your speaker has it. Am I dealing with him, or am I dealing with you?”

ooh snap