kaitainen wrote:
why would you ignore the spending cuts from the last made-up crisis / hostage situation in the summer of 2011 when you make that comparison?
and do you realize how much the s-b plan would raise taxes? obama is not seeking even remotely close to that amount.
are you saying that you'd support that type of tax increase, even though "it's the spending, stupid"?
I'm not ignoring them. I'm saying that was the baseline scenario last go-round that almost got done until Obama asked for a teensy bit more, and now it's not even remotely on the table because of this "so-called" mandate. I don't like any tax increase, but the Republican calculus is that they have nothing to lose here. Boehner's plan B allows for hikes on millionaires that even Grover Norquist has endorsed, despite the TEA party, but he knows Obama won't agree to it and has offered very little measurable spending cuts. So, either Obama goes along and offers more concrete spending cuts, in which case there can be some negotiation on all of the automatic hikes, or everything sunsets and economic growth stalls, but at least the spending cuts are in effect in a somewhat significant way and the Republicans can say they didn't vote to raise taxes.