General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I Think Obama Is Bluffing [View all]Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)But you have to remember that in the end, should anything actually happen, it would have to pass through a House/Senate conference committee before it ever makes it to his desk to sign. I don't see it surviving that process, not with all of the pressure being put on by upset Dems (of which yours truly is one, having signed that petition from Sherrod Brown, and I'll be sending letters out to my two senators here in NJ re the same subject).
So Drum is right: let Obama propose, Sanders and the rest of us should keep beating him up for proposing it, and the Reps will continue to look completely unreasonable for not considering a proposal for which he is catching considerable heat on his left flank.
As has also been pointed out, the deficit has been getting incrementally better, and barring anything crazy will continue to do so. The Reps will find themselves without a real issue come next year. Everyone will be wondering what they're jumping up and down about.
It's a winning formula for 2014. That's the goal.