The “fiscal cliff” and the art of negotiation
The “fiscal cliff”, a phrase that I believe was coined by Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is rapidly approaching. Most American’s probably have no idea what it is, but, they view it with fear and trepidation because the main stream media tells them to do so.
Personally, I think we will survive. Heck, if we could survive the end of the world on Friday (per the Mayan calendar), a mere “cliff” should present no problems.
On to negotiation techniques.
During a meeting between the President and Speaker of the House, John Boehner, Mr. Boehner,
told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
That should certainly move the discussions along nicely.
At another point,
[i]n an Oval Office meeting last week, he [the President] told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.
That is, assuming that anyone (other than my brother) will listen to either the inaugural address or the State of the Union speech. But by now we all know that regardless of what happens it will always be the Republicans fault.
So let me leave you with two question?
Does anyone remember an administration, other than this one, that is as thoroughly consumed with blaming someone, anyone for anything (real or imagined) that happens?
And, whatever happened to taking responsibility?
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Our leaders must do everything in their power behind closed doors to avoid the fiscal clich?, and if they can’t solve this crisis, we must come up with a new catchphrase to spur lameduck action before the new Congress is sworn in.
Holy crap ! You mean to say this isn’t bush’s fault? First time in how long?? Naw? it is his fault they just forgot for a day.
The fecklessness of both political parties is on display here.? Both parties have refused to address the pending changes, and both parties act as though they are innocent bystanders with no responsibility for the calamity that awaits.? A pox on both their houses.? Here’s a questioning answer to both your questions:
Why should we not consider both political parties, like mafia factions, to be competing criminal enterprises?
Or perhaps the art of pantomime negotiation.? I get the impression that all this posturing amounts to no more than angling to affix blame for what neither party is willing to actually address and both know is coming down the road for us.? Since the president holds the cards in this morbid slow dance he should bear most of the responsibility for what happens.
The numbers make the best case against Obama’s punish only the rich demagoguery and the Republicans failure to use them tells me that they are not really interested in solving the problem any more than the Treasodent.
Step one for every Rep. who appears on any talk show:
“We’re 16 (I can’t remember the new number) trillion in debt that today’s babies will be paying off.
We haven’t had a budget for the past 4 years so there is NO accounting of what is spent for what.? Congress has been spending like sailors on shore leave.? Our babies will pay for it.
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How can we trim a budget if there is NO budget to trim?? Who decided to give the billions to Solyndra?? (and then name at least 5 other expenses…GE perhaps?)?
We need the average American housewife who realizes you can’t spend what you don’t make and live a good life to take over the budget for this country.? They deal in facts.
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Etc…
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To keep up with what the government is currently borrowing without paying one cent toward previously accrued debt just by raising taxes (the Treasodent and his fellow libs has refused to cut spending) we need an across the board tax increase of 36% on every single wage earner.? Just on the basis of that, the “millionaires and billionaires” demagoguery doesn’t hold any water.
In negotiating, you have to be ready to walk away, risk it all and let the other side know that further “concessions” are coming from them. Obama has done just that. The Republicans have been outsmarted again.?
Mr. Boehner would have served us better if he had just said that the only thing the Republicans would negotiate would be the size of the spending cuts. Period.
All of this continued political theater is ever so boring. Same old, same old. My popcorn has gone stale.
In line with the above, I would like to know when the approximately 50% who don’t pay income taxes will start paying their fair share??? (What happened to the Flat Tax idea?)
Oh, no one has dared mention those people.
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For most of my life, I have enjoyed the “game” of politics. Wikipedia defines politics,”it consists of social relations involving authority or power and to the tactics used to formulate and apply policy”. ?When responsible adults are formulating and applying policy, the citizens can “win” within a balanced ebb and flow of power. However, when the tactics used are blackmail and assignment of blame, the citizens can’t win. The only winner will be the chosen few who support the thugs on top.
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My marriage is on the rocks, because my wife ( who I always THOUGHT was an ‘intelligent woman’ ) is the type of person who ALWAYS makes an excuse for Lib ‘lunacy’ by saying things like, ‘Well…..maybe they were trying to’ etc! I should never have married a Massachusetts liberal…. it’s been hell. She of course blames ( BUSH ) for everything and I have spent TWO years trying to convert her via FACTS… but it’s like, LIBERAL thinking is a quagmire of nonsensical thoughts. Weeks before the Presidential election, I asked her..”Are you FOR this?” ( She replied ‘yes’ ).. I asked, “Are you AGAINST this??” .. ( She replied “Yes” ).. I asked, “Do you WANT this??” ( She replied, ‘Hell no’ ) so I then explained that of the dozen or so questions I’d asked, Everything she was FOR ( Obumma was against ) and everything she was AGAINST, ( Obumma was FOR!! ).. Did it help?? Hell no! Another co-worker told me how for the past YEAR prior to the election, that he and his wife often discussed politics and all the while, he believed they were on the ‘same page’, then he told me with ‘incredulity’ how as they LEFT the voting place and got into the car he said, “Well that’s TWO for Romney”… then noticed how she looked…
unreal the crap that comes out of obama’s mouth.
Before the election, Obama would say and do anything to stay elected. Now, he will say and do anything to stay in power. After all, who are we focusing so much time and energy on? He REALLY BELIEVES big government is the solution.?
That’s a tricky proposition to argue against. The only real proof to counter that belief is for government to not take care of him and the likes of him.?
How do you get those in the wagon to get out and push?
As long as enough choose to not pass that demagogue’s rhetoric through the filter of critical thinking, our doubt is irrelevant.? Mass ignorance empowers him and his left wing activists.
A liberal is merely a conservative who hasn’t been taxed enough already! I’d like to see the media and Hollywood taxed until they wake up and smell the coffee! ?If the Dems lose the ladies on the view, then the pendulum will start to swing the other way.
Never let a perfectly good crisis go to waste (even if you have to create the crisis)