Reply #16: No, though he probably did better than they expected him to do. [View All]

[Tom Rinaldo]

Republicans won important strategic long term political goals, and for the most part they only had to release hostagges in order to win them. Most of what Republicans "gave up" essentially were issues that in previous decades would have been considered non partisan though impportant. The START Treaty is a good example of that; extension of unemployment benefits with unemployment holding at over 9% is another example of that In other words Republicans bartered away political deals that in prior years never would have been part of horse trading.

Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a real Democratic victory, but Republicans were trading away a position that had an approaching expiration date anyway. It would not have been repealed this or next year without the horse trading, but each year public support for ending Don't Ask Don't Tell has been growing and Repuboicans know it. In two to four years it no longer would have held any hostage value to them and would have been a political embarrassment to keep opposing.

Democrats got middle class tax cuts but Republicans wanted those also ALONG WITH upper class tax cuts of course. And Republicans got a sweet deal on Capital Gains taxes AND weakened Social Security with the "payroll tax holiday". Democrats got to take steps to improve the short term economy but again, Republicans in prior years would not have held the economy hostage to gain political ground and this year they were able to.

What Republicans got that really really matters is hard core validation of their ideological approach to essentially all economic issues; lower taxes and a freeze on spending (except on war) that will likely lead to irresistable pressure to significantly cut government spending and a speeding up of the shrink government and privatize everything movement.