Congress may try blocking cuts if debt panel fails

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By ALAN FRAM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Failure by Congress' debt-cutting supercommittee to recommend $1.2 trillion in savings by Wednesday is supposed to automatically trigger spending cuts in the same amount to accomplish that job.

But the same legislators who concocted that budgetary booby trap just four months ago could end up spending the 2012 election year and beyond battling over defusing it.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., say they are writing legislation to prevent what they say would be devastating cuts to the military. House Republicans are exploring a similar move. Democrats maintain they won't let domestic programs be the sole source of savings.

In the face of those efforts, President Barack Obama has told the debt panel's co-chairmen that he "will not accept any measure that attempts to turn off the automatic cut trigger," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters last week. The leaders of both parties in the House and Senate have expressed similar sentiments - seemingly making any attempt to restore the money futile.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20111121/D9R53CBG0.html

[Fumesucker]

1. No one could have predicted..

:eyes:

[liberal N proud]

2. I am sure the only cuts they will block are the defense cuts

They actually want the Social Services cuts.

[aquart]

3. Congress: worst comedy act ever booked.

[DetlefK]

5. Better or worse than during the last seasons?

[Plucketeer]

21. Ya gotta give 'em credit tho...

They ALMOST got the name of this group right. I mean, phonetically, it's SO damned close! Of course, it's not really SUPER committee, it's STUPOR committee.

And if youi THINK about it, it's existance is really evidence that congress is as fed up with congress as the rest of us are.

[aquart]

28. The first syllable of Congress is con.

Which means what? Against? Anti? Opposite? Or a fraud?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. Sure

Lets drive the stock market into a further tail spin.

Idiots.

[No Elephants]

6. SNAFU, FUBAR.

[Yo_Mama]

7. The credit agencies will downgrade if they do

I don't think that's really an option.

They could choose to shift how the cuts are implemented, but if they simply reverse it the agencies have said they expect to downgrade.

[snooper2]

8. HA HA HA HA HA HA

Take that you stupid fucking repukes...

Came around to fuck ya didn't it, nice and hard. Slash that miltary budget :)

[caraher]

9. No surprise, but...

what I see coming is more asymmetric political warfare, where the Republicans draw a firm line in the sand on the military and the Democrats fail to do the same for domestic spending, and it turns into an election-year capitulation because no Democrat want's to be tarred with the "failed to support THE TROOPS" brush.

[nineteen50]

10. They can't let the military be cut now

Obama is all neo-coned up over Iran.

[bemildred]

11. The puppet-clown show continues. nt

[sarcasmo]

12. Congress, doing what they do best

Nothing!

[SoCalMusicLover]

13. This Country Is A Joke

Fits in with the other countries around the world that are jokes.

[GOTV]

14. They were for cutting spending before they were against it.

[savalez]

15. yep, let's see how flip-flopping goes over.

[savalez]

16. It's the Cry Baby Boehner congress in action!

Oops, accidentally added a space. I meant "inaction".

[AngryAmish]

17. Why do we elect these assholes?

[DiverDave]

18. Because nobody really pays attention

to who they vote for...just who slings the most mud

[dotymed]

24. I don't think "we" do.

With the easily hacked voting machines and the over-the-top corporate money added to the low voter participation in America, I don't think "we" have a damned thing to say about who is selected.

We deserve a complete overhaul of the electoral process in America. Compare "our" system with that of any 1st world nation. Just like health care, it is all about profits and we are dead last.

Private money should and could easily be taken out of our electoral process. A few public service requirements of our media would enable every candidate EQUAL air-time, so people could vote on issues not all of the slander and lies.

Require that ALL votes be hand counted and independently verified, with receipts given to all voters in case there is a dispute. (the purple fingers "worked" for Iraq. Of course (like us) they could vote for the puppet or the puppet.

Make it illegal not to vote or (at the least) incentivize voting. Actually, if our votes do count, there are incentives to vote already. Mandatory voting is needed.

When I "worked the polls," the inequity was glaring. At "my" voting place, we had 2 Democrats and about 12 repubs working there. I witnessed (eventually I was escorted out by "the law") voter caging and a multitude of irregularities in addition to the non-existent work ethic of the repubs there, who chose to play and eat instead of doing their job.

Making America's elections actually work is a simple task, as is solving many American "problems." Yet, TPTB convince people that our problems are anything but easily fixed. So the majority actually reinforce the insanity.

[NoodleyAppendage]

19. ...but I guess the cuts to domestic programs are fine? This was planned long ago.

Someone please explain why automatic tax revenues were not in the automatic budget deficit agreement should the super committee fail? Oh, that's right, our lame ass President didn't fight for them...

J

[blackspade]

20. shocked!

not.

[Turbineguy]

22. Congress is winning however.

Yesterday I saw a Man on a street corner selling apples.

[SoapBox]

23. I say cut, cut, cut MILITARY.

Time to take care of Americans at home, for a change.

And we want to now put military in Australia? Forget it!

[bluestateguy]

25. Every time I see this same story being floated in the media

and it is always about how Congress is going to untrigger the defense cuts from ever happening.

I never seem to read about similar committments to undo the cuts to Medicare providers.

[alp227]

26. Filibuster! FILIBUSTER!

[Volaris]

27. Threatening to Veto this kind of thing and ACTUALLY vetoing it are 2 different things...

If he actually DOES it, then Congress (especially the GOP-controlled House) has gotten EXACTLY what it asked for, and therefore deserves...to get shot with the loaded gun they pointed at the Executive Branch when they held hostage the debt-ceiling (right?)

They thought they could get the Pres. to agree to this Super-committee deal, complete with massive defense cuts if he just caved on the debt ceiling, AND that he would never dare to actually hold them to account, which is the deal they got. Now they are crying because they actually had to try and do some useful governmental work (again) and, as usual, fucked it up and so the Pres is calling them on it. (IF he does it.....I'm kinda not real convinced by his track record that he will) but if he does, it seems to me the GOP is 9 kinds of fucked on this, and they know it; thats why they are wracking their little pea-brains trying to find a way out of this mess now.

My 2 cents, feel free to argue

Peace and Solidarity,

[sofa king]

29. They may try, but they WILL fail.

First of all, because the Republicans have acted like such assholes over the past three years, Democrats in Congress have been rejecting all Republican legislation. Not one major Republican-authored bill has passed out of Congress this year. They're not going to change that policy now, especially not for this.

Second, also because the Republicans are such assholes, any legislation they offer will be sure to try to extend tax cuts for the rich, because that's all they're in Washington to do. The Democrats aren't going to change that policy of letting cuts for the rich expire, either, because it practically guarantees the President's reelection and has an excellent chance of flipping the House back to the Democrats.

Third, letting the Republicans try and fail is an important part of the next campaign season. It will blow millions in lobbying funds, and then when it fails that money won't be available to Republican candidates. At the same time, Democrats will be able to go to the Defense industry with actual plans that have a chance of passing, encouraging that industry to shift its support to the effective legislators and away from the criminals. Lobbyists hate blowing money on chumps--and the Republicans are definitely chumps now.

By failing to treat this situation with the seriousness it deserved, the Republicans have completely screwed themselves. They've lost millions in campaign funds, have created an insurmountable and ultimately futile workload for themselves (part of their problem is stunning ineptitude at writing legislation), and risk either losing the support of the Defense industry or eroding support from other sectors by raiding their coffers to support Defense.

Their only real solution is to kiss this angry President's butt, and then ask very nicely if they can please have their defense money back. Perhaps they will get it, but it will be at a price that sacrifices the next election and puts them in the doghouse with their primary supporters for years. They have been completely neutralized in Congress, as a direct result of their disingenuous maneuvering last December and this summer.

The Republicans are skeeeee-rewed!