The LAME DUCK CONGRESS Game!

[alcibiades_mystery]

Let's play a DU Game! The object is simple. There are two categories of what I'm calling wants: the stuff you want, and the stuff the counterparty wants. Your job is to get as much of the stuff you want as possible or desirable. I've listed the wants below. To play, simply state your best "offer" given the rules.

Disclaimer: Yes, it is much more complicated than this, and I'm treating negotiations in isolation. Fine. If that's your point, go somewhere else. This is simply a fun exercise in bargaining.

Your Wants
Tax cuts extended only to $250,000/yr; unemployment benefits extended 12 months; Making Work Pay credit ($60 billion); repeal of DADT; Dream Act passed

Counterparty Wants
Tax cuts made permanent for all incomes; ZERO months unemployment extension; ZERO Making Work Pay Credit; NO repeal of DADT; NO Dream Act passed

Rules:

1. You can let all tax cuts expire, but then you get no other wants.
2. For the tax cut extensions, you can work in increments between "tax cuts expire" and "all tax cuts made permanent;" these can include time increments (time of extension), income increments ($250,000; $500,000; $1 million; etc.), or a combination of the two.
3. No increments are allowed for the Making Work Pay Credits: it is $60 billion or ZERO.
4. Particular wants will default to the Counterparty if they are not included in the offer (put another way, removing these wants registers as a Counterparty win, to the extent that the Counterparty simply has a negative want, and will consider it a one-time deal); these are:
a) DADT Repeal
b) DREAM Act

Object:

Determine your best offer for getting as many of your wants as possible (or desirable) within the next three weeks.

[Clio the Leo]

1. START treaty! ..... we need a START treaty option!

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. START Treaty's a done deal, in my view

I separated it deliberately.

[Clio the Leo]

2. Extend all tax cuts for two years, gimme everything else...

... I dont know why this is so hard?

(and maybe *I* should suggest it .... I'm cuter than Obama, and the Republicans have less of a desire to defeat me)

[Uzybone]

3. real politics and thinking???....we have no time for that here

Dictator Obama should pass all the above and get on with it.

Or we will primary him....

or not vote....

or something.

[craigmatic]

5. I don't see what's wrong with just saying not to all tax cuts and not doing anything for the next 2

years. Anything they do is going to be right wing because of the republicans anyway. Sometimes it's best not to do anything if your only option is letting the repubs water what you can do down.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. That's your bargaining position, OK

You don't get unemployment benefits extension, Making Work Pay, DADT Repeal, or the DREAM Act.

It's a perfectly fine position to have. It comes with costs.

[craigmatic]

7. There's no guarantee that I'd get any of it anyway. Sometimes just saying fuck it is the best

bargaining position because you can always come back and meet them somewhere in the middle and get what you want.

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. For the purpose of this game

Yes. Set out your bargaining position.

Jeeez-us.

[craigmatic]

9. Well Obama has to realize that the repubs still need him to sign bills into law. So not an ounce of

pork would go out without his signature to the bill. He could refuse to sign any repub bills or if he did he could issue signing statements. He could take his case to the people by determining repub weak spots in terms of new repubs who won in districts where he also won and target just enough of these districts to peel away enough soft repub support to get the dems to pass the bill. He could come out strong to the press and say that he's for that employment benefits at christmas time is vital and that repubs are against it which would put them on the defensive. Of course he If all else fails he could just say fuck it and take his ball and go haome and in 2012 he'd take his chances by blaming the uncooperative repubs for nothing getting done. That's what I'd do.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. KICK for my morning geniuses

Best Deal, y'all?

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. I guess everybody just wants to ditch the wants

So sad.

Easier to sit around and gripe. Yowza!