Obama has played the Republicans like a damned fiddle, yet we are worried about his technique

[wndycty]

The Republicans talked all their mess about reducing the deficit, Obama called their bluff and went big, they didn't want to go as big as he did.

It should be pointed out Obama only said he was open to looking at entitlements. He never said he wanted to, he said it had to be considered and even then conventional wisdom points to his being focused on saving money through efficiencies and not necessarily cuts to benefits.

He did however say he wanted to new revenues mainly by closing tax loop holes and let the Bush tax cuts expire. Which is what we wanted, right?

Obama UNDERMINED, Boehner by meeting him more than halfway, but asking to close loopholes and to let the Bush tax for the wealthy expire. He has also portrayed himself as an adult and rationale, unfortunately many folks on our side don't appreciate that.

So today, Boehner and McConnell are looking for a way out of this fight. They are willing to give him his debt ceiling.

While our base is still freaking out over a deal that hasn't happened,many of our members of Congress are looking to protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Meanwhile the Republicans, whose tea party base had drawn a line of no increase in the debt limit, find themselves looking for a way increase the debt limit.

This is far from over, but Obama is playing the game very well and I hope his critics on the left take notice.

[monmouth]

1. Who would unrec this? Don't like a bit of good news well stated?..n/t

[madinmaryland]

11. Un-reccing for whining about the un-rec function.

This specific post, that is.

[Maraya1969]

28. You really don't get the importance of the rec and un'rec function.

When you un'rec for petty reasons you are just feeding trolls.

[madinmaryland]

33. You really didn't read my post. nt

[Logical]

15. Because OP sounds like he is scolding anyone who would doubt Obama. n-t

[wndycty]

20. I was and am. . .very proud to as well

:kick:

[gristy]

23. who would whine and bitch and moan about someone unrecing this?

:evilgrin:

[bbinacan]

2. Are you serious?

Are you friggin serious? Have you seen what the REpugs proposal is? Discussion here. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1475767

[Tennessee Gal]

3. It looks like you are right. nt

[jenmito]

4. I agree 100%. K&R. Some people obviously don't get what he's doing. n/t

[wndycty]

6. The circular firing squad on the right is gonna make the ish we got going on on our side look tame

:kick:

[flamingdem]

18. good times yes indeed woooo hoooo nt

[Doctor_J]

32. yes, that's what we've been hearing for 15 years

and their "circular firing squad" executed a 100-year ass-whipping on Dems in November. Keep telling yourself. It might help when the reality is revealed.

[wndycty]

34. I see you are rooting against the Dems. . .looking for a way to find defeat

:kick:

[Doctor_J]

35. Yeah, that's it

Pleading for them to drop the current strategy of appeasement, timidity, and "moderation" that got their asses kicked 7 months ago is "rooting against them". Try some coffee instead of Kool-Aid for awhile - it may make reality a little more clear.

[wndycty]

36. Oh so I am kool aid drinker? Maybe you need to take something for you knee . . .

. . .that jerks all the time.

You talk about 2010, well look what happened in 2008. Change is a marathon not a sprint.

[Phx_Dem]

5. Indeed. Sadly, some of the progressives in Congress are too clueless to

recognize a brilliant strategic move when it's staring them in the face (Bernie).

Obama always outsmarts these idiots and forces them into a corner. You'd think the clueless Dems in the House would realize that drawing lines in the sand robs them of any leverage and the ability to back their opponents into a corner. Dumb and dumber.

[wndycty]

7. I don't have a problem with Congressional progressives. . .

. . .they are doing what they need to do. Its just whenever anyone questions Obama's motivation/intelligence.

[zipplewrath]

37. Yeah, he really out smarted them on HCR

He took a GOP plan and got it passed without any GOP support. He got mandates, a GOP idea THAT McCain put forward in the campaign, and eliminated single payer right out of the gate. We kept much of the prohibition against negotiation against drug price negotiation. He extended the Bush Era tax cuts, kept Gitmo open, executed the SOFA, and has sustained his war in Afghanistan on the support of the GOP in congress.

Yeah, he's really been cornering them.

[NorthCarolina]

8. That's what happens when you lose the trust of the people. n/t

[vaberella]

9. What it is is that Obama knows Repubs better than we do...

We know what we see on the outside. Obama knows how to work them. People keep saying we can't give into terrorists---people seem to ignore they own half of the nation. we MUST work with them. And in good faith you say there you say there are considerations. You go in with a compromising nature. You do this with concessions on board---nothing gets done and Obama has just backed up then into a wall.

[Robbins]

10. Yep

Last week I was nevroas on this but by Yesterday I beguin to see Obama Is playing them all.Obama may get what he wanted all along.
Rasing the Debt ceiling solely.Republicans and their obama snydreme has been used against them.

Mcconnel can make all proprosal he says but he's minority leader.He has no power to bring anything to the floor that Democcrats
don't want debated.

When no cuts happen Obama plays the Republicans perfectly and looks good for 2012.

[Knight Hawk]

24. Also,Obama may be looking to the campaign.

He may be going double or nothing.If Obama gets his way ,it will drive the crazy repubs to support Bachman who Obama's team surely feel they can defeat.By outflanking the repubs. he is exposing them for the zero sum idiots they are.A deft move.

[AtomicKitten]

12. He outflanked them.

[Marnie]

13. He has played the Republicans so well

that we still do not have anything resembling decent universal health care. The courts have had to order the military to quit stalling on stopping DADT while the military's Commander allows his Generals to continue to discriminate and break the law.

My Obama tax cut is a 2% reduction in SS withholdings, so that in addition to the prepaid SS & Medicare Federally run national Savings Trust he is now responsible for he is going to screw me in a second orifice when he cuts my prepaid (Prepaid means it is not and Entitlement like Obmaa and the Republicans say) SS payment (I am still working and over 65), and my prepaid not Entitlement Medicare is run by a for profit insurance company because that was the only choice I had under Obamacare, and at the same time my live expectancy is decreasing every year. It has dropped about 4 years just so far this century.

I am running out of orifices for his to mess with.

Yes he is playing something like a stringed instrument, but it ain't the Republicans, it's suckers like me who supported him.

[CakeGrrl]

14. K/R

I get the strategy.

[tallahasseedem]

16. Recommended...

Classic hand-wringing technique. I'm glad a lot of us were able to see this for what it was...Obama chess! :)

[flamingdem]

17. I think Wall Street finally kicked their collective rethug butts this week nt

[politicasista]

19. Kick

More power to him. :kick: :patriot:

[Armstead]

21. It was basically a big gasme of chicken and we might be lucky that the Pugs blinked

I'm certainly glad Obama seems to have gottn them to back down. But it wasnt like some politically brilliant move.

The GOP screwed the pooch. Luckily.


But if they hadn't gotten a sudden case of realism, we could just as easily gotten stuck with either a bad deal or default.

[Dawgs]

22. Bullshit. Republicans got the President and Democrats talking about anything but JOBS.

They are controlling the message without the presidency and it makes Obama look weak - all while the unemployment rate rises.

[polichick]

29. Yes, the admin. consistently adopts the right's framing of issues.

When they don't have to, and the country needs a very different narrative.

[blueclown]

25. Any deal that leads to austerity means that Obama lost.

It is no victory if Obama agrees to a deal that cuts spending and raises taxes.

[R. P. McMurphy]

26. K & R n/t

[StarburstClock]

27. LOL, all that was played was a propaganda recital

Deniers of reality take notice.

[VeryConfused]

30. Those same people would have been screaming at Ali

when he employed his rope a dope tactics. They would have been calling Ali a coward for not fighting back.

[Doctor_J]

31. How many rec'ers of this thread also claimed that the prez "kicked ass"

when the Bush tax cuts were extended? when health insurance reform was passed without even debating a public option? when the investigation of war crimes and domestic spying were refused?

If the Medicare or SS eligibility is raised by one day, if any domestic programs are cut, if taxes on the hyper-rich and corporations are cut or left alone, then the only success is in your kool-aid addled brain.

[wndycty]

38. Wednesday afternoon kick

:kick:

[AikidoSoul]

39. Recommended and kicked -- Obama has outflanked them

and they know it.

Has anyone noticed that Boehner can't look the camera in the "eye" and that his words are flat and without any passion whatsoever?

He knows this is a game. I expect him to burst into tears any moment now.

[whatchamacallit]

40. Enjoy!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x599833