Again, Obama shows he's playing chess

[Joe the Revelator]

Act 1: show that he isn't afraid of pissing his base off by offering up some reform to s/s and Medicare. He knew he would never have to go through with it.

Act 2: after publiclly making it clear he'd piss off democrats for the good of the country, he asks Bohner to do the same with a tax increase.

Act 3: Bohner shows he's not a reasonable man, takes his ball and goes home

Act 4: public opinion will turn in our favor, and either the republicans will make a deal ( with the wind at our back ss will be safe) or be finished as a party the new global recession will be laid at their feet.


Ye of little faith.

[ClarkUSA]

1. That's exactly what happened, isn't it? lol! Thanks, WaPo, for playing your shit-stirring part!

[newfie11]

2. I guess time will tell.

I hope your right.

[metalbot]

3. The fact that you know how to play chess doesn't mean you are winning

And your Act 4 is merely a prediction.

I can make one too. Should no deal be reached on Aug 2, the media spin will pick up, and "Democrats who refused to reign in spending" will be responsible for the consequences. Then 2012 rolls around, and turnout is weak on the left, where the enthusiasm for Obama has waned. The Republicans land their candidate regardless of who they are, since this is a vote of no confidence for Obama. At the same time, Republicans riding the waves of "We'll get the spending cuts done this time" cruise into both the House and the Senate.

[jaxx]

13. Then those whose 'enthusiasm' for PBO has waned

will wonder why they didn't vote for him.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I don't know about all that,

but I feel like a sacrificial pawn.

[Joe the Revelator]

6. What have you scarified in the bit of political theater

[bahrbearian]

32. WTF is that suppose to mean? We are not pawns?, we don't sacrifice.

[Joe the Revelator]

33. Wtf are you talking about? The op said he felt like a sacrificial pawn....

And I asked him what sacrifices he has made.

[Blue_In_AK]

37. I am not a him, I'm a her,

and I wasn't clear on what you meant by "scarified," which is why I hadn't answered.

I live entirely within my means, which means that I run out of money by about this time every month after I've paid my mortgage, utility bills, etc. I'm on social security, so although the bills have gone up, my pay hasn't. I haven't bought any new clothes for a couple of years. I eat a lot out of my garden. I can't remember the last time I went to a movie. I don't have a lot of gadgets, smart phones, etc. etc. We're still driving our 10-year-old truck with no plans for a newer model. I have been unable to help any of my kids with the costs of their higher educations.

But most important, I'm concerned about my future because I am a healthy, almost 65-year-old woman, who all the charts say will live to be in my 90s because of my healthy lifestyle. My guess is I will outlive my husband (at least that's what he keeps telling me), and I'm just a little bit worried about how I will live. Right now we're doing okay because he has a pension and gets a social security check also, but once he is gone, I get no survivor benefits because he was married to someone else when he retired. When he is gone, I will have to live on basically one-third of what I'm living on now, and as I said, I'm having a hard time paying even my portion of our household expenses (which is the mortgage and the utilities).

I guess basically I'd like to be assured that I'll be able to eat as I grow older.

[enlightenment]

5. "Faith"

Right.

When people of faith pray for a miracle and they get one (rare), they give thanks to that to which they prayed. When they don't get it (more common), they either blame themselves for not having enough faith - or convince themselves that that to which they prayed better knows what they need, so not getting their miracle is the 'right thing'.

Is that 'Act 5' of your scenario?
Since I'm not a person of 'faith', I need to know how I'm supposed to respond.

[ThomWV]

7. Horseshit - he's being led around by the nose by Republicans, he has no idea what comes next.

Except the final capitulation, that seems to always come with him, usually right up front, sometimes at the end, I do not think one single social program is safe with him in charge and even worse than that has been his refusal to let the Bush Tax Cuts die.

[Joe the Revelator]

10. Yeah that's exactly has it seems.....are you even paying attention to what's going or

Was you mind made up based on media rumors?

[Major Hogwash]

41. You knew this was going to happen when Joe Scarborough laughed about Boehner's proposals.

Even Joe knew what the score was.
Boehner has no other choice but to back down.

The President is the most powerful man in our system.
And Obama is a freakin' genius.
He knows beforehand what the Republicans are going to ask for, so he leapfrogs them, making them look like cheapass pikers to the Tea Party Coalition.

"Want to trim $2 Trillion dollars from the budget?
Hell, let's cut $4 Trillion dollars, and raise some revenue at the same time."

Boehnor's response -- "But, but, but, but ...." and then he starts crying again.

[Populist_Prole]

19. Not glad to say it, but it sure looks that way.

Hope and faith is great and all that, but I mean really, after all this time, how can anybody believe he's still doing a "rope a dope" and saving his final big swinging comeback to pull off a victory? It aint gonna' happen. ( Sigh )

[Drale]

8. There is not going to be a global recession because

the US will not default on its debt. If the deadline comes without a deal, the debt ceiling will declared constitutional, the tea baggers will have a hissy fit and whats left of the regular republicans will breathe a sigh of relief even though there party will be over pretty much no matter what happens.

[Joe the Revelator]

12. That's act 5

[Me.]

9. Such A Good Stratefy...Ticking Off The Very People Who Support You

And who you will then expect to help you get re-elected. What a guy, what a chess player!

[Yupster]

15. The President and I have something in common

I'm a chess player too.

Not a particularly good one either.

I'll give this to him though. The prevailing opinion is that the President was willing to take the tough step of reforming entitlements without ever having to propose anything.

[sabrina 1]

34. What does SS have to do with the debt, deficit, debt

ceiling? Why is it even discussed in relation to these issues?

Why has he not made the first bold chess move, by stating outright that Republicans are atttempting to tie SS to these issues, and there is no way in hell that he will allow that. Such a move would receive the support of the people and put Republicans on the defensive.

I see nothing about what he is doing as anything close to a 'good chess move'. It's more similar to giving up one of your best pieces right at the start of the game. The Republicans will now move, as they always do, to take his next most powerful piece. Same game he played with the HC debate. He gave up the Queen right at the beginning of the game.

[tularetom]

11. Of course the wild card is the media spin

Boner's departure won't be portrayed as a little kid throwing a temper tantrum, taking his ball and going home. It will be made to seem like the principled action of a patriot.

This is 21st century America. Perception is reality here and perception is pretty much shaped by the media.

What you have posted in Acts 1-3 is true, but that isn't how it will be reported.

[polichick]

14. Wanna buy my oceanfront property?

[Liberalynn]

35. I'll throw in my Oscar, Emmy, and Tony

as part of the deal for free too.

[polichick]

39. :)

[demwing]

16. Yes, because thats how "Obama Chess" has worked so many times before

[Matariki]

17. delete

duplicate. computer glich.

[Matariki]

18. And what makes you think the 'chess tactics' will actually acomplish anything?

If that is indeed what they are.

Isn't it just as likely that it won't matter a whit what public opinion is - that we'll end up with cuts to Social Security and Medicare and no tax increases on the wealthy?

[The Big Vetolski]

20. Dude! Do they offer degrees in sycophancy, now? This post just

drips with it. OK, I'll play. Point by point.

Act 1: Obama knew he would never have to go through with it? How do you know that isn't what he intended from the beginning, man? Anyway, why bother to piss off the base when he never had to in the first place? That isn't chess, man, that's poker. And I didn't vote for Obama because I wanted him to play poker with the Republicans. I voted for him because I wanted to see him kick their ass!

Act 2: If you want to smear Boehner by calling him Boner, I have no problem with that. But Bohner? That's as lame as Obama's positions, man. And, see my point on Act 1: Why bother when he doesn't have to? Obama would have won by saying "Hell, no, I won't cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid by a cent, period!"

Act 3: Boehner had already shown he was not a reasonable man by kowtowing to the Tea Party, dude. Obama didn't have to do anything to show us that! And why did he play the rich man's game of golf with the asshole, anyway? Shee-it, go bowling or shoot some pool, man.

Act 4: Public opinion would have been behind Obama from the get-go if he had said cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid were unacceptable options from the beginning. Oh, wait! He DID say that, did he not? And then put them on the table, anyway?

n-th dimensional chess, my ass. Boehner's still playing poker and betting that Obama will fold. He may still win, dude, so don't count your chickens.

[demwing]

21. We've all been through this before...Obama isn't a good chess player

he's a lousy poker player. Why do we keep getting the two confused?

[Sienna86]

22. The President is masterful

I agree with you Joe - on all counts.

[Wounded Bear]

23. "Not chess.......poker!" Capt James T. Kirk

:evilgrin:

This is bluff and counter-bluff. Unfortunately, the guys playing don't necessarily have real chips in the game.

:shrug:

[localroger]

30. Oh, they have chips and Boehner is praying

...for an ace on the river. This has established that Boehner does not have control of his own caucus and can't make any deal at all. Now when the rich bastards who really don't want the country to default insist he make it happen, his only option will be to go to Pelosi and the Dems, and this time they will be the ones setting terms.

I would expect the main term to be "clean debt ceiling bill, we'll talk about the rest of it later."

[KG]

24. !

:rofl:

[Cronus Protagonist]

25. Except public opinion is ALREADY in our favor

WAY in our favor. So There's no need for act 1 through 3, or even an act at all.

And if this were really a chess game like you propose, it was over before the first piece was moved and ground was given up, because public opinion is already overwhelmingly on our side (which appears to be a different side than Obama's), hence the person who started out winning, capitulated and you claim a possible checkmate?

I'd like to play you a game of chess for a thousand bucks. I know my money is safe.

:fistbump:

[Vincardog]

26. When BHO was elected was the perfect tie to say the CONserveTHEMselves philosophy had been proven

bankrupt and worthless. Instead of stating the obvious ann enacting policies to move in a radical new direction, PBHO spent his energy and time REHABILITATING their worthless a$$e$. Was that so he could have someone to play chess with?

[kath]

28. yep - the Repugs should have been in the wilderness for DECADES, but Obama rehabilitated them.

Unforgivable!

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. Funny - from here it looks like the Republicans have no reason to stay

at the table, because they know from past experience that Obama will always fold at their bluff.

He will call them back to the table to give away SS and medicare, in order to raise the debt ceiling. With no elimination of tax breaks.

The repubs get 90% - the dems get 10%. That's called 'compromise'.

ON EDIT:

BTW, since when does 'bluffing' play any part in chess? In chess, everyone has there pieces out in plain view. This brinkmanship is poker - and as a poker player, Obama sucks.

[Myrina]

29. ... he's playing chess, they're playing World of Warcraft.

As the old saying goes, "don't bring a knife to a gunfight" ... Well, POTUS may be good at chess but the GOP is playing - and kicking his ass at - an entirely different game.

[Recovered Repug]

31. Is Obama playing chess

or are you shooting Texas bulls-eyes?

[some guy]

36. Then why does he keep asking to be the dealer?

[HereSince1628]

38. The poker tournament isn't over.

[ProgressIn2008]

40. Heh, satire? Who can tell anymore? But "faith" in pols is not what we need.

In fact, it's creepy. In case the argument is serious.

[applegrove]

42. I'm glad there is hope out there.

[Joe the Revelator]

43. I'm not one to say ' I told you so'

[WonderGrunion]

44. Tonight on CBS was the President declaring Checkmate in 2 moves

Well played Grandmaster Obama.