Cigar
10-17-2013, 07:51 AM
It's far different, in many ways goes to the right-wing fever-dream fantasy Obama. But this classic scene does capture some of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPmTp9up26w&feature=player_embedded
Many Republicans knew this was going to be a disaster going in. But just as many totally misread Obama. Just days before the shutdown numerous high profile Republicans insisted there was no way Obama wouldn't negotiate. But probably the key driver of this drama has been President Obama's refusal to negotiate over raising the debt ceiling.
Yes, there's been some back and forth here at the end, but as begging like this suggests, it's mainly been to sort of out terms of surrender. But that refusal has defined the entire standoff.
That forced first Republicans and then House Republicans and finally the rump caucus of 50 to 80 House fire-breathers to stand alone with outrageous demands. By not engaging they destroyed themselves.
Signs Indicate That Obama’s Debt Ceiling Gamble May Be Paying Off
More than two years ago, President Obama was still in the thick of his previous showdown with Republican House leaders over the nation’s debt limit when he called five senior advisers into his office. He did not ask their advice, one said. Rather, he told them, in a way that brooked no discussion: From now on, no more negotiating over legislation so basic and essential to the economy, and the country.
“I’m not going through this again. It’s bad for democracy. It’s bad for the presidency,” Mr. Obama said, according to the adviser, who declined to be identified describing internal discussions. The president then told the group — his Treasury secretary, chief Congressional lobbyist, chief economic adviser and both his and the vice president’s chiefs of staff — to spread that word, “even in your body language.”
Since then, so has Mr. Obama. To make his message on the debt ceiling stick, he had to deliver it, repeatedly, not only to Republicans convinced that he would “cave,” as many often have said, but also to business groups, the broader public and even to Democrats in Congress. Failure could shake not only the economy, but also Mr. Obama’s presidency, given his reputation, fair or not, for drawing red lines and then watching foes cross them.
The current fight is hardly over, yet the steady retreat of House Republicans since late last week, when they first proposed a short-term increase in the debt limit without policy strings, suggests that Mr. Obama’s big gamble could be paying off. It is a stand that was, and still is, fraught with risks if neither side backs down.
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/signs-indicate-that-obamas-debt-ceiling-gamble-may-be-paying-off.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPmTp9up26w&feature=player_embedded
Many Republicans knew this was going to be a disaster going in. But just as many totally misread Obama. Just days before the shutdown numerous high profile Republicans insisted there was no way Obama wouldn't negotiate. But probably the key driver of this drama has been President Obama's refusal to negotiate over raising the debt ceiling.
Yes, there's been some back and forth here at the end, but as begging like this suggests, it's mainly been to sort of out terms of surrender. But that refusal has defined the entire standoff.
That forced first Republicans and then House Republicans and finally the rump caucus of 50 to 80 House fire-breathers to stand alone with outrageous demands. By not engaging they destroyed themselves.
Signs Indicate That Obama’s Debt Ceiling Gamble May Be Paying Off
More than two years ago, President Obama was still in the thick of his previous showdown with Republican House leaders over the nation’s debt limit when he called five senior advisers into his office. He did not ask their advice, one said. Rather, he told them, in a way that brooked no discussion: From now on, no more negotiating over legislation so basic and essential to the economy, and the country.
“I’m not going through this again. It’s bad for democracy. It’s bad for the presidency,” Mr. Obama said, according to the adviser, who declined to be identified describing internal discussions. The president then told the group — his Treasury secretary, chief Congressional lobbyist, chief economic adviser and both his and the vice president’s chiefs of staff — to spread that word, “even in your body language.”
Since then, so has Mr. Obama. To make his message on the debt ceiling stick, he had to deliver it, repeatedly, not only to Republicans convinced that he would “cave,” as many often have said, but also to business groups, the broader public and even to Democrats in Congress. Failure could shake not only the economy, but also Mr. Obama’s presidency, given his reputation, fair or not, for drawing red lines and then watching foes cross them.
The current fight is hardly over, yet the steady retreat of House Republicans since late last week, when they first proposed a short-term increase in the debt limit without policy strings, suggests that Mr. Obama’s big gamble could be paying off. It is a stand that was, and still is, fraught with risks if neither side backs down.
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/signs-indicate-that-obamas-debt-ceiling-gamble-may-be-paying-off.html