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The purpose of this blog is to get readers to think about the complex (or perhaps simple) issues I write about.

The primary topics will revolve around politics and society as a whole, but a mixture of sports opinion may be thrown in from time to time.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Remember, In Debt Ceiling Debate, It's Two vs. One

A second plan proposed by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) will be voted on sometime later this week. Initially it was supposed to be voted on tomorrow (Wednesday) but as of right now, the vote has been pushed back to Thursday.

I assume it will pass, either on Thursday or Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced that this second "Boehner Plan" is "dead on arrival." For those not familiar with Senate lingo, or the English language, there won't even be a cloture vote on the Boehner plan.

And herein lies the country's problem. The polls would indicate that the Republicans will take the brunt of the flack regarding a potential "default" in this debt ceiling debate. The question I have though, is why?

Sure, there are several members of the House Republican caucus who will refuse to vote for any increase in the debt limit, regardless of how much the leadership can get in spending cuts.

But that is what makes this situation all the more remarkable. John Boehner, should his plan pass, will have whipped enough votes, including a handful of Democrats for two, two pieces of legislation that would both raise the debt limit, and cut federal spending.

Leadership is taking action, even when it's unpopular, and that is what Boehner and responsible House Republicans have done, but they have a problem.

It's two against one. The President, a Democrat and a Senate controlled by Democrats are the two entities that stand in the way of the debt ceiling being raised-which is what the President interrupted summer television shows last night to tell us that he wants to raise the debt ceiling.

The notion that Republicans should be taking blame here is because in reality, it's three against one, when you add the media being in Reid and Obama's corner, is in a word, ludicrous.

Meanwhile, the President has done everything but tell us what he would like to see, specifically in a plan or "compromise" to raise the debt ceiling.

Harry Reid, to his credit, put a plan on paper, which included spending cuts and no tax increases, but the President shot that down out of hand, and the media paid little to no attention, like the good lap dogs they are.

Perhaps the rejection came with a sticky note from the President that told Harry Reid to toughen up. That's all I can think happened when he has labeled a bill he hasn't even seen, "dead on arrival" in the Senate.

So who is really trying to be responsible? We have soaring deficits and debt, and the Republicans have put two plans forward that would increase the debt limit and modestly reduce spending.

Harry Reid can get a short golf clap for his proposal, but his refusal to allow debate on any of the two Republican measures makes him just as responsible as the man living in the White House.

The President has gone from saying he wanted a clean debt increase (with no spending cuts), to he'd be willing to compromise so long as taxes were raised in a recession, to he's not going to accept anything short term, even as we enter the final hour.

The House of Representatives has done its job. It's just too bad (for the country) that it's outnumbered by the two other parties in the process.

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