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Marc Thiessen

An inaugural gift to Obama from the GOP

Republicans claim this is no retreat, but they are not fooling anyone. White House press secretary Jay Carney celebrated the GOP capitulation, declaring the president was “encouraged” that the GOP was finally ready to “back off their insistence on holding our economy hostage to extract drastic cuts in Medicare, education, and programs middle class families depend on.” A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared the GOP move “reassuring.” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it a “major victory” for president. And The Post editorial page welcomed the GOP’s “apparent abandonment” of their “economically nonsensical” insistence that any increase in borrowing authority be matched with equal or greater spending cuts.

Sorry, linking the raising of the debt ceiling to spending reductions is neither nonsensical nor ground breaking. In fact, every significant debt reduction bill in the last 27 years — starting withGramm-Rudman-Hollings in 1985 — was linked to a debt-limit increase. It seems to be the only thing that forces politicians in Washington to cut spending.

So why on earth would Republicans abandon that leverage, much less violate the promise they made to follow the Boehner rule on all future debt limit votes?

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If the adults were in charge of the GOP….

ProfShadow on January 21, 2013 at 7:44 PM

Marc Thiessen
An inaugural gift to Obama from the GOP

Now that article was downright uplifting. Between Obama’s coronation and reminders of GOP fecklessness, I’m happier than a pig in shit.

arnold ziffel on January 21, 2013 at 7:51 PM

The only people being represented by the current GOP in DC is about half of the rank & file of the Northeastern part of the country (the Christie faction) that want capitulation.

michaelo on January 21, 2013 at 7:58 PM

We’re so screwed. But on the happy side, Mark Steyn pointed out as a guest host on Rush out that today was hump day…from here on, there are fewer days of Obumba’s reign…unless the Dim’s change the Constitution…and they will try and Boehner will cry and cave.

Dingbat63 on January 21, 2013 at 8:07 PM

I’m simply amazed at the GOP leadership.

Do they somehow expect to escape when the country collapses? Won’t hyperinflation destroy their dollars along with the rest of us? When the necessities of life become harder and harder to get, won’t their stomaches, their children’s stomachs, growl like ours? When 0bama’s thugs start rounding up guns, do they think their doors won’t get kicked it?

Liberals are stupid spoiled children, they can escape into a fantasy world where all the bad things that are on the way won’t happen to them. But you’d expect that nominally conservative people can see the nightmare that is inevitable due to their abdication of their responsibility to say “no” to the thug-in-chief.

Simply amazed.

Rebar on January 21, 2013 at 8:11 PM

The cynic in me tells me that in the next 4 years, if DC becomes responsible in any manner whatsoever, the economy will start improving, thus giving the next Democratic presidential nominee a boost before the nomination is handed out.

I think the GOP is willing, at this point, to let Democratic Party policy rule the day. And when everything is still going south, they can look back and tell everyone that they allowed Obama and the rest of the Democrats to do as they please and it didn’t work.

ButterflyDragon on January 21, 2013 at 8:29 PM

Oh…I came here expecting to see a story about how the GOP gave Obama an NRA membership as an inaugural gift.

jediwebdude on January 21, 2013 at 8:30 PM

Yawn!

bgibbs1000 on January 21, 2013 at 8:38 PM