Obama blinks on the sequester; GOP finally has the upper hand
Now Republicans have turned the tables on Obama. If nothing happens by March 1, about $1 trillion worth of spending cuts will go into effect automatically. Ideally, Republicans don’t want the military spending cuts, and they have voted in the House to replace them with other cuts. But they can live with them if nothing happens. Coming off the fourth quarter in which the economy contracted by 0.1 percent and was hurt by defense cuts, Obama doesn’t want to have headlines of defense contractor layoffs eroding his political capital in the short window he has to advance his second term agenda.
His suggestion that Republicans agree to raise taxes again to delay the sequester is laughable — they have zero reason to do it. Either he agrees to spending cuts of an equal amount, or the sequester will kick in.
Blowback
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If only the Rs were smart.
Schadenfreude on February 5, 2013 at 10:12 PM
But how long can they hold it ?
Assuming they recognize the upper hand .
Lucano on February 5, 2013 at 10:15 PM
Go over the half the fiscal cliff and make Obama a lame duck. Stop caving stop caving stop caving!
El_Terrible on February 5, 2013 at 10:20 PM
Let it burn. We can rebuild it without all the crap the leftists have added over the years.
TKindred on February 5, 2013 at 10:20 PM
The republicans will do something….wrong.
Mimzey on February 5, 2013 at 10:20 PM
I have total faith that the Speaker will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, again.
MikeA on February 5, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Boehner will cave.
SagebrushPuppet on February 5, 2013 at 10:39 PM
They’ve been squandering their upper hand since the Tea Party handed it to them in 2010.
sartana on February 5, 2013 at 10:46 PM
Why agree to any tax raises for any reason??? I suppose Republicans will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory one way or a other.
Fenris on February 5, 2013 at 10:49 PM
The Republicans will fold, if Obama wants them to. He might try to give them a little something to keep them on life support. He holds the Republican Party in his palm, and he’d be foolish to crush them. The next opposition party that comes along to replace them will be a different animal.
Buddahpundit on February 5, 2013 at 10:56 PM
The GOP has had the upper hand since the 2010 tea party election. They had a stronger upper hand then than they do now. So what have they done with the upper hand? They’ve helped Democrats increase spending and taxes and are going on the offensive against their own base.
FloatingRock on February 5, 2013 at 11:10 PM
I hate to be pessimistic, but I think the GOP will cave…yet again.
DRayRaven on February 6, 2013 at 6:08 AM
The repubs have already agreed with the dems that the solution is higher taxes. What makes you think they won’t raise them further? The gop is not your savior or friend. Whenever you think they might do something bold, remember this:
In 2010, coming off the strongest mandate in history for cutting government, the gop wouldn’t defund NPR.
Panther on February 6, 2013 at 6:11 AM
that’s what i’m afraid of
cmsinaz on February 6, 2013 at 6:19 AM
Sure they do: The most left-wing, socialist, anti-American president ever has suggested that they do it. Since he won the election 51-49 of course they will comply.
Odysseus on February 6, 2013 at 7:18 AM
This article is laughable and is based on the false premise that Republicans in Congress have balls.
They don’t.
HondaV65 on February 6, 2013 at 8:03 AM
The Republicans will take their upper hand and smack themselves upside the head with it.
Naturally Curly on February 6, 2013 at 8:20 AM
Probably will raise that upper hand to ask if they can go potty .
Lucano on February 6, 2013 at 8:49 AM
LOL. “Bend-Over” Boehner always caves…but he will gladly meet you at the bar for another drink.
albill on February 6, 2013 at 9:10 AM
After reading the article I felt pretty good, then I read all the comments. Call me an eternal optimist, but these circumstances are different in that the Republicans actually do have the upper hand and it has the appearance of a well played hand. Boehner may shed a couple of tears but he comes out ahead on this one.
filetandrelease on February 6, 2013 at 9:37 AM
GOP to surrender in 3…2…1…
roy_batty on February 6, 2013 at 9:41 AM
1. These cuts were proposed in August 2011 and never articulated or implemented.
2. Obama could have saved 1 trillion dollars by now if he had implemented a plan, or if the democrats had consented to cuts proposed by the House.
3. Obama’s final deadline to articulate his cuts came during the presidential campaign, September 14th or thereabouts.
4. Obama declared in a presidential debate that no one would be laid off from the defense industry because of this sequester.
5. This spending cut was agreed to by President Obama, and the method was actually proposed by him, in order to get the debt ceiling raised in August 2011.
6. The President missed his deadline to outline better cuts to implement the sequester, and ignored the House bill which would have taken the pressure off the defense department. The democrat led senate, also ignored this bill. They owe these cuts from the last time, they are not new cuts, they were supposed to be in effect by now.
7. There is no choice but to let the sequester happen, the President is not ingenious enough and creative enough to save money and spend it wisely, he is too busy thinking about suceeding in his pet projects.
Fleuries on February 6, 2013 at 10:01 AM