President Obama "keeping his powder dry" like a good Democrat

by: Zappatero

Mon Dec 31, 2012 at 13:05:00 PM MST

Obama is already negotiating over the debt ceiling, [the Republicans] point out. He began the fiscal cliff negotiations by saying he wanted a permanent solution to the debt ceiling. Then it was a two-year increase in the debt limit. Now he's going to sign off on a mini-deal that doesn't increase the debt ceiling at all. Does that really sound like someone who's going to hold firm when faced with global economic chaos? The White House always talks tough at the beginning of negotiations and then always folds at the end.

All this raises the tantalizing prospect for Republicans that they could end these negotiations having given up less tax revenue than they ever thought possible - less tax revenue than Boehner offered Obama, even - but still getting their entitlement cuts. Oh, and because there was never a big deal, they won't have to agree to much stimulus, either. All in all, a pretty big win, and it wouldn't have been possible without the White House's baffling inability to stick to a negotiating position.

Apparently the White House is telling Klein that they fully intend to hang tough on the debt ceiling, you betcha. No way, no how are they going to negotiate. I might find that believable if the President wasn't obviously still chasing his white whale of a Grand Bargain.

Obviously, Democrats can't win for winning and just because Americans thoroughly rejected Republican policies this last November doesn't mean a thing. Democrats, ever willing to play softball, are going to give in to Republicans and give up, once again, on the Middle Class.