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The sequestration cuts maybe one of the worst policies Congress has ever knowingly created yet with each passing day the chance of them actually going into effect grows. We are now three weeks away from the cuts going into effect and Senate Democrats still haven’t even come up with what would be an opening proposal for negotiations. From The Hill:
Senate Democrats are struggling to come up with a replacement for the $85 billion sequester set to begin on March 1.
Key Democrats huddled Thursday in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) office to discuss options for preventing the looming spending cuts after returning from a retreat in Annapolis where they discussed strategy with President Obama. [...]
A Democratic aide said Reid has asked senators to give him options on replacing the sequester before they leave for a long President’s Day recess on Feb. 15.
Even if Senate Democrats do put together a package after the President’s Day recess, that would leave very little time for negotiation. It also sounds like that package would be primarily about having something to point to in order to avoid blame rather than making a deal.
Most members of Congress seem to believe the sequestration cuts are bad but for some absurd reason simply repealing them is off the table. Yet at the same time even within the two parties there is little agreement about what should replace the cuts. This lack of any concession significantly increases the chance that nothing will be done.
Photo by Thomas Hawk under Creative Commons license
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Pop Quiz: When has the Defense Department EVER faced drastic, forced upon them, cuts like this?
The answer should tell you the liklihood of this (or any other sequestration cuts including a lot of military spending) actually occurring.
Jon, you and I have a better chance of winning two lottos and a PGA Tour Event than these sequestration cuts ever have of coming to fruition.
This is an interesting political maneuver:
Carlos Munoz, The Hill: Report: White House set to cut nuclear arsenal by one-third
This lack of any concession significantly increases the chance that nothing will be done.
I don’t think there is even a tini-wini chance that sequestration is going to happen. President Bipartisan will get into a major compromise mode 2 days before 1′st of March, agree to cuts to medicare and social security and thereby save the economy from sequestration. Long live the progressive Democratic party.
DoD shills are already talking up how Military Preparedness — and the US’ ability to “project our power” — has already suffered. Why, they had to cut back the number of aircraft carriers they were sending to the Persian Gulf from two to one! Golly, Iran will never fear us now, not when we’re obviously so weak as to send over one measly little aircraft carrier! (That was sarcasm, by the way.)
That talk was obviously intended to make the Republican Rapture fans — you know, the ones who back Israel’s every move because they want to woo the Jewish vote (and because Israel’s the staging ground for Armangeddon in the New Testament)? — wince a little bit.
Pshaw! As we’ve seen happen more and more often recently, there will be a “last minutes” deal to make sure the “country doesn’t suffer the consequences of these cuts”.
SSDD
“President Bipartisan will get into a major compromise mode 2 days before 1′st of March, agree to cuts to medicare and social security…”
Nonsense! Haven’t you heard?
President Bipartisan is the lesser of two evils.
And he’s got his heart in the right place.
Please just listen to him for just one moment.
Don’t you hear how pretty he talks?
Whenever I hear this kind of stuff from people I have to shake my head and ask myself what’s up with all the hate from all these dumb hippies?!
LOL
I don’t see it as sarcasm. That’s exactly the way Panetta put it.
Patently, this country is broken. I only hope it is not FUBAR.
Seeing our woes in terms of Democrat vs. Republican misses the point by so incredibly much. I am totally out of patience with it.
The last great President we had may have been Johnson–and only on domestic policy. The last decent President we had was Carter.
Clinton was worse than Reagan and Obama is worse than Clinton.
Both major political Parties grabbed our money with both hands and ran. There’s very little left, but they seem like they won’t be satisfied until they’ve rung the last quarter anyone has.
Clinton was worse than Reagan and Obama is worse than Clinton.
I am sure that the Lady Clinton will continue this fine tradition of our presidents.