I've never been so dumbstruck.

I can't believe Harry Reid offered all cuts and no tax hikes, the GOP refused and now the Dems are scrambling to make an even more attractive offer to them. WTF??!!!

I've HAD it. The Democrats have the executive plus a branch of congress. The GOP has only one branch of congress. Why are the Dems acting like they're in the minority? This is clearly a job of good cop, bad cop, I can figure it no other way. I don't vote for good cops or bad cops. The Dems have jumped the shark for me. Maybe I'll have to find another message board, but it I do, it will be because the Dems left me, I didn't leave them.

At some point they will give up trying to please and do the right thing. In the meantime I can't believe how much time they have wasted doing nothing. Accomplishing nothing when so many are in need. I also am amazed at the folks that watch their every step even though we know that nothing matters but the final offer!

A long time ago I sued a company that had screwed me out of a $200 deposit and after the hearing was over the judge said to me: "How does it feel to win $200 worth of principle" and I walked away with nothing. I'm having this feeling of deja vu. What good is making a point if you lose?

is that the spending cuts were in ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to SS and Medicare. The GOP rejected that. They wantto cut entitlements not the military industrial complex.

drawback is we have to go thru this once again in 6 months and with the budget bills sandwiched in-between.

It is hard to imagine how the Obama administration could have managed this in a more incompetent manner. It is just awful.

Is a parent with 2 kids. One kid is well behaved and polite and does what it's told even when it doesn't agree or understand why it's being asked to do something it may not like or want to do.

The other one is a spoiled tempermental brat who stomps his feet, yells, screams, talks back to, and insults the parents.

Then you see that no matter how horrible the second kid behaves, the parent still says "Oh that's o.k." or "Well that wasn't nice that you did that, but here is a treat anyway for you." or "Well it's not nice that you are throwing this temper tantrum but just to get you to stop I'm going to give you what you want." or

If anyone saw this in action in every day life they would think that parent was an incompetent fool and they would flat out blame that parent for the second kids behavior. And it would be even worse if you then saw the parent scold the first, well behaved child for even the slightest infraction but then when talking about the other kid say "Well, he's just a little rambunctious but is still a really good kid."

That's exactly what this whole thing seems like. And anyone who doesn't think Obama bears some level of blame for letting it get to this point is delusional. Yes, his kid (meaning the House) is a spoiled, tempermental, insipid little brat of a kid. But he's let it get away with this behavior for far too long now and it's only getting worse and not better.

Does anyone look at goofus and NOT think his parents are at least partially to blame for such poor behavior?

The current day GOP makes gallant too positively calm and well mannered by comparison.

Anybody remember them from the old "Highlights" children's magazine? Some editorial cartoonist really needs to do a parody with Boehner as Goofus and the president as Gallant.

EDIT: clearly, I need to read the replies before posting to a comment. Hats off to those who made this connection first!

It's the Senate and House dems who are constantly being called up on to "do the right thing" for the country, and implored to never act up no matter what. Despite watching Goofus get away with anything and everything despite or due to his bad behavior.

The president is the parent who is letting Goofus get away with everything, while always insisting Gallant stay the well behaved, nice little child despite diminishing rewards for doing so.

considering just sticking my head in the sand. Because I feel completely powerless to effect any change anyway. I don't feel I can make any difference.

empowered enough to affect change and is not happy with the results.

Why do you make fun of someone who did exactly what you now sarcastically snark?

don't even see how you can think I was being sarcastic. I was just saying, I feel really depressed and afraid about this situation and I'm just about to the point where I can't bear to even think or hear about it any more because I feel there isn't going to be any good outcome at all.

I wasn't being sarcastic or snarky at all.

free ourselves of the consumer mindset. I was thinking about that happiness index of that one country, where they didn't have that much income compared to the U.S. but they are much happier? I can't remember the name of it now. (I had a hysterectomy with my ovaries taken out five weeks ago, putting me into instant menopause, and my mind isn't working well at all right now.) Anyway I think if we can learn as a society to help one another, to turn away from the corporate model, to emphasize more cooperation instead of competition, we have a chance. We can remake our world into something better.

The news lately has really gotten me down though. Maybe it's partly the instant menopause getting me down. I just think about the killings in Norway, the postings on FOX news that praise the killer instead of condemning him, the failed budget talks, the worries about Medicare and SS being done away with just as I am reaching the age where I will need them to survive...it all really scares me.

I don't even really recognize this country any more. I think it really is time for sanity, that's all I keep thinking. We have to restore sanity...it is down to us, I agree...

The right has demonized all but old white males. WE are legion. And we will rule if they dont pull some unsovory stunts. This is where we are at. They know that demographics will stomp them flatter than godzilla. That is why the crazy terrist bent in the right. They wnat us to threaten the Arab types iunto fleeing, and just happen to boot those similar looking humans. Mexicans. Sharia threat, is really, fear of FIESTA.

honestly don't know that many ultra-conservative young people. Actually I don't know any young people who are teabaggers. So I can't help but feel that demographics will be on our side soon. Thank you! I like Fiestas! :)

you were being snarky and jabbing the OP.

I guess the in-fighting here is getting to me.

I profusely apologize for missing the context of your comment.

And I'm really sorry you feel the way you do. I never, ever put more into an election and into a candidate like I did President Obama and I feel down sometimes too.


PS: Should I delete my faux pas or let it stand?

mind feels like it's turned into slush at the moment (going through instant menopause, it messes with the mind, it really does.) I'm not mad or anything! I was just puzzled.

My husband will tell you, I'm not even capable of snark. He says I'm just like "Sheldon" on "Big Bang Theory" in that I don't get sarcasm at all, it flies right over my head. I am pathologically serious, LOL.

I'm glad we could talk and work out the misunderstanding, that's how it should be! We are all friends here on DU. I mean, I think we should be anyway!

But we are all under so much stress, it's no wonder we are snapping at each other! Bad things are happening, and I'll bet I'm not the only one scared of what comes next. It's natural that we are not at our best when we are under a lot of stress.

I do feel that we have a kinship here though that means we can forgive mistakes, we can forgive times when we aren't at our best! :)

(((HUGS))))

that is no excuse for making a false charge as I did.

When you mention this to your husband, tell him he's dead-on about Sheldon! I just love that show - a rare TV treat. :P

It was a treat to see you guys resolve a misunderstanding so generously and so graciously. It doesn't always go that way on DU, even though I agree with you that, when it comes right down to it, we're a big family here.

:grouphug:

I feel that way myself for the first time since I woke up on Nov. 5th, 2004. I used to be one of those people who encouraged everyone to vote for the lesser evil just to keep the worse evil from gaining power but it seems like it really doesn't matter how we vote these days, the GOP is going to get their way, even if they're in the minority.

For sticking up for me, tho I don't think it was meant that way. I can see how that might have been read a couple ways.

They will be strutting and bragging about how Obama blinked and how they prevailed and saved Americans from any new taxes.

Anything that Republicans hail as a victory for them cannot be good for the average American, but the rich and big business will like it.

Seriously, the Republican party should change their name to the YOYO (You're On Your Own) Party because it is much more descriptive of their philosophy. Of course the YOYO is specifically for the poor, low income, and middle Americans and not for the wealthy and big business. They can expect to get all the help they want.

The part I hate is how fucking much they get off at "winning", even though their policies are driving the WHOLE WORLD into the crapper.

2.4 trillion in cuts and no new revenue. Republicans won't even go for that?


Then let the default be theirs. The US and idiotic tea baggers can take the blame for the global economic meltdown. Thing is the dollar and US economy stood to be seen as more stable without their shenanigans given that Greece is looking to default. But hey let's do it first for no good reason and become hated everywhere.

Look at countries where austerity measures have been used. They are in worse shape and going to default. Republicans want austerity here. They want to force layoffs and cuts when what we need is stimulus and a jobs program. And it is frustrating that even though dems control the senate and whitehouse they are doing all that a tiny minority demands.

Having gone on the record as supporting the Ryan plan, they're terrified that the Democrats will be able to paint them as would-be destroyers of Medicare in 2012. Their only way out of that is to force the Democrats to cut Medicare and Social Security themselves.

That's what this fight is coming down to. It isn't even about shrinking the government any more. It's all about entitlements and 2012.

Certainly hope the democrats don't fall for their trap and cut entitlements.

amendment on the debt ceiling. I don't know if the courts would ultimately go along with it but it's worth a try; 2) let the Bush tax cuts expire and 3) refuse to disburse money to fund the wars or fund the pentagon above a certain level.. I know that it is congress which decides the budget but it is the executive branch which oversees the actual spending. So, don't spend it all! If Bush can get away with "signing statements" why couldn't Obama get away with this? Of course, such a strategy would take a lot of balls. Does Obama have a big enough pair?

It's what I think should be done. Just do it and save the country and the middle class.

Found the link on TalkingPointsMemo.com:

http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/07/25/277811/harry-reid-calls-house-republicans-bluff/

Harry Reid Calls House Republicans’ Bluff
By Matthew Yglesias on Jul 25, 2011 at 9:59 am

Something you often see in negotiations is a mismatch between one side’s stated sticking points and its real sticking points. In the debate over the debt ceiling, for example, Republicans have sought to portray themselves as having two bottom lines. One is that any increase in the debt ceiling must be met dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts. The other is that no revenue increases can be part of the deal. What Harry Reid did yesterday was essentially call the GOP’s bluff by outlining a plan that raises the debt ceiling by $2.7 trillion and includes $2.7 trillion in spending cuts, a healthy share of which comes from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Republicans are rejecting this even though it nominally meets their demands. Why? Because it doesn’t achieve either of their two real objectives. In particular, the plan doesn’t cut Medicare, which means that Democratic party candidates for office in November 2012 and 2014 can accurately remind voters of the content of the Republican budget plan. In case you forgot, this plans repeals Medicare. Having repealed Medicare, it then gives seniors vouchers to purchase more expensive private health insurance. And having replaced Medicare with a voucher system, it then ensures that the vouchers will grow steadily stingier over time. It was only after voting for this plan that Republicans seem to have realized that repealing Medicare is unpopular. Since that time, they’ve been trying to entrap Democrats into reaching some kind of Medicare détente with them, which would immunize them from criticism. Reid’s plan doesn’t do that.

Second, while Reid’s plan doesn’t raise taxes, it also doesn’t take tax increases off the table. Currently, the Bush tax cuts are scheduled to expire in 2012. If Reid’s all-cuts plan passes, that still leaves the door open to significant revenue increases. Now that doesn’t mean this is brilliant 11-dimensional chess. The Reid Plan is consistent with substantial revenues coming online in 2012, but that will only happen if President Obama and Senate Democrats stand firm and play hardball on the tax issue. Back in December 2010, they utterly failed to do so.

Not that President Catfood Commission will go for it; his intention from the very beginning was to cut social programs. He has never had any other intention. He is a proven liar from the get-go.