Althouse: "I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy."

August 2, 2011

"I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy."

Boehner.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...: I would have hoped that he would have wanted a bit more budget cutting. Old habits die hard.; 8/2/11, 9:12 AM
Bruce Rheinstein said...: He did well considering the GOP controls only one house of Congress. The 2012 elections are what is important.; 8/2/11, 9:13 AM
Thorley Winston said...: If this “deal” represents 98 percent of what Speaker Boehner wanted, then the House needs a new Speaker capable of setting more ambitious stretch goals.; 8/2/11, 9:20 AM
traditionalguy said...: All the chips are in now from both sides for the 2012 jackpot.

The Destroy America As We Know It Unit has its candidate named Obama.

The Save America As We Know It unit will have a candidate named Palin.

The lines at the voting precincts will be a mile long.; 8/2/11, 9:20 AM
AllenS said...: "Except for this sandwich tasting like Satan, I'm pretty happy."; 8/2/11, 9:26 AM
Known Unknown said...: Did he cry?; 8/2/11, 9:28 AM
Scott M said...: The Save America As We Know It unit will have a candidate named Palin.

Then you can count me out. I don't want an America As We Know It. There's a lot of problems with America As We Know It.

Give me me a fair tax to broaden the tax base and remove all the loopholes and unfair deductions. Give me a small national sales tax to dip into the underground consumption that NEVER gets taxed. Give me IG-level review of the major departments.

That's where we start.; 8/2/11, 9:29 AM
MayBee said...: Boehner did a great job, but I am not sanguine about how this deal diminishes Obama's responsibility.; 8/2/11, 9:30 AM
Original Mike said...: I saw Paul Ryan on Sean (a.k.a. Dufus) Hannity. He was remarkably happy with the outcome and already talking about the next steps. One of these is to eliminate baseline budgeting, something he's been trying to do for a long time, but now he thinks people are listening.; 8/2/11, 9:37 AM
SunnyJ said...: When I was younger I was an over achiever...killing myself and everyone around me to get that 100%perfect outcome.

Then I took my first economics class and found that wonderful law of diminishing return. Hey if it works for guns and butter, it could work for me.

Happily ever after I get the first 95% and instead of spending 100% more to get the last 5%...I go on to do several more interesting things.; 8/2/11, 9:40 AM
Tank said...: We need to have a conservative run against Boner in the primary.; 8/2/11, 9:47 AM
edutcher said...: At best, I'm 22.5% happy, but I think that will be downgraded by the CBO.

PS What Thorley said.

Which may happen in 2013.; 8/2/11, 10:13 AM
Cedarford said...: Thorley Winston said...
If this “deal” represents 98 percent of what Speaker Boehner wanted, then the House needs a new Speaker capable of setting more ambitious stretch goals
===========================
Ah, you mean the Speaker should have just taken his marching orders from the small band of the Tea Party Caucus and marched to demand the Dem Senate and Dem President obey him?; 8/2/11, 10:28 AM
ricpic said...: As Michele Bachmann said, we're all Greeks now, but the main thing is that Obama gets to play with another trillion, or is that 2 trillion dollars? and in exchange Boehner and McConnell aren't lumped in with those racist terrorist Tea Party kooks.; 8/2/11, 10:29 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I'm pretty pleased with CryBoehner myself.

He did good.; 8/2/11, 10:37 AM
Cedarford said...: Trad guy - "The Save America As We Know It unit will have a candidate named Palin."

Even if she signs some pledge not to quit after 1 year or two like her previous jobs - the outcome is Obama reelected.
Now, acolytes of the Palin Cult may say that is fine because Sarah delivered A Message!!
So then Obama could do his next 4 years with the garbled but pungent and pithy Sarah-isms always on his mind. Just like there is not a day that Harry Reid does his job over the next 6 years not mindful of how some Nevadans say he has to listen to Sharron Angle's strong message. Of course, Harry rejects them and the wisdom of Sharron Herself. But it is not like Harry Reid is not enormously grateful Sharron Angle was his opponent.; 8/2/11, 10:39 AM
John said...: I think if Boehner thought a bit harder about it, the number would actually be closer to 90%. But he can still be happy about that.

The thing is now to press the advantage... let this be one click in the ratchet of victory.; 8/2/11, 10:53 AM
Curious George said...: If Boehner meant he got 98% of what he wanted now, which I think he did, then I'm good with it and him.; 8/2/11, 11:30 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: His performance was phenomenal considering that he had absolutely no leverage.; 8/2/11, 11:42 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Imagine if these had been private sector negotiations. The Dem equivalent side would have laughed in the face of the GOP equivalent side, and the terms would have been, "You get nothing. We get everything we want."; 8/2/11, 11:44 AM
Curious George said...: "Freeman Hunt said...
His performance was phenomenal considering that he had absolutely no leverage."

If the basis is simply the control of the the House, Senate, and WH then of course you are correct.

The real metrics is the reality of the situation, and the will of the American people. Reagan got a lot more of what he wanted, with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, because he talked over their heads. Granted, easier to do from the WH then the as the Speaker.

All in all, not bad for the GOP (and America). 2012 will be the defining moment in America.; 8/2/11, 11:51 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Add in the control of the press. The Dems could have said, "Fine. Let the clock run out and the whole thing blow up. The press will pin it all on you." But they didn't.; 8/2/11, 12:10 PM
Mick said...: Boner is a treasonous Globalist. He gets his marching orders from the Central Banker Debt Masters that own all of government because of their Unconstitutional role as the producers of US Currency from debt, on which We the People pay interest. All of these Congress people should be hung from the nearest lamppost.
Excuse me, but there are no "cuts" to the deficit in this Bill. There are cuts to the amount they were originally going to spend, plus a raise of Trillions more in debt, and since debt equals money, further devaluation of the Dollar.
The founders are spinning in their graves. We should yank every one of these bastards out of Congress, and throw them in the street.; 8/2/11, 12:24 PM
ken in tx said...: Freeman, they didn't because they aren't sure how much pull the press has anymore, plus the press is starting to drift away a little.; 8/2/11, 12:28 PM
Carol_Herman said...: Stink-o leadership skills

Besets both parties! The ones from the safest districts keep getting re-elected until they die.

That's why we had the KKK'er Byrd reaching the upper echelon of the senate. He bragged their wasn't a rule he didn't know. And, he peppered his name all over West Virginia. So no one should forget his name.

Ted Kennedy left an empty chair. Got a top notch Catholic funeral in their best American cathedral to boot. You think God had a religious experience, himself, that day? OR DID HE JUST LAUGH?

The gimmicks don't cease.

Boehner represents the stupid party ... the way an asshole represents the human body.

NOT ONE CONSERVATIVE WILL SIT ON ANY COMMITTEE!

Lobbyists will still be buying what they want. (And, they probably only have to buy ten of one dozen schmucks.)

Boehner's "tan" is as fake as Pelosi's face.; 8/2/11, 12:41 PM
Original Mike said...: "His performance was phenomenal considering that he had absolutely no leverage."

He had some leverage. He had the Tea Party who really meant it when they said "No". And the Dems knew they meant it.; 8/2/11, 12:42 PM
Curious George said...: "ken in sc said...
Freeman, they didn't because they aren't sure how much pull the press has anymore, plus the press is starting to drift away a little."

+1 Add in that the facts don't support that stategy...and the message is much easier to deliver than the "debt ceiling" debate. "No budget 800+ days" "Obama budget loses 97-0, not one vote by his own party" etc. Not enough for the GOP to go all in, nor enough for the DNC to want to call if they did.; 8/2/11, 12:42 PM
John henry said...: Keystone said:

"I would have hoped that he would have wanted a bit more budget cutting."

Contrary to all the cries of terrorism, Jihad, anarchy, Boehner didn't even ask for any cuts. He asked for a reduced rate of increase and we are being told that these are cuts.

They are not. They are increases.

Now Harry Reid is being quoted in Drudge as saying that he expects to get some tax rate increases as well.

What was this who charade for? We liberal, TPers, anarchists et al should not have settled for anything that was not actually a cut. Cut in this case meaning a reduction in spending.

Graham(?) said that now instead of running off the cliff, we are walking off of it.

We need to change direction.

Pass a budget equal to 2008 less 2% or something along those lines.

SHUT THE FUCKING GOVT DOWN if that is what it takes.

John Henry; 8/2/11, 1:01 PM
John henry said...: When Bachmann said we are all Greeks now, did she mean we were getting fucked in the ass?

I think that is what just happened yesterday and today.

John Henry; 8/2/11, 1:04 PM
Thorley Winston said...: Ah, you mean the Speaker should have just taken his marching orders from the small band of the Tea Party Caucus and marched to demand the Dem Senate and Dem President obey him?

I mean that I think that this Speaker has not been a very strong or effective negotiator. After he sent his proposal to the Senate, he should have said that he was waiting for the Senate to send the House their bill (or pass an amended version of the House bill) and get them on the record as for what they wanted or were willing to accept. At which point he, Reid, Pelosi and McConnell would have had to hash it out in conference committee through the normal process where they would have made a deal that they were sure had enough votes to pass. Instead he spent weeks essentially negotiating against himself while the Senate and the President kept changing their minds and stories about what they were willing to accept all the while blaming the House for dragging out the process.

Boehner had leverage going into these negotiations because he had a president who would probably have agreed to anything so long as he didn’t have to go back to raise the debt ceiling next year during his reelection campaign. A balanced budget amendment was never in the cards nor were meaningful spending cuts this year. What he could have pushed for is the elimination of baseline budgeting. It would have made it easier for the next Congress to enact actual spending cuts (instead of just slowing the rate of growth) by challenging the bias in favor o automatically increasing spending each year. Instead he went for the short-term symbolic “victory” of budget caps (that no future Congress is obligated to honor) and a vote on a constitutional amendment that is not going to pass the Senate.; 8/2/11, 1:20 PM
Lance said...: @Freeman
His performance was phenomenal considering that he had absolutely no leverage.

"Give me (most of) what I want or I force a default" is pretty good leverage.

Too bad Democrats and RINO's made it necessary to use it.; 8/2/11, 1:52 PM
Blair said...: The whiners ignore that fact that a default would have been blamed on the Republicans. There was no strategy to go into default and turn it back on the President and the Dems, because that's Jesus walking on water stuff. The GOP would have been blamed, and you can kiss any chance of taking the Senate and Presidency in 2012 goodbye.

The Republicans have actually got the best possible deal that they could have gotten without a default. Look how sulky the Dems all are about it! The GOP won this one. They survived, and they now have a shot at taking everything next year, and getting some REAL cuts done.

This way, we win. Your way, Bachmann's way, we would have lost. So stop complaining.; 8/2/11, 2:09 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: "Give me (most of) what I want or I force a default" is pretty good leverage.

Not when the other side has control of the press. A default would have been blamed entirely on the GOP.; 8/2/11, 2:15 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Shorter: I agree with Blair.; 8/2/11, 2:17 PM
Anonymous said...: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill; 8/2/11, 2:51 PM
Dustin said...: Boehner knows it will be impossible to screw the GOP by referring to him.

He isn't running for president. He isn't running for congress in your district (99.8% of you anyway).

So by all means, conservatives can be mad at him.

Now, Boehner makes democrats mad at Obama too. Makes Obama look weak and ineffective. Makes him look like a loser whose bluff was totally called.

Pretty clever.

Also I think this increases the urgency on the right to get a conservative into office. I think Obama is really falling, and will continue to, and while electability is a top priority, it may not be a problem. I don't know about Palin. I like her, but I don't know. I do want our nominee to be someone Palin supports, but I want more executive experience if that's possible.

Beggars can't be choosy, though.; 8/2/11, 2:51 PM
TosaGuy said...: Boehner certainly has done a much better job than Newt or Hastert. Imagine the disaster with one of either those two in charge.; 8/2/11, 2:52 PM
Thorley Winston said...: Boehner certainly has done a much better job than Newt or Hastert. Imagine the disaster with one of either those two in charge.
Can’t speak for Hastert but as I recall when Gingrich had his showdown with Clinton over the budget, Clinton agreed to actual spending cuts which resulted in nearly balancing the budget, retaining the GOP majority in the House and increasing the GOP majority in the Senate.; 8/2/11, 3:02 PM
MadisonMan said...: So, 98% of what he wanted included the ability to have more deficit spending.

Lovely.

I'm about to calculate how my Mom's estate, which I haven't yet inherited, has changed since her death in early July.; 8/2/11, 3:46 PM
prairie wind said...: Do we base our calculations on who the press would have blamed? Or do we base our calculations on the two trillion dollars just handed to Obama.

The press has been blaming us for crap all along. Do you really think we couldn't have stood a bit more?; 8/2/11, 4:04 PM
Curious George said...: Rick T. said...
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill

Exactly what I thought of. But I knew you were coming along so I let you have it.; 8/2/11, 4:22 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Then he was only asking for half as much as he should have been.; 8/2/11, 11:25 PM