Political Animal – Obama tries to box in House GOP.
This, however, is what struck me as key:
“So here’s where we stand. We have a Democratic President and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts, modifications to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare that would strengthen those systems and allow them to move forward, and would include a revenue component. We now have a bipartisan group of senators who agree with that balanced approach. And we’ve got the American people who agree with that balanced approach.”
The president wasn’t speaking from prepared remarks, so it’s possible this came together by accident, but it sounded to me like Obama was intentionally boxing in House Republicans. The point wasn’t to endorse the Gang of Six, per se, so much as to use the Gang of Six to make a larger point: the White House wants a balanced approach, a bipartisan group in the Senate wants a balanced approach, and the American mainstream wants a balanced approach. Now all we need is for the House majority to wake up and smell reality.hat, of course, won’t happen, but the point is to place the burden where it belongs — on those who are being irresponsible.
Again, it’s what he didn’t say that matters. He said we have a bipartisan group in the Senate, a willing executive, and the support of the citizens for a bipartisan agreement. The only ones not mentioned? The House. So Benen is right on…it’s a box step, intended to put more pressure on the House to either deliver a clean bill on the debt ceiling or a deal. Since a deal robs all leverage, I’m betting on the clean bill.
