WASHINGTON - Democratic leadership and Appropriations Committee staffers are meeting Thursday afternoon to find ways to cut social spending from the remainder of the fiscal year 2011 budget, a Senate Democratic aide told HuffPost. The object of the gathering is to identify cuts that will satisfy House Republicans' demands for drastic spending reductions despite the flagging economy.
[...]
That the two parties are now arguing merely over how quickly to make cuts indicates that their positions may be drawing close enough to avoid a government shutdown - without the GOP giving much up yet.
[...]
Senate Democrats are hoping that by offering the first concession, House GOPers will either respond in kind or take the blame for a shutdown. Yet each Democratic negotiating tactic has led to additional cuts. As the talks drag on, Republicans get closer and closer to their full goal.
Here's a hint for the Democrats, since apparently they really have spent the last 2 years with their heads firmly implanted up their asses: when you make the first concession (or any concession for that matter) to Republicans, they do not respond 'in kind' or take the blame for anything. They tell you to go fuck yourselves, that your concessions are not enough, that you are the source of all that is soulless and wrong with this world and this country, and that it is your goddamn fault for not being flexible enough and meeting their every demand and then some. You can't even call this negotiating anymore, because negotiating assumes that both parties end up with something. At this point, the Dems are just giving up everything and getting nothing in return. And you can very well bet that they will be the scapegoats for the resulting government shutdown in the media and elsewhere for not sufficiently bending to the GOP's draconian cuts, rather than the other way around.
No comments:
Post a Comment