New Debt Committee: Vertebrates Need Not Apply

enlightenedbum

enc0re wrote:

sterling3763 wrote:

So, on the Republican side:
Boehner picked: Hensarling, Camp, Upton.

Mcconnell selected: Kyl, Toomey, Portman.

Go Michigan. Wolverines!

They would get lynched in Ann Arbor. Shush.

I am shocked Reid didn't take Conrad, but Baucus is basically the same person, and if someone's going to fold it'll be him.

Thanatos

NailbunnyPD wrote:

Its like the opposite of Draft Day!

Heartlash wrote:

Isn't Kyl retiring in a year?

That may not be a bad thing. While I don't know much about the guy, being able to decide without repercussion could play out in favor of rationality.

Oh, he's the Planned Parenthood is 90% abortions guy.

http://azstarnet.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/article_9d175672-bd3d-11e0-b50a-001cc4c03286.html

Salvation122

I sure hope Republicans like eating the electoral results of a gigantic defense cut

Thanatos

Salvation122 wrote:

I sure hope Republicans like eating the electoral results of a gigantic defense cut

Republicans never have to deal with the consequences of their policies. They just blame Democrats.

enlightenedbum

Upon further review: Baucus is bad, but did strongly oppose the Bush Social Security plan, attacked Simpson-Bowles from the left, and a variety of other entitlement protecting type things. So while he's bad if we're trying to improve things, he is less bad at defending the status quo. Still the worst of the three, but could preserve a 6-6 deadlock.

Bagginses

enc0re wrote:

sterling3763 wrote:

So, on the Republican side:
Boehner picked: Hensarling, Camp, Upton.

Mcconnell selected: Kyl, Toomey, Portman.

Go Michigan. Wolverines!

I thought Wolverine was from Canada.

JihadJesus

Will it matter? The full Senate won't approve anything that fucks majorly with the entitlements anyway if it doesn't include any major revenues. Aside from givng the GOP the ability to get a vote on the record killing a balls-out-crazy Teaper "fuck everyone but me" spending cut package I don't see how it's even going to matter. The committee was never going to really address entitlements with the crazy on one side so any savings will be useless, and it was never going to produce a substantial plan that could pass both houses anyway because the "I love puppies" resolution couldn't do that right now.

The GOP was (once again) smart enough to see this, and play for political gain: they get their plan out there, it gets killed, they get to hammer anyone with a (D) next to their name for not being 'serious' about the long term debt issues. Meanwhile, the Dems play it straight like there's going to be an actual negotiation and will (once again) take it up the ass.

enlightenedbum

You guys realize everyone hates the GOP, right? Politically the Democrats have played this whole thing pretty well.

Which is meaningless because the policy blows, but... you know.

a5ehren

enlightenedbum wrote:

You guys realize everyone hates the GOP, right? Politically the Democrats have played this whole thing pretty well.

Which is meaningless because the policy blows, but... you know.

People hate Congress, which they always do. This time next year, we'll just hear about how Obama didn't use his magic wand and fix the economy, completely ignoring the reason for that.

NailbunnyPD

a5ehren wrote:

enlightenedbum wrote:

You guys realize everyone hates the GOP, right? Politically the Democrats have played this whole thing pretty well.

Which is meaningless because the policy blows, but... you know.

People hate Congress, which they always do. This time next year, we'll just hear about how Obama didn't use his magic wand and fix the economy, completely ignoring the reason for that.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/cnn-poll-grand-old-party-downgrade.php

TPM has been reporting for weeks about the effect of the debt debate on individual political leaders and the subsequently low ratings of Congress. But new data from a CNN poll shows that there's been a difference in the minds of many Americans: the Democratic Party is getting a split on approval/disapproval at 47 - 47, but the Republican Party disapproval rating is all the way up to 59%, against a 33% approval.

The GOP approval rating has been going down in the CNN poll since their 2010 victories: in the October 27-30 version, the Republican Party had a small plurality in approval, at 44 - 43. But since last fall's election they've seen a steady downward trend in the survey, to the current low, which is the highest disapproval rating in the CNN poll in the last twenty years.

The Tea Party itself actually has a lower disapproval rating at 51% than the Republican Party, and only a slightly lower approval rating at 31%.

CNN was also quick to point out possible consequences of such high dissatisfaction with Congress. From the report:

Only 41 percent of people questioned say the lawmaker in their district in the U.S. House of Representatives deserves to be re-elected - the first time ever in CNN polling that that figure has dropped below 50 percent. Forty-nine percent say their representative doesn't deserve to be re-elected in 2012. And with ten percent unsure, it's the first time that a majority has indicated that they would boot their representative out of office if they had the chance today.

The CNN poll used telephone interviews with 1,008 adult Americans, and was conducted from August 5th to the 7th. The sampling error is plus or minus three precent.

Captain Carrot

49% is not a majority, CNN. A plurality, sure, and a majority if you ignore the undecided, but you didn't say either of those.

Fallout2man

So I guess I was wrong and we have some more teapier types on the committee. Here's for holding out on Pelosi's picks from the house. If we don't get at least ONE progressive on the committee I will be pissed.

Lawndart

Wow, no Cantor and no Ryan?

Color me surprised.

Just heard on CNN that Ryan "requested not to be on the panel".

DevoutlyApathetic

The super committee was always supposed to be people who were willing to take the hit of going for unpopular things. Don't expect anybody with a future to be anywhere near it.

Chanus

Lawndart wrote:

Wow, no Cantor and no Ryan?

Color me surprised.

Just heard on CNN that Ryan "requested not to be on the panel".

Boehner isn't going to put Cantor somewhere there's more of a spotlight. His speakership is already on unsteady ground.

Taramoor

Pelosi has selected :
VAN HOLLEN
CLYBURN
BECERRA

Thanatos

Taramoor wrote:

Pelosi has selected :
VAN HOLLEN
CLYBURN
BECERRA

Fucking Clyburn? Really? Goddammit.

Well, at least we can see we've surrendered before we started, this time.

Captain Carrot

Than, could you please stop being so defeatist?

Clyburn said GOP demands for entitlement reductions and tax cuts are dishonest.
"This is just blaming poor people for the problem ...while fat cats get another tax cut," he said, adding that the argument that raising taxes kills jobs is a "fiction. It just is not true."

Absalon

Artemis Clyfrog, you hella shrill.

enlightenedbum

Clyburn is a pretty liberal dude. He voted for this mess for the same reason Pelosi did: he's in the leadership and didn't want to send mixed messages. Van Hollen is running the House election efforts and endorsed Pelosi's response to Ryan's plan, which if you'll recall was to run on Medicare, Medicare, and Medicare. Xavier Becerra voted against the debt commission's plans because of objections from the left. This is a pretty solid group to defend Progressive interests. The weakest link is Baucus, and he also voted against the debt commission plan. I think we've put ourselves on the road to deadlock and we get the triggered cuts, which is probably best case. Unless Rob Portman has a sudden encounter with responsibility.