OK, I am out of politics.

[Mass]

We allow the GOP to take the country as hostage, accept their diktats, and then try to say we are the winners. What BS?

And, we allow people like Boehner to look like a great negotiator and the savior of the day.

In the meantime, services are cut. In our district, 15 % of teachers in the HS will be fired next year. Senior will be restricted to 5 classes (and it is similar from K to 12). And we are a fairly affluent town, so I wonder how it is in much less rich cities.

But we are supposed to acclaim deals made in our name by people who barely fight? Why? And basically, even when they fight, they are stopped by the majority that does not fight. So, what is the point?

[karynnj]

1. I seriously do not see the deal as a victory for us

The fact is that we have lost many things people fought for for years. It actually reminds me of 2005, where between Alito and the bankruptcy bill, it seemed liked the our country had completely lost its bearings. (I will never forget Kennedy, debating amendment after amendment trying to temper the bankruptcy bill even a little - and losing every single battle.)

And these were just the hostages for the 2011 budget - there is still the 2012 budget and the debt ceiling - and I know they will take more "hostages".

I knew we lost a lost when we lost the House, but even though some people had suggested how bad it could be, I really am surprised too.

Like you, I am in a more affluent community than average, and I am scared what this will do to our schools. Here, the governor has put a cap on what districts themselves can spend - so even wealthy communities are limited in what they can do. My kids are all past high school, but this will destroy the future of the country.

It angers me that the extreme right has bought much of the mass media and they have brain washed so many to vote for things that will hurt their families. It startles me that somehow the John Birch Society has had its name rehabilitated - when just proving someone was in it labeled them too extreme 2 decades ago. It bothers me that the RW anti-Castro Cubans still are as reactionary as ever - and in bed with the Republicans.

Kerry's speech yesterday did not speak of any potential victory. He spoke of the things already being compromised as things that people got into public life to fight for. What is clear to me is that the Democrats really blew it last year - and the polls for at least 9 months predicted it. Though it seems weird when we have the Presidency and the Senate, we need to win this country back from the RW extremists. We need a genuine free press and we need fairness in the tax code - not cutting everything that benefits the poor and even the middle class.

[ObamaKerryDem]

2. Sadly, I think you are right..:( Though I would argue that we cannot wait for..

..the press. They are already bought and paid for, IMO. "Liberal media", nothing. With the exception of a very few, it's very clear to me that there is no "Liberal media"--as the RW so often complain about--in this country. If this deal was acheived by someone like Reagan or another Republican, it would be spun as a HUGE win. But because it's Obama and Democrats...

I think what happened yesterday was much better than nothing--an accomplishment, better than a shutdown..but I totally agree that we need to be careful not to compromise TOO much..more than what already has been.

You know, it's ironic that so many Republicans complain that Obama has "done nothing" to try and work with their side. He tried EVERYTHING, IMO, especially during the Health Care debate. Some would and do argue, too much. I think he's finally starting to see just how unreasonable most of these folks are. Or at least I hope so. We have spent too much time trying to appease them, IMHO.

The old saying is SO true: You just can't please everyone. There's always going to be that 30%+ out there, that simply can never be convinced. The key is setting the agenda--and the message--working around and beyond that point.

But the fight continues..

[Mass]

3. And we need people ready to fight for regular people. This is not the case currently.

I am lucky as I have one great senator (out of 2) and a great congressman (who in passing voted against this deal. Thank you).

There is no way this deal will help either those who will see their services cut (not the rich) or the Democrats get back the majority. Democrats have accepted that we need to cut services, though not the military, and that we cannot increase taxes on the rich. Sad reality, and one that can only make things worse.

I think that your comparison with 2005 is apt, but we have the same leadership team: Reid and Schumer, so why expect different results. Fighting is not a word they know.

My husband was watching the debate yesterday and his reaction, after having seen Reid, Schumer, and Durbin, was: why cant we have Durbin as majority leader and send back Reid and Schumer to the bench. His view of Schumer was that the only thing that mattered to him was what could benefit him, nothing else.

[ObamaKerryDem]

4. Though it appears the Tea Party is not at all happy with this deal..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=648926&mesg_id=648926

Am I naive to take this as a somewhat hopeful sign? :)

This battle may be over, but it's clear the war is still on. These people are BULLIES and it's clear they will use whatever tactics they feel work to get their way, the people be damned. We need to keep standing our ground. Hopefully they will feel like they failed this time around..

[Mass]

5. More dems voted against it than GOPers. Given that, contrarily to bloggers,

they know what is in the deal, it seems bad sign.

As for standing our ground, what ground?

Here is what Sanders said on his facebook page

A last-minute deal was reached near midnight on Friday for $38.5 billion in spending cuts. Another stopgap spending measure will keep the government running until next week when Congress is to vote on the budget agreement. It makes steep cuts in programs for working families, such as Head Start for children and Pell grants for college student

[karynnj]

6. If you compare where we are now, to where we will be after this passes,

it is Democratic programs that will have been defunded. In addition, many jobs will be lost that are funded by these programs. We are finally getting some private job growth - about 250,000 a month. I don't know the number of jobs that these cuts will cause because I don't think this bill has been analyzed that way yet. Remember though that just as creating jobs has a multiplier effect, this will also have a multiplier effect in the opposite direction. The question is whether the fragile recovery will be strong enough to absorb this and continue to move forward.

In addition to the macro effects, consider that many people receiving the services will be impacted. With Head Start cuts, there will not just be teachers impacted, but parents whose children lose the service. Reducing Pell grants may mean many might have to take even more debt or drop out of (or no go to) college.

I think people did not understand what they were voting for when they voted in the Republican house. I know that sounds incredibly arrogant, but I really don't think that many people voted for things that will hurt them.

[Blaukraut]

7. It doesn't sound arrogant at all

The teabaggers knew damn well what they were voting for, but the independents (aka low information voters) did not. They did their usual foot stomping instant gratification yearning thing.
This budget is terrible, and what is even more terrible, is the fact that President Obama actually tried to put lipstick on the pig last night by touting the biggest cuts in history.

Like you guys, I'm disgusted with the current climate and the Dems being extorted by criminals who call themselves Republicans. And I have little hope that the next budget fight or the debt ceiling fight will go any differently. There is a pattern of capitulation on the Dems' and Obama's part that the other side knows how to take advantage of. I see no evidence of that pattern changing anytime soon.

Honestly, I think the US system of Government that only allows two viable parties is deeply flawed. There are no checks and balances that naturally arise from coalition governments, especially if one party is taken over by extremists, as is the case with the Republicans.

[Mass]

8. OK, time to give up...

We have nothing better than the dems and they propose to endorse Simpson-Knowles? Really?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/04/call_it_a_day_i_guess_gone_fishin.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Talking-Points-Memo+%28Talking+Points+Memo%3A+by+Joshua+Micah+Marshall%29


Even if it turns out to be less bad than it seems, the messaging is really lousy. Could they stand for something once in a while and say so rather than continuing on their bipartisan BS?

[Blaukraut]

9. Dems need to learn

not to start negotiations where they would eventually like to end up. While I am going to wait to hear Obama's speech before I get mad, I have learned that speeches don't equal results, so I'll wait for those, too. But with the pattern so far, it's not looking too hopeful.

Dems need to get on top of the messaging, and Obama needs to use the bully pulpit to promote a fair agenda, not play defense to the extreme right agenda.

[Mass]

10. Once again, disappointment,

The first part of the speech was good, with some principles and lines seemingly drawn. I was really hopeful that it was going in the good direction.

Sadly, the second part was about how we need to reduce spending and this would require shared sacrifices. Sorry, but there are a lot of people who have nothing to sacrifice anymore. I am tired of this bipartisan BS. If the negotiations start like that, we will be screwed once again. I guess the main problem is that he announced changes on Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security (there needs to be some on the two first ones), but, aside that he does not want the programs to disappear, there were no guidelines where these changes should occur. Not a good point when the other side has already announced they wanted to privatize the programs and good luck to us.