TPM on Super Committee's secret meetings: "This should hearten progressives...."

[blm]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/super-committee-dems-avoid-trap-that-skewed-debt-limit-fight.php?ref=fpa

Democrats on the new deficit Super Committee are determined to be better negotiators than their predecessors in earlier deficit discussions leading up to the debt limit fight.
According to aides with knowledge of the discussions, they're trying to keep the panel's early focus on revenues, to avoid falling into a familiar trap of agreeing to a bunch of spending cuts only to have Republicans freeze up when they try to change the conversation to taxes.

>>>>>

Republicans were never going to make it easy. But one of the reasons the debt limit deal included zero dollars in new tax revenue, explicit or implicit, traces back to the unfinished work of a bipartisan group of congressional negotiators, led by Vice President Joe Biden. Those discussions proceeded from the idea that Democrats and Republicans should begin talks on areas of agreement, then work their way outward to more contentious issues like safety net programs and taxes. But a funny thing happened once the group had exhausted the easy stuff, and even some of the issues near and dear to liberals. Democrats said, 'let's talk taxes,' and the Republicans in the room -- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) -- bolted. That kicked the negotiations upstairs to President Obama and Speaker John Boehner, who were famously unable to reach a "grand bargain" that would have included new tax revenues.
Thus House and Senate leaders were left with the Biden group's framework -- all cuts, no revenue -- as the basis for the debt limit deal.

Aides to Democratic committee members -- who can't be named because of the sensitivity of the discussions, and couldn't comment on specific policy options -- have confirmed that the six negotiators are very wary of falling into the Biden group trap. The aides say the panel's Democrats are focused on making sure Republicans are truly willing to compromise when it comes to revenue and the tax code before any agreements are made on additional spending cuts.

>>>>>

This should hearten progressives concerned that Democrats -- or one lone rebel Democrat willing to vote with all six committee Republicans -- will sell the GOP the farm for zero, or trivial new revenues.......
For now, members of the Super Committee have been exceptionally tight-lipped about their meetings, suggesting they're making some headway. If and when that changes, it'll be a sign that this strategy is encountering headwinds.

[blm]

1. good news rarely gets headlines

.

[myrna minx]

2. K&R n/t

[gratuitous]

3. I'm willing to wait and see

But I reserve the right to be extremely skeptical of anonymous leaks of the committee's doings, and I'm still going to advocate for the responsible position of paying for the Republicans' wars by the folks who have profited the most from them during the time they've been waged.

[blm]

4. of course, but, as a tactic I 'get' the low temperature approach to the decision-making.

The fanning of flames publicly almost always works to advantage the GOP and its fascist agenda.

[kenfrequed]

5. I will believe it when I see it.

Congressional democrats seem to have had a really shitty learning curve in terms of messaging and negotiations. I will believe this when I see it.

[ThomWV]

6. Fuck a bunch of spending cuts, and in fact fuck even small cuts - do it all with increased taxes.

[Vincardog]

7. I say they should get all the revenue enhancers on the table and agreed to before ANY cuts (other

than Military) are discussed

[Liberalynn]

8. I'm with you