Supercommittee Unlikely to Reach Deficit Deal

[Javaman]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-19/debt-supercommittee-moves-further-apart-as-negotiations-enter-homestretch.html#

A member of the congressional supercommittee expressed doubt that the panel would reach an agreement on a U.S. deficit-reduction package by its Nov. 23 deadline.

Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, called a slimmed- down debt plan rejected this past week by Democrats a “last- ditch” effort by his party to ensure the panel is able to “at least accomplish something and not come away with a goose egg.”

It’s too late for lawmakers to send new proposals to the Congressional Budget Office to be analyzed for their impact on the deficit, he told reporters yesterday.

Kyl said his colleagues hope that “even at this late date” the committee could put together ideas that had already been analyzed by the CBO. “I think that’s pretty doubtful at this point but obviously nobody wants to quit until the stroke of midnight,” he said.

more at link...

[hedgehog]

1. The key will be in how people perceive this outcome - if they declare

"a pox on both your houses", the notion of representative government moves closer to the abyss. If they realize that it is Republican economic ignorance and dedication to the 1% that is to blame, we move closer to real change.

Revolution is tempting, but like war, revolution tends to take paths those who started it never envisioned.

[bigwillq]

2. Both are to blame, imo.

What a mess.
I am voting every incumbent out. No one deserves to keep their job.

[hedgehog]

6. Each congressman, each senator has one vote. How is Berni Sanders,

for example, responsible for John Boehner?

[Javaman]

11. Berni Sanders is an Independant. nt

[hedgehog]

12. So, are you saying that every Democratic politician bears the same

blame as every Republican? We have too many DINOs, but give some credit to Democratic politicians fighting the good fight. We wouldn't be having this discussion today if there weren't any Democrats drawing a line in the sand to defend us from the 1%. They don't have the votes to move the line forward, but at least they are holding the line.

[Javaman]

14. No, I'm saying Berni Sanders is an Independent.

:shrug:

[hedgehog]

16. OK - I misread the blame being placed on Democrats and Republicans as

blame being placed on all politicians.

[Javaman]

3. As things stand now, I seriously doubt anyone in congress. let along any politician

will blame any of this on the 1% or the repukes.

Grid lock is the name of the game.

The floor is dropping out from beneath our feet as we write.

Will cooler heads prevail at the 11th hour? Will sanity return at the very last minute?

Frankly, I'm getting really tired of these "die hard" solutions.

[HereSince1628]

4. On the brink of failure? Shit, that's the brinksman's playground

why would expect anything other than this?

This is where they get to save defense spending and kill off unproductive old people and resource sucking infants.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. Thank God it didn't pass.

Tomorrow, I'll send a thank you note to my senator.

[hedgehog]

9. I can agree that it's a good thing a compromise that trashed Social Security

or Medicare didn't pass, but the lack of a good compromise is a very bad thing for all of us. Spending on the non-military side has already been cut to the bone. Anyone here ready to cut Social Security or Medicare? And yes, I know they are financed separately, but the rest of the world lumps these items into the general budget and bemoans the huge chunk of the budget that goes to "entitlements". Setting Social Security and Medicare aside, where do we take the cuts; the Weather Bureau (who needs those hurricane spotters?) , the Geological Survey? (earthquakes aren't a real problem), EPA? Department of Interior? NIH? CDC? Food stamps? FDA? FCC? FAA?

Military spending is all too often a means of bringing federal money into a congressional district. Manufacturers scatter production across the country to ensure the widest possible support for whatever weapon they make. It's one reason Congress so often buys equipment the Pentagon doesn't want. The threat of cutting military spending was meant to force the Republicans to a compromise, a balance of cuts and increased spending. The reality of impending cuts to domestic spending is a disaster.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. And now it's time to show some bone on the military side.

Any possible work product from these guys would have been worse than inaction.

[handmade34]

7. I for one, am ok with that

the whole idea of a "Supercommittee" was absurd to begin with... a total reflection of how inept our congress it...
the supercommittee failing means at least the democrats are holding strong on not letting the bush tax cuts continue.

from Patty Murray's interview on CNN:
“I'll tell you one of the problems has been a pledge that too many Republicans took to a Republican wealthy lobbyist by the name of Grover Norquist, whose name has come up in meetings time and time again,” Murray said.

“As long as we have some Republican lawmakers who feel more enthralled with a pledge they took to a Republican lobbyist than they do to a pledge to the country to solve the problems, this is going to be hard to do.”

[SmittynMo]

8. They will fail because

with the republicans, its all about me, me me....

[TreasonousBastard]

10. So what? Any agreement they come to could be overturned by...

the next Congress anyway-- and they know that. It's all about running out the clock until next year's election.

Besides, if they don't agree on something, we'll probably be better off-- the Bush tax cuts go away and spending cuts across the board happen-- spending cuts that can also be overturned.

After the initial screaming, none but the diehards will dare allow lower taxes for the rich and essential services to be cut.

[hedgehog]

13. The problem is that just about every Republican is a diehard!

[Old and In the Way]

17. This super-committee was designed to push the Republican agenda without

Republicans having to individually sign on to it and be accountable. The fact that it fails is a good sign. If Republicans think their agenda is so good, why not push the legislation directly in Congress and vote on it?

[piratefish08]

18. itty bitty shitty committee

did anyone really think it would end well?

really?

[hedgehog]

19. I'm a cock-eyed optimist. I really thought the Masters of the Universe

would call off their dogs at the last minute and be reasonable. What the rich don't realize is that the 1% has sucked up all the money we in the 99% have. Now the ultra rich are turning on the merely rich and taking all . There are fewer and fewer millionaires every year, even as more of the wealth is concentrated at the very top. The end game comes when one person owns everything but can't sell a thing because no one else has anything!

[piratefish08]

20. if they can't continue the big money grab then they'll run the fucker right off a cliff.

if the 1% can't have theirs then nobody will...........