Over at RedState.com, Dan McLaughlin takes note of a story within a story What McLaughlin refers to as “The Case of the Missing President, or How Barack Obama Ended Up Getting Told He’d Get Nothing And Like It” is buried in a lengthy article by Molly Hooper of The Hill detailing how Speaker John Boehner was able to get past Democrats’ obstruction and dissension among Republicans to get last week’s debt ceiling legislation passed. From Ms. Hooper:
Boehner last month asked the networks to televise his response to Obama’s address to the nation, a request which infuriated the White House, Republican sources said.
On July 23, they claim, the White House called Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), telling her not to participate on a call with Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Pelosi informed Reid, who declined to participate, and the call was canceled, the Republican sources said. (A Pelosi spokesman could not be reached for comment.)
Later that day, the four leaders met with Obama at the White House. At one point, GOP officials said, the Democratic and Republican leaders asked Obama and his aides to leave the room to let them negotiate.
A tentative deal was subsequently struck, but Obama privately threatened to veto it, the sources said.
Reid has repeatedly denied that he ever signed off on such an agreement.
The following day, staffers for Boehner, Cantor, Reid and McConnell continued to work on an agreement, according to Republicans.
After more twists and turns — and involvement from Vice President Biden — a bipartisan deal was reached a week later.
Now McLaughlin’s analysis. Read carefully, it becomes apparent that Obama really IS the most inexperienced and most inconsequential president we’ve ever had. Perhaps if he’d actually DONE something of substance before he bacame president…
…it seems pretty clear that Obama was simply an obstacle to getting a deal done – not the only adult in the room, as he portrayed himself, but the one guy who had nothing to contribute to the process and was actually in the way…
A big part of why the whole political spin war was so acrimonious throughout these negotiations was the asymmetry in transparency among the participants. The House GOP side of the argument was played out in public: the House passed two plans before the Senate even held a vote on a plan backed by Senate leadership….
So this is what they call “leading from behind”? Sounds more like “leading with the behind” . Nevertheless, this has been Obama’s modus operandi throughout his political career, and quite probably his academic career as well. Obama has always preferred to let others hash out the messy details and once the deal has been struck, stride forward and claim the credit. Should the deal ever head south, he is then in a position to place the blame on the crafters of the bill. Unfortunately this also makes him extremely difficult to negotiate with since he won’t allow himself to be pinned down on any specifics. As Boehner recently lamented:
“Dealing with them the last couple months has been like dealing with Jell-O”
Perhaps this will lead to a new slogan for Obama’s 2012 campaign. “Now With More Fruits!”
yes It must have been frustrating to try to build a plan aroun that kind of nuisance,
Let’s see how he tries to blame everyone else for the credit downgrade that everyone knew was going to happen. As we all know, his irresponsible trillion dollar plus deficits had absolutely nothing to do with it, but Bush’s irresponsible 300 billion dollar deficits were responsible for all of it because in the minds of lefties, 1.2 trillion < 300 billion. Both parties were irresponsible, it's just that one side won't admit it and neither side wants to make the hard choices to fix it if it's even fixable at this point.
@another vet:
Mata and I, along with some others, predicted the downgrading of our government’s credit rating during the discussions subsequent to the “deal”. It wasn’t about IF the debt ceiling was raised, but about HOW the government went about it. And they failed, as pointed out numerous times. Obama, by signing the “deal” into law, has just as much culpability as Congress does in passing it. More so, in fact, given that the spending “cuts” are inconsequential, which is what he desired, and that taxes WILL be increased, which is what he desired.
This is true because in the minds of liberal/progressives, the government, particularly if run by liberal/progressives, know better how to spend the money. Just ask em’.
Last night, when S&P downgraded the USA an Obama representative claimed that S&P made a $2Trillion error in math.
WOW!
That would be bad!
I bet the numbers crunchers are working their fingers to the bone looking for it.
I can only find the above in the Times of Malta, however.
But, as JohnGalt points out, it isn’t a math problem, the ”deal” itself, is bogus.
It didn’t stop the profligate spending!
I read a report that Obama had brought the USA up to the level of the “new ceiling” within a few hours of signing the deal into law!
NOW what are we going to do?
THAT’s why we got downgraded.
@Nan G:
Thank you, Nan.
The “deal” is bogus, because of the following.
It doesn’t “cut” any spending. It only drops the rate of increase on spending from around 4% down to 3.5%. It still adds $7.5 Trillion in NEW spending over ten years.
It doesn’t address the sunsetting of the “Bush tax cuts”. That means that ALL rates, come January of 2013, without additional congressional action, will go up. This is scored by the CBO as a net revenue increase. Of course, that doesn’t take into account the negative effects of raising taxes on the economy, and assumes a rosy outlook on economic growth that looks more like “boom” times than in recoveries. The truth is, the economic growth will not be as great as the CBO’s outlook, and revenues will not be generated to as great an extent as predicted.
Both of those aspects of the “deal” mean that we, as a country, or the government, if you prefer, will not reduce either the size of the deficit, nor the amount of debt to GDP ratio, within the next ten years, hence the downgrade in credit rating. And, what’s more, with that downgrade in credit rating, the service to the debt will become a larger and larger portion of the federal revenue intake, meaning more money is required to be borrowed in order to make ALL of our obligated payments, such as SS and Medicare.
This “deal” has f***** the country, and Republicans in the House are just as responsible as the Democrats in the Senate, and Obama himself. We are fast approaching the point where the government, even with extra borrowing, is running out of other people’s money, if we aren’t there already.
There were many ideas on the table better than the “deal”, even if they weren’t perfect, and none of them even “cut” spending in any area. Not even the vaunted “Ryan Plan”, hailed by the GOP as the ideal plan, actually cut spending. Merely the rate of spending increase. This “deal” isn’t a victory for anyone. It’s stupid and irresponsible, and shows how broken our government really is.
@johngalt: and Nan
We all seem to be preaching to the choir on this one. When a problem exist the first step in effectively dealing with it is recognizing that a problem exists. Both parties have done this. The second step is properly identifying the cause(s) of the problem. In this case the main cause of the problem is spending. The R’s have figured it out, the D’s haven’t. The last step is coming up with a solution and then implementing it. The R’s haven’t come up with a solution nor have they shown enough backbone to do what is necessary. Given that we are stuck with a two party system, we have a choice between the D’s who can’t get past step one and the R’s who can’t get past step 2. Not much of a choice although the R’s are in a better position to effect positive change. They can start by de-funding Obamacare.
Definitely a bad week for America made even worse by the 31 American patriots KIA in Afghanistan today. A loss for the country and especially their families.
another vet so sorry to hear it here on your comment and checked on both CNN AND FOXNEWS,
OBAMA HAD TOLD THE MILITARYS THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE THEIR CHECKS, AMONG OTHERS WAITING!!!
IF THE DEBT IS NOT RAISE, LAST TIME AND DEMOCRATS REPEATED IT
ALL ON THE MEDIA, THOSE CHECKS ARE WELL EARNED AND NEEDED FOR THEIR FAMILYS,
THOSE MILITARY HAVE HAD TO WORRY BECAUSE OF THESE THREATS BY OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS,
THAT IS ENOUGH TO DECONCENTRATE THEIR MIND WHERE THEY NEED IT MOST TO FIGHT OBAMA’S WAR, HOW DARE HE DID THAT INFAMOUS THREAT,
LOOK AT THE RESULT TODAY AND LAST WEEK,
THIS IS ABSOLUTLY AWFULL TO HAVE PUT A TOUGHT IN THEIR MINDS ENOUGHT TO WORRY THEM EVEN A FRACTION OF IT IS DEADLY IN A WARZONE, YOU SHIFT YOUR MIND TOWARD YOUR FAMILY NEEDING YOUR SUPPORT WHEN THE THREAT IS UPON THEM AND THE CHILDREN AND BEING FARAWAY, YOU CANNOT REASSURE THEM,
OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS HAVE SUCCEDED TO DESTABILYZE THE CONCENTRATION OF THE BRAVEST, AND GET THEM SO UPSET THAT IT BRING GREAT LIFE THREATENING DANGER IF YOU JUST LOWER YOU ATTENTION SPAN,
IT GET YOU KILLED OR INJURED, THE ACCUTE THINKING AND ABILITY TO GUESS THE ENNEMIES ACTIONS BEFORE THEY DO IT ,THAT IS DIMINISH IF YOU GET BAD NEWS FROM YOUR OWN PRESIDENT,
HE CAN TAKE THE RESPONSABILITY FOR THE LOST OF LIFE, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT WITH WHAT WE ARE READING TODAY.
@ilovebeeswarzone: Excellent point although I don’t think his threats not to pay them had anything to do with what happened today. It is however very disgusting that just a short time ago he threatened the pay of those who made the ultimate sacrifice today. It just goes to show how clueless and unappreciative he is. He needs to go.
Another vet,
I still maintain that he planted a troubleing thought in their mind ,
and it plays a part in the accute focus the military have to use guessing before the ennemys does their act of war, it take only a fraction of it and what you saw this week happen, I’m convinced of it , just compare with the military left to do their things, nothing like that happen.
they distracted negativly the military, look how they where questioning the COMMANDER AND HE COULD NOT REASSURE THEM, ONLY SAID HE DON’T KNOW. THAT MEANS THEY WHERE NOT HAPPY AND UPSET AND WORRIED, THIS DID NOT GO AWAY , IT STAYED WITH THEM AND BECAME PART OF THEIR ACTIONS’S INFLUENCE.
JUST THINK OF YOU WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY AND CANNOT CORRECT SOME PROBLEM, DO YOU BEHAVE THE SAME WAY WITH A CLEAR MIND AS USUAL IN WHAT
YOU’RE ACCOMPLISHING?