I am very disappointed in Sen. Coburn, who is a good man but like another good man, Ron Paul, does not always display the best judgment. The only way his plan gets passed in the House is if a good number of republicans join democrats to support it. Expect a lot of backslapping and self-satisfied talk about "doing the peoples' work" and "coming together for the country", but all they will have done is sell their party and their supporters out. There will be retribution.
The Gang of Six plan is short on details, but its immediate saving is through fudging the CPI number used in cost of living increases. There is vague talk of eliminating some egregious tax breaks, but there is no way they amount to even a fraction of the $1trillion in new revenues. Expect to see some very popular programs like the mortgage interest deduction to be slashed or done away with. The actual cuts of course are not cuts at all but hairbrained proposals to somehow cut the rate of growth of programs in the future. This congress doesn't have the stones to cut when we are backed up against a wall, but we are supposed to believe that future congresses somehow will enact painful and unpopular cuts. Let's hear from the republican presidential contenders. We know where Bachmann stands. She said she would not vote for an increase in the debt ceiling except under conditions involving actual cuts, beginning with defunding obamacare. Is Romney still MIA? Does he have a position, except to try to dodge the issue and be on all sides of it?
He's not getting my vote. I want someone with the stones to do what needs to be done, popular or not.