Is Boehner A Loser Or A Master Negotiator?

PHOENIX TRADING · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I have criticized John Boehner repeatedly. I have also recognized the impossibility of his task in negotiating with a President Obama who is more interested in inflicting pain on republicans and republican voters than protecting the economy or putting the country on a stable financial footing.

In retrospect, it is clear that the earlier deal to create the fiscal cliff was a terrible idea, at least for republicans. They dealt the cards though, so they have to play the hand.

It is easy to say that last night's failure of the Plan B tax vote was a huge disaster for Boehner, one that may end his Speakership. Democrats, smelling blood, were gleeful. To a person, they believe that Obama now holds the few remaining cards he didn't have before. Republicans' options range from abject surrender to humiliating defeat.

I wonder. Boehner was faced with a frustrating yet familiar negotiating problem, an opponent who will not negotiate. Obama's position had three legs. One, insistence on tax increase for predominantly republican voters. Two, minimal reforms in discretionary spending. Three, insistence that republicans take responsibility for unpopular yet necessary reforms to the big entitlement programs.

In essence, he wanted the republicans to attack their own base, while he sat back and kept saying they needed to give up more.

I thought Boehner's Plan B was not a terrible idea. Raise taxes on the above $1mill a year crowd. A lot of them are corporate weasels who don't deserve the money anyway. Tellingly, Obama opposed it. Not enough pain on the rank and file republican voters I guess.

Then the stunner. Plan B was pulled because of lack of support in the republican caucus. But was there really a lack of support? How hard did the Leadership try to armtwist recalcitrant members? The meeting was adjourned after 15 minutes. I'd say they didn't try very hard at all. But why?

Two powerful negotiating tactics are so-called good cop/bad cop and lack of authority. Everyone knows the good cop/bad cop drill. Deal with me or my unreasonable, irrational partner, your choice. Limited authority is another win-win approach. You never actually reject things out of hand, It's just that you lack the negotiating authority to go there.

Boehner, either through luck or skill, now can deploy both these tactics. Deal with him or the Tea party zealots. Your choice, Mr. President. Clearly, he lacks the votes to even get his Plan B passed. Forget anything more aggressive.

Obama could just ignore it all, but there are items in the fiscal cliff that he desperately needs. He'll have to decide if tax cuts aimed at only republican voters are among them.
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Boehner, deserves to be kicked out of the speakership for screwing conservatives over committee appointments.

IOW He's just democrat light, go along to get along, make huge money until he retires ( to become a lobbyist ) and fuck the taxpayer along the way.

Tell me what I have wrong , does ANYONE think boner is a conservative or just an actor who's job, inconveniently is to pretend to be one ?

AAAintheBeltway · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from PHOENIX TRADING:

Boehner, deserves to be kicked out of the speakership for screwing conservatives over committee appointments.

IOW He's just democrat light, go along to get along, make huge money until he retires ( to become a lobbyist ) and fuck the taxpayer along the way.

Tell me what I have wrong , does ANYONE think boner is a conservative or just an actor who's job, inconveniently is to pretend to be one ?
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Good question. Probably more the latter, although there is a quantum difference between even RINO's and typical democrats.

In fairness to Boehner, he has had a difficult game to play. Don't give in, don't get blamed, don't cross your base but also don't lose the House in 2014.

pspr · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from 377OHMS:

I think he might be finished. I read an editorial this morning suggesting that he and Cantor resign their leadership positions.

I also read a *very* interesting piece on American Thinker that suggests the fiscal cliff is nonsense, that there are no congressional enforcers who will make sure the provisions of the mandate will be enacted and that congress will simply not enact the mandate just as they don't produce a budget. There is nobody to make them go off the cliff.

Personally I don't care what happens. I'm pretty certain the country cannot sustain what is happening and when people realize that they paid into Social Security but aren't going to get anything in return they are going to go ballistic. We are headed for small government one way or another. Quite a few of us have figured out how to dodge the taxes, defer income and basically hunker down until it is over. Its a good time to go back for another degree or work on a few grants.
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Well, the Bush tax cuts will automatically expire as will the existing FICA payment decrease. And, the ObamaCare taxes will kick in. I guess the Treasury can just not adjust the withholding amounts but that could come back to bite them big time unless bills are written soon to cut the taxes again.

I'm not sure how the sequester cuts happen. I get the impression they are automatic also and bills need to be written in order to stop them.

I don't think doing nothing stops the shit from hitting the fan. But, the liberals need to feel some pain to come to terms with reality.

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Is Boehner A Loser Or A Master Negotiator?

PHOENIX TRADING

AAAintheBeltway

pspr