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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

2012 Andrew Sullivan on What Obama Needs to Do This Week

Posted by Dominic Holden on Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 1:51 PM

For his potential second term to be seen as something new, something offering a fresh start, something that can break through the partisan deadlock and get to real solutions to problems that can no longer be kicked down the road, then he has to do something bold.

Get up there and say: if a version of the Bowles-Simpson proposal comes to my desk that stays within its rough parameters and saves as much money, then I will sign it. I didn't before because the Congress killed it before it came to my desk, my own party was skittish on Medicare and entitlements, the Pentagon was panicking about the cuts, and Paul Ryan made sure that the GOP would not cooperate. Well, this time we have a chance to defeat Paul Ryan and get to advance Tom Coburn and other deficit-serious Republicans who will agree to the Grand Bargain we need. That will give us enough credibility with the bond markets to push through a second stimulus. In other words: a little fiscal push now, serious, shared sacrifice for the future. This is the most logical and potentially powerful way forward - for the US and the world.

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Apparently what Obama needs to do aligns perfectly with Andrew Sullivan's policy preferences. Who would have guessed it?

Posted by deeez on September 4, 2012 at 2:18 PM

A) The NCFRR was created to send a bipartisan fiscal plan to congress to deal with the US's long-term budgetary issues. The commission never sent any plan to congress. The media has since conflated the report released by the two chairman with the report of the full commission.

B) The Simpson-Bowles report is distilled austerity, and calling it myopic is generous, because the only other alternative is craven and cruel. Doing nothing, even going past the so-called fiscal cliff, is far better than implementing their suggested policies.

C) Obama just needs his supporters to retain their voting rights to coast to victory. Promising to implement Simpson-Bowles might very well lose him votes.

D) Sullivan referring to others as unserious, even Paul Ryan, is hilarious.

Posted by dirge on September 4, 2012 at 2:35 PM

Andrew;

Hell. No.

What Obama needs to do is stick to his guns on the given budget. The Republicans do not want to negotiate - they want to dominate. The will not compromise, so leave them hanging.

If it means reductions in military spending, then perhaps that will give us the impetus we need to re-emphasize such basics as rebuilding our troops' basic logistical needs (which are thin at the moment) instead of buying items we don't need for the type of wars we're increasingly fighting, and provide greater focus toward getting us once and for all out of Afghanistan.

Most importantly, given the present trajectory, the Bush Tax Cuts will be gone, and with it, one of the two major drains on existing revenues. (The other is the spending on the two wars we've refused to 'fess up to with respect to the budget so far.)

My two bits...

Posted by palamedes on September 4, 2012 at 2:36 PM

@3,

I thought Obama had started officially accounting for the cost of the wars. Am I mistaken?

Posted by keshmeshi on September 4, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Well...Andrew is still a GOP hack after all these years.

The answer to the Cat Food Commission is no. No cuts to Social Security or Medicare. For once, can the Democrats stand up for something?

The only reason Andrew aligns himself with the Democrats is because he's gay. And trust me, the day the GOP accepts gays and lesbians Andrew will go back to his natural environment...sucking the dick of the super rich.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on September 4, 2012 at 3:01 PM

What @1 said.

Posted by stating the obvious on September 4, 2012 at 3:10 PM