The other day on the podcast, I said the Republican will not compromise in any way shape or form. And two days later...
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner is rejecting President Obama's offer to make historic cuts to the federal government and the social safety net, saying in a statement Saturday evening that he can not agree to the tax increases Democrats insisted on as part of the bargain. [...]
Obama had proposed to Republicans a "grand bargain" that accomplished a host of individual things that are unpopular on their own, but that just might pass as a huge package jammed through Congress with default looming. Obama offered to put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts on the table in exchange for a tax hike of roughly $100 billion per year over 10 years.
They know the president will be a grownup and try to reach an agreement in order to avert disaster. And they're using it against him in order to get what they want -- everything. The president's only recourse here is to stonewall and give them nothing.