tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post1269107596162714898..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Rhetoric On Compromise vs. Actual CompromiseJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-1721377527922453792011-08-11T11:00:17.022-05:002011-08-11T11:00:17.022-05:00"But that doesn't mean that Democrats wil..."But that doesn't mean that Democrats will in fact be any less vigilant in fighting for their preferences than the Republicans will be in fighting for theirs. "<br /><br />Did you not notice the recent debt ceiling fight?Barry DeCiccohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735814736387033844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-50108999438108750632011-08-11T09:04:40.745-05:002011-08-11T09:04:40.745-05:00I think the Democrats should establish a revenue g...I think the Democrats should establish a revenue goal equal to the revenue gained from the expiration of the Bush tax cuts minus the revenue necessary to maintain the cuts for the middle class. Then tell the republicans that they must produce this revenue or the tax cuts are dead meat period. And stick to it. The Republicans lose all three ways--partial elimination of the tax cuts, total elimination of them or the automatic sequester, and the Democrats might win some revenue increase.<br /><br />Dick in N. Central FLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-9606971678224177732011-08-10T20:19:43.239-05:002011-08-10T20:19:43.239-05:00Regarding the trigger: note that Eric Cantor's...Regarding the trigger: note that Eric Cantor's letter to his caucus, which swore to hold the line on taxes, didn't say a thing about defense cuts. My worry is that those prospective cuts will prove to be more intolerable to Obama than to the GOP. In which case this would be a replay of the dead ceiling stickup -- a replay of Dems' own devising, no less.<br /><br />I comfort myself, though, with the thought that even Obama can't countenance another cave -- i.e. negotiated spending cuts with no revenues.<br /><br />Maybe the worst outcome would be some pitiful fig leaf of new revenue with another trillion-plus in spending cuts negotiated - a 10-to-1 cuts-to-revenue deal, if you count the cuts in round 1.Andrew Sprunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17601269968798865106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-41358474747320431632011-08-10T17:22:30.585-05:002011-08-10T17:22:30.585-05:00There's another perspective to add to the mix:...There's another perspective to add to the mix: does the composition indicate that Dems fear the trigger more than the GOP? The trigger is, it seems, closer to the opinions of a Ron Paul than any Dem I can think of. Now, Ron Paul isn't the mainstream of the GOP, but he's closer to the mainstream of the Tea Party (although not there, particularly on military spending). <br /><br />I wonder how unhappy Tea Partiers are in general with the status quo ante of the trigger. It's not a neutral bargaining situation if one side can take it or leave it.Matt Jarvisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70083871396237871222011-08-10T15:09:08.223-05:002011-08-10T15:09:08.223-05:00So the story is that the Democrats are announcing ...So the story is that the Democrats are announcing they are going to be responsive to public opinion, and the Republicans are announcing they will resolutely defy public opinion. And the conclusion is that it is the Democrats who don't understand politics?<br /><br />I suppose if you thought this process has a snowball's chance of resulting in a "grand bargain", you might conclude the Democrats needed to be more uncompromising upfront, regardless of public opinion. But if you assume it is all a political exercise, then I it seems the Democrats are playing it correctly.BrianTHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-19273111204832081212011-08-10T13:45:21.801-05:002011-08-10T13:45:21.801-05:00Well put on the contrast between rhetoric in appro...Well put on the contrast between rhetoric in approach and substantive goals. One question is whether the rhetoric about compromise matters -- and, if it does, whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. Public opinion data suggests in a limited sense that it's a good thing. Partisans on both sides favor compromise in the abstract: for instance, in the recent CBS/NYT poll, there's broad support (though +10 points higher among Dems) to compromise some positions to get things done rather than stick to positions even if it means not getting as much done -- Dem/Rep/Ind compromise percents at 89/79/85. However, as you point out, selling compromise as a goal in itself may not be a satisfying one without meeting policy preferences of constituents. Policy results matter.Patrick Moynihannoreply@blogger.com