Do they know how to negotiate? I think they probably do, but you could convince me otherwise based on the last three years. Ordinary negotiations start with each side stating their preferred outcome, and that's not what the Democrats in the Senate do. Instead, since they are so used to being stepped upon, they state a compromise position they think might be acceptable to their opponents as a final outcome - but enough of that, we all know how it ends.
Do they want to negotiate? Not so much.
Disgustingly more after the whatzit.
Excerpt from an NBC article entitled "Obama phones supercommittee leaders ahead of weekend talks" by Libby Leist:
But a Democratic aide, speaking of the party's offer of a package to eliminate $2.3 trillion from the deficit, countered: "We put cuts to entitlements on the table, we put more cuts to discretionary spending on the table, we put cuts to Medicaid, we put serious things on the table along with revenue. These guys put their ideological wish list on the table. Maybe that makes us bad negotiators? I think it makes us people that are serious about getting something done."
Excerpt from an article entitled "Super Committee Democrats Propose Scrapping Bush Tax Cut Debate In Exchange For Billions In Revenue" by Sam Stein on the HuffingtonPost website:
WASHINGTON -- Under their latest proposal to the deficit reduction super committee, Democrats would agree to undertake comprehensive tax reform that included a pledge to avoid letting Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy expire.
These two things tell me that nothing useful, nothing good, will come from the "Super Congress."
But some crap will emerge from this hole, since President Obama has said he'll veto any attempt to legislate a backing off form the Draconian cuts promised should the Super Congress fail to deliver.
Buckle up, and head for the nearest Occupy Something.