Despite all protestations to the contrary, the democrats will end up compromising further even though the budget passed two weeks ago by the U.S. Senate was and is an austerity budget with less meat on its bones than Paul Ryan's recent proposals. What they give to republicans, though, will be and should be just enough for republicans to save face and also more than enough to end Boehner's career as Speaker and spark the beginning of the tea party's fiery death. One area of compromise does involve Obamacare, but it's an element of the law that even a number of democrats see as flawed: the tax on medical devices.
http://blogs.wsj.com/...
A coalition of democrats in the House are already putting it forward. But it should be handled with care so as not to allow for more pieces of Obamacare to be thrown into the bargain. Republicans won't settle for "nothing offered." Tea party members especially have absolutely nothing to lose by allowing all upcoming deadlines to pass.
But the end result of a bone being thrown--and gaining the agreement of republican leaders--is a victory for the president and democrat leaders. As well, such a deal would lead to the beginning of added leverage for the White House (as long as they can proceed delicately and with the kind of expertise that they have managed to show when in campaign mode).
Ted Cruz is already gaining in irrelevancy. His downward slide would continue because he had no finale in the works. The President didn't respond the way he usually does. Dems had already offered up the republican budget knowing that republicans wouldn't take the bait, but also knowing that such a move would give them the power to offer little else. This is Mr. Cruz's master plan and it continues to blow up in his and his followers' faces--like a fireworks factory on fire.
Mr. Boehner is twisting himself like Rumpelstiltskin--and will continue to do so.
The Tea Party is taking the blame. A majority of Americans see them as the cry-baby nudge party, especially after media coverage of the childish antics of several members:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/...
There should be nothing more offered or given away by this White House and democrats other than a face-saving compromise that will attract moderate republicans and allow them to claim for themselves a modest victory. Nothing for the tea party. Only the knowledge that their power over the House of Representatives has been broken.
Nothing is set in stone, and this debacle will probably go right down to the wire of October 17. But I think it will be solved and allow Mr. Obama enough upper hand to put through at least a few key elements of his Inauguration Address.