Goldilocks says to teach them a lesson by giving them what they want
by digby
The Supreme Villagers are often so very, very dumb. Get a load of this from noted “centrist” Matt Miller:
In 2011, President Obama let the GOP use the threat of default as extortion; when he caved in during that standoff, and agreed to an all-spending cut budget deal plus the creation of the ill-fated “supercommittee,” the blackmailers won. Two irreconcilable lessons were drawn. First, Obama learned he can never let this brand of hostage-taking happen again, lest he weaken his office and assure the endless spectacle of governance by crisis. Second, tea party Republicans learned that, when push comes to shove, this president blinks. Little wonder they think Obama will shortly buckle again. But no sane steward of the office can allow the debt-ceiling tactics of 2011 to prevail once more. Thus, real danger is much closer than even the sliding stock market in recent days suggests.
Ok, so far so good. Yes, the President would be very foolish to allow the Republicans to prevail and come to believe they can get whatever they want by holding their breath until they turn blue. But wait until you see his solution:
If only there were a deal to be struck that honored both parties’ values, a deal that advanced the cause of both economic rationality and social justice.
The surprising news is that, with a little imagination, that deal exists. It’s this: The president should offer to give states a waiver from the rollout of Obamacare if (and only if) they implement instead a system of universal catastrophic health insurance in their state.
Yeah, that’ll teach ’em. Completely disarm right in the middle of implementation. I’m sure they’ll be properly chastised and will promise never, ever to hold the government hostage again.
Not to mention totally screwing over the actual humans who are on the brink of being able to buy affordable health insurance right now. Sure a few may have to die and/or bankrupt their families, but it’s a small price to pay for appeasing a bunch of fanatics. It’s the responsible thing to do.
These are what some people call “thought leaders.”
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