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Your Daily Grayson: Cancel the Sequester

Your Daily Grayson

by digby

The Other 98% released a video on YouTube Tuesday evening, showcasing Grayson’s efforts to bring light to hundreds of thousands of Americans in favor of repealing sequestration. Grayson delivered a petition signed by 300,000 individuals directly to House Speaker John Boehner’s office. While Boehner was not present, the message was said to have been passed along.

I realize this is considered to be in the realm of fantasy by beltway insiders, but I don’t think it’s any more of a fantasy than any other of the surreal policies that have become policy in the last few years. The idea that the only possible choices here are to cut entitlements and raise taxes or continue with the sequester is utter nonsense. They can cancel these cuts and come up with a real budget that makes sense. And it’s not as impossible as they think. There are constituents out there in the land who are being hurt by these cuts, from small town businessmen to huge military contractors.  At some point that pressure is going to be brought to bear and these people will have a choice to make. And it would be really nice if the only plan the Democrats really had on the table didn’t throw old and sick people on the pyre.

The sequester was a bad idea, particularly once the Democrats allowed it to be decoupled from the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Just cancel it and start over. No more Grand Bargains no more deficit obsession, just a budget.  I honestly don’t think it’s any more out of the realm of possibility than anything else — as long as the Democrats don’t panic.

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