Handing Over the Keys (When You Don't Need to)

Trey Smith

The Republicans have put themselves in a holy mess with this Plan B debacle. They now have less than zero leverage. They are a national laughingstock. A majority of the country now thinks they are "too extreme." They just got walloped in the election. And with the tax cuts set to expire the laws are rigged against them as well.

There is only one person who can rescue the Republican Party now -- Barack Obama. And he will. I have been saying for over two years now that President Obama is dying to do the Grand Bargain. He will do it at any cost. In fact, he actively wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. He can't wait for that pat on the back from the establishment when they finally call him post-partisan, above party politics, and a statesman for screwing over his own voters. This is by far his greatest wish.

I couldn't believe that people couldn't believe that President Obama offered to cut Social Security again in this round of negotiations. What are you still surprised at? The man has offered to cut these so-called entitlements every time. When are you going to get it through your head -- he wants to cut them!

Ok, I'm raining on everyone's parade here because this is the moment when the partisans are supposed to be reveling in Republican failure. The Republican Party is split and in tatters. Yes, but to what end? In order for that to be relevant, the Democrats would now have to offer a very different deal where the terms are changed in our favor. If they do and they get a deal where taxes are actually raised on people making above $250,000 and Social Security and Medicare are protected, then I will be dead wrong. I will be wrong now and I will have been wrong for all of these years. You can rub my face in it. And since the Democratic partisans are now feeling triumphant, get that crow ready for me to eat.

But it's not going to happen.

~ from Obama Will Ride to the Rescue ... for Republicans by Cenk Uygur ~

I almost entitled this post, Somebody Else Gets It! In my opinion, Cenk has hit the nail on the head. Regardless of the circumstances, our President is bound and determined to strike a "deal" with the Republicans, even when the GOP is now on the verge of imploding. It's not unlike a perfectly sober driver announcing to anyone who will listen that he is turning over his car keys to a friend so that he can't drive home in his un-drunk condition!

Like Cenk, this "revelation" does not come as a shock to me. Along with many others, this has been my assumption since BEFORE Obama won the 2008 election. It's not that I possess a crystal ball, it's more that I have paid attention to what he has said every step of the way. I think he's made it abundantly clear that he has every intention of dealing serious blows to these two programs.

When he finally does it, what excuse will you Obama supporters scrounge up now that your best excuse -- he was forced to do it by those nasty Republicans -- has dried up and blown away?