Republicans and Democrats: Why You Can't Believe Your Eyes--and Ears--on the Tax Compromise, and Know It (the Tactics of Making the Other Bastard Die

What is the best TACTIC for both Republicans and Democrats in approaching this Obama?Republican tax deal (the deal which would avoid INCREASES in tax rates rather than cut any tax rates)?

Easy. The best tactic is what Democrats are already doing. Be RELUCTANT to vote for the bill. Let the maximum number of your party vote against the bill without actually sinking the bill. For Republicans, this even has the benefit of stopping anything else from happening before the end of the year--stopping the attempt by Democrats to use the lame duck Congress to push through a lnog list of "wish" items in the last hurrah of a defated group and weakened "establishment" of both parties.

Ino other wods, as many Republicans should vote AGAINST this bill as possible to FORCE as many Demorats (playing the same game) to vote FOR this bill as possible. This also prevents Democrats from CHANGING the bill for their political purposes, as the whole bill seems at risk (assuming Republicans engaging in this game of chicken really don't want a "Christmas tree" bill--a dangerous assumptioin). In other words, make "negotiaters" deal with REPUBLICAN holdouts as well as Democrats, meaning that the original deal will be the only hope of passagfe. Further, the more pressure Republicans can put on Democrats to force them to make an apparently real choice between passing this bill and being responsible for it failing, the better off Republicans will be.

What is the risk here? None, if it works. The real risk is that people will miscalculate, and that the bill will fail to pass without a chance to resurrect it before the end of the year. If I were a Republican in the House or Senate, this would not be a real risk, since I would be willing for this compromise to fail. At best, I would be ambivalent about the billl. As my previous articles make clear, I would probably vote against the bill for real. But Republicans should not really LIKE this bill, except as the least of evils. Thus, they should be willing to RISK the bill failing, whilte perhaps plotting to reluctantly let it pass at the last minute.

Do Republicans have the cojones to play this kind of game (which they, like Democrats, are used to pllaying for political purposes, which is why I give individual politicians so little credit for "courage" n o :iooisubg: tgeur keadersguo ub a fauked attenot ti stp[ a bo;;_

I doubt if Republicans have the cojones to really pllay this game as it needs to be played--much less to really STOP this compromise। I am sure of one thing. You should NOT believe those professing "reluctance" to support this bill unless they actually not only vote against the bill but CAMPAIGN (publicly) against the bill on substantive grounds. Even then, they may be merely playing politics. See why we need to get away from "politics as usual"? It is making everyone totally cynical--especailly about politicians. Okay, I was born that way, but the rest of the public is catching up with me--fast reaching the conclusing that the only good "term limit" is ONE TERM (if we cant get rid of them faster than that).

Note: Not proofread. The title is not a proofreading failure at the end. Ran out of room, where the end was meant to say "....making the other bastard die for his vote" (a takeoff on "Patton"). Did you get it? If not, you may not be up to reading this blog--which leaves lyou in a lot of company. How can you handle