It appears the Repubs are keeping their powder dry for the debt limit battle in a few weeks...

[kentuck]

There are reports that they are ready to put the Senate bill up for an up or down vote. They expect it to pass, I would assume, and then they will devote all their energies to spending cuts in the next debt limit debate. They should be hungry and mean by then...

[dkf]

1. So little revenue raised. That leaves it all on the spending cut side.

[kentuck]

3. Well...

They will have a lot of ammo to work with...

[chimpymustgo]

17. We've just used our leverage to get some peanuts. They'll be loaded for bear in the next round.

When it counts.

And we'll be debating HOW MUCH SS and Medicare and Medicaid will be cut to bring "spending under control."

We are fucking idiots. No - our representatives - our leaders - are complicit.

And yes, we are fucking idiots to think they'll do a damn thing for the middle class.

[aandegoons]

11. So I take it you paid off your enitre loan for your house in one day?

Budget needs to be fixed. But you don't throw grandma out the window and you don't put the kids in little bags and drive them to the bridge.

[dkf]

12. Well I'm not in a worse position every month.

And I don't need to increase my debt limit every year.

[aandegoons]

15. Well your not a country.

With a growing family. When my family grew I did need to make adjustments.

Perhaps you just don't have the right outlook in life on what is important to a family.. Or maybe your outlook is just too right.

[lonestarnot]

20. So you got yers then.

[Panasonic]

2. Actually, Obama doesn't have to do shit with Republicans re: debt limit

Obama has the 14th Amendment backing, and can ignore any debt ceiling demands.

[kentuck]

4. He had the 14th Amendment the last time...

and did nothing.... And that is why we have this fiscal cliff debacle.

[Panasonic]

5. And whose fault is with the fiscal cliff debacle?

The Republicans.

"The Grand Bargain" is a massive failure.

The Republicans has no more leverage. They used it up already, and will remain irrelevant as more discharge petitions are signed more frequently.

[mzmolly]

10. He's not running for re-election

again.

[railsback]

7. That's always been the Ace up his sleeve

Plus he can accuse the Republicans as being unConstitutional for questioning the debt of the Nation.

[CakeGrrl]

6. You sure paint a rosy picture for the GOP strategy

My take: As the House Dems implied earlier today, the House GOP either eats this shit sammich now, or gets served a bigger one when the House Dems propose an even MORE Dem-friendly deal when the next Congress convenes, what with fewer Republicans in the House and Senate when that happens.

[railsback]

9. Boehner will NEVER bring such a bill to the floor.

That's his prerogative as Speaker. No, the next two years will be all about embarrassing the GOP into a minority in 2014. Americans didn't like how the GOP used the debt ceiling as a battleground last time. Patience is wearing thin.

[edhopper]

8. They are already saying they will hold the debt ceiling hostage

Not having that part of the deal was a big mistake.
You would think Obama would have learned the last time the Bush Tax Cuts were extended.

"When you have a bill passed with so many Republicans in the Senate, it probably would get a similar result [in the House]," said Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), comparing the situation to the 2011 end-of-year battle over the payroll tax cuts, which the House balked at then ultimately passed after 89 senators had voted for them -- the same as voted early Tuesday for the fiscal cliff deal.

Republicans seemed to be looking forward to future chances to extract cuts. "We still have more opportunities. We've got the debt ceiling coming, sequestration," Fleming said. "So we're going to get taxes off the table. The president can't say, 'We've go to raise taxes first before we get to spending cuts.' We will have already done that.Now the topic will be spending cuts, from this point out."

[magical thyme]

14. "...Now the topic will be spending cuts, from this point out."

Good. We can start with cuts to the MIC. Bring. It. On.

[edhopper]

16. Never be in a

House Bill. Nonstarter. All the cuts will be social programs.

[malaise]

13. They won't fuck with the debt ceiling

Obama has already reminded then about the 14th amendment - bring it fucking on!

[DCBob]

18. Their powder is soaked.

They have zero credibility now.

[Skidmore]

19. And they will lose that one too.