There is a serious danger of negotiating with ourselves here.
Republicans on Friday ruled out any tax increases as part of an agreement to narrow stubborn budget deficits and raise the U.S. debt limit. The federal deficit now stands at $1.4 trillion, among the highest levels relative to the economy since World War Two.It's bad enough that Democrats have already agreed that the budget needs to be cut, rather than push for another stimulus, but with the GOP still refusing to even talk about tax increases, why are we even discussing which programs might be cut, be it Social Security, Medicare or anything else? Because the GOP might push the country into default? Come on. Everyone knows that would be a disaster, and the GOP knows it too.
If the White House really thinks the Republicans are risking a world depression the likes of which no one has ever seen, then they need to keep saying that again and again and again until it sinks in, just like the GOP did with its death panels, Obama is a socialist Muslim, and every other crazy meme they've managed to sink into the public consciousness - except we're telling the truth.
Repetition is the only thing that works. Democrats, however, often think that if they say something once, it's been said, and they can move on.
