Government shutdown, here we come!

The Republicans are proposing, seriously, that we immediately cut agencies' budgets by 30%, and immediately defund health care reform, taking insurance away from scores of Americans with pre-existing conditions.

Of course, the administration's counter-offer, while "better," is still proposing $30bn in immediate cuts. I'd be curious to see what CBO says the impact is going to be on the economy of such an immediate cut when our economic situation is still so fragile - likely, it's going to hurt growth and raise unemployment - both rather idiotic ideas, but who cares about jobs, the public voted to cut the budget regardless of whether it risks another recession or increases the ranks of the unemployed. What? You mean people did not vote to increase unemployment? Funny that.

For some reason we still can't fathom, the President simply joined the Hoover Economics bandwagon (as Krugman calls it), risking our economic recovery, in addition to a lot of good government services. Anyone who complained about the President's poor negotiating skills during health care reform, or during the recent cave on the Bush tax cuts, will recognize the pattern. This is why Joe, Chris and I said early on in this administration that the President's weakness on any one issue shouldn't be ignored or written off as a one-time thing. It's the way he operates, and it will affect every single deal he ever makes on every single issue you care about.

I do love how the Republicans keep saying $60bn in cuts, and the Dems keep inching towards the Republicans, while the GOP holds firm. Same old same old. It's not a negotiation, it's a conquest. Business as usual. What I fear even more than a shutdown is the President's refusal to ever not-blink during a negotiation. He'll never let it to come that - he doesn't let hostage takers kill the hostages, and will do almost anything to make it stop - and the Republicans know it.