Strange Bedfellows

I, LibertyAtStake, never once proven wrong, unexpectedly find myself in agreement with Barack Hussein Obama. How very odd - I know.  Has the magnetic pole shifted?  Has the Earth been knocked off its orbital path? Is the Sun going supernova?


No, policy is being made in Washington, DC.  Sausage-making is prettier. Believe me, I know – I have a brother who does quality inspection work for Hormel.  The sausage being cobbled together in DC at this very moment is next year's tax code.


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Obama’s press conference to announce the deal was, of course, a typical train wreck for the Empty Suit Who Would Be Emperor.  He scolded the Leftist base he needs to accept the deal, demonized the Republicans with which he had struck the deal, and opened the sales pitch by saying everybody will find something they won’t like somewhere in the deal. You can tell this guy has never, ever, gone to a client site on a sales call - that’s for sure.  From my perspective, he definitely makes a better foil than ally.  This is going to hurt.


Here’s the bottom line - I think it’s a good framework that only needs one tweak in the details to earn my vote (as if I had one).  I also think it’s the right set up for a winning argument going into 2012.


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As the news was breaking, my initial reaction was positive. I made these comments on blogs across the nation as details emerged:


LibertyAtStake Penalizes Local TEA Party For Unnecessary Cheerleading


LibertyAtStake Lectures Dan Riehl on Independent Voter Patterns


LibertyAtStake Clarifies Grover Norquist is Not a Sesame Street Character


LibertyAtStake Deftly Merges Science-Fiction Classic With Economic Theory


LibertyAtStake Foreshadows Clearance Sale In Next Congress


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As these comments state, in the stylized prose I’ve developed for this blog project, my priority on this going in was (and still is) effective defense in the last month of the Worst Congress in History – the 111th. Our offense gets the ball when the 112th is sworn in.


I’m “taking the long view” – in the words BHO himself used while instructing his Leftist base to accept the bitter pill of not getting their chance to soak the “rich” with confiscatory taxes (just yet).


My “long view” isn’t his “long view,” not by a long shot.  My “long view” is we conservatives need to maintain the trust of politically fickle (I might even say clueless) squishy moderates for a permanent coalition that is able to win elections. And these are the kind of people who are easily duped by Leftist messaging into believing that conservatives exist to protect the treasure chests full of gold every “rich” person no doubt has stashed under his or her bed. The kind of people who would in fact be accepting of that obnoxious message when they see more money coming out of their paychecks on the first payday of 2011.


The Agitator-In-Chief delivered exactly this messaging even with the deal made – stating our side’s “holy grail” was “protecting the rich.”   Don’t think for a minute he doesn’t have that same line teed up for an angrier audience, if the deal doesn’t go through.   And don’t think he doesn’t have an even more incendiary version of the obnoxious “hostage takers” rhetoric for that audience, either.


He is, of course, a petty demagogue on both points.  But my point is this class-warfare demagoguery is the best political arrow in his quiver, and we should not allow him to deploy it right here, right now.


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Well, the Agitator-In-Chief’s prediction everyone would find something not to like became an instantly self-fulfilling prophecy.   Let’s examine the reaction on the Right first, through the media influences I personally took while going about my own daily drudgery.


Three of my TEA party aligned heroes came out hard against.


Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) seemed to object most to what he calls the “temporary” two year timeline on the deal. His stump speech line is “we don’t need a temporary economy.” Well, the last time I checked, a new Congress meets precisely every two years. And each and every time, this new Congress holds the Damocles’ Sword of tweaking the tax code over our heads.  So, this objection is an absolute non-starter with me. A secondary objection seems to be the hole blown in the deficit when you do the accounting on the deal in isolation. As I’ve stated, I came into the deal assuming that we take care of spending once the 112th is sworn in.   So this argument is weak with me.


I downloaded and listened to the audio recordings of the Monday night and Tuesday night broadcasts for Mark Levin (radio host – national).   The “Great One” as usual made a number of brilliant points, including the obvious observation the latest Unemployment Insurance (UI) extension makes it “welfare” plain and simple.  True enough – but running around calling it that right now will insult people who need that “welfare” solely because they are victims of BHO's dysconomy. Not smart politically right now. Mr. Levin's main substantive objection was not paying for the UI extension, the Social Security withholding cut (employee half only), and also tax credits to people who pay no taxes at all (since Barry held our side "hostage" to his Progressive “holy grail” of redistributing income to a dependency class). While on one particular roll, Levin said, (paraphrasing) “why not turn Barry’s class warfare argument against him and cut so-called ‘middle class’ taxes while we’re at it.” I like it – as a 2012 campaign argument to simply cut everybody’s taxes.  Taking the “long view” is less distasteful to me than engaging in a double-reverse class-warfare argument.  Mark these words - the economy will not improve under the constant threat of this administration.  The country will be ready for serious pro-growth policies by 2012.  I also think the Social Security sop brings to the fore, to conservative’s advantage, an argument for radically reforming the Ponzi scheme known as Social Security.


Mr. Levin had Conservative Warrior Princess Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on his Tuesday night show, during which time she pounded home the TEA Party “It’s the Spending Stupid” message. That’s where I finally decided I could modify my position slightly.


Let’s just make sure Barry’s new spending is explicitly paid for in the details used to fill in the framework for this deal. Upon additional reflection, I think the standard issue clueless squishy moderate is actually capable of grasping this extra detail – and will also hold the Donkey party responsible if they can’t find the so-called “Pay Fors” prior to January 1st. We can use this 2009 video as extra leverage:

So, that’s it – that’s the right move:  the framework as announced, plus paying for BHO’s redistributive freebies.  Let’s see what happens.    Only 22 days until taxes rise on everyone, in a lousy economy.  Just remember who’s been in charge with supermajorities.

Taking a look at the Left's unhinged reaction to this deal will have to wait for another day.  I have daily drudgery to attend to.  Maybe I should review my tax withholding strategy.


Update 12/10/2010


I can always count on Progressives to raise my blood pressure as more details emerge from their plans. When I recommended “…the framework as announced, plus paying for BHO’s redistributive freebies…” I meant the framework as announced – NOT the framework as announced plus a bunch of hidden easter eggs containing even more deficit spending on useless crap.

Wind and solar grants – AYFKM? Isn’t that what the Department of Energy does all year already?

While muttering under my breath on the drive home from work, I came up with the right positioning for the GOP. They can thank me later. (a) Anything that does not directly reflect on an individual’s W2 is flatly not acceptable at all to be included. (b) Anything that does reflect on a W2 must be paid with matching federal reductions in something else. This is the line in the sand. The desperate hail-mary sales pitches of disgraced former impeached Presidents notwithstanding.

Meanwhile, the sausage making continues in the opinion class.

Charles Krauthammer thinks Barry swindled the GOP. He’s right if they fail to take my advice to insist on “paygo.” He’s wrong if they do.

This heretofore unknown (to me) commentator thinks Barry swindled himself. He’s right if they take my advice to insist on “paygo.” He’s wrong if they don’t.

“IT’S THE SPENDING, STUPID!”

Or maybe not. Knowing the proper pace at which to bring along the great unwashed masses is a black art at best. If you are reading this, and get it, TALK TO THESE PEOPLE! 

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And even more fun house mirror sausage making.  "...simplifying the system, hopefully lowering rates, broadening the base..."?  Shouldn't people who actually believe in such things be crafting the plans?

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Update 12/13/2010


One last round up of ‘opinionation’ on the deal – just for the historical record.

Weekly Standard blogger finds LibertyAtStake’s Final Position Out of Step With the Public

The Maverick Who Never Met a Compromise He Didn’t Like

Wall Street Journal Agrees With LibertyAtStake:  A ‘Deal is a Deal’

House Dems Threaten to Sink Deal So GOP Can Write a Better One in January (You Go, Girl!)

Congressional Smart Guy Makes LibertyAtStake Feel Better About Initially Taking the Long View