Fiscal Cliff Deal is Reached

[politicallefty]

The right-wing in the House almost certainly will not defeat this bill. I'd be rather surprised if they are stupid enough to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at this point. Once again, the White House has proven itself to be an abject failure in the art of negotiation. It'd be one thing if the President held on to his position that he will not negotiate with respect to the debt ceiling. I see no evidence to have me believe that position in light of the fact that he has caved on a central campaign promise in return for practically nothing, not to mention that the payroll tax issue appears to have been ceded entirely.

I'm not going to say this is a bad deal per se, but it's horrible in the context of the next crises the country is heading towards. I'm a lot more concerned about the pain that will be inflicted on everyone else when we reach the debt ceiling debate. There is nothing that the White House has done that gives me any confidence in getting a good deal. The President will always blink before Republicans do, and Republicans know it. Medicare, Social Security, and every Democratic accomplishment since the New Deal still remain completely unsafe at this point.

My confidence in the White House has been massively shaken at this point, but it's not gone entirely. However, it is entirely contingent on the next debacle the country will be forced to deal with. I don't know what the President thinks he is negotiating with, but it is not with a sane party or sane individuals. He seems to not realize that they are willing to blow up the country's economy in order to dismantle every Democratic achievement since the New Deal. I'd love to be convinced otherwise, but I'm just not seeing much hope in the inevitable larger deal.