Wonderland on a Cliff

Scrooge

The Shameful Exploitation of Bradley Manning
By Robert Scheer
By Eugene Robinson Homeownership Support Shouldn’t Be a Mansion Subsidy
By David Sirota Why the Fed’s Jobs Program Will Fail
By Robert Reich
Court: CIA Tortured Wrongly Detained Terror Suspect Senator Demands Federal Pot Plan, Norquist Makes Insane Prediction, and More Susan Rice Withdraws From Secretary of State Consideration Death Star Petition Meets White House Goal A Growing Water Deficit in the West The Internet Turf War
NASA Announces World Won’t End Dec. 21, 2012 Sarah Silverman Pro-Choice Video Tells ‘Bros’ to Stand Up for the Ladies Watch: Fox News Contributor Gets Punched in Face During Union Protest The Revolution Continues in Challenge to Morsi
Regulate Dissent in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan Says
Fighting Manifest Destiny
By Jonathan Yardley Glenn Greenwald Condemns ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Torture Porn
Psy Shames Himself With Unqualified Apology (Video)
By Alexander Reed Kelly
The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t Asking
Dig led by Mike Rose

Gore Vidal: His Life and Legacy
Dig led by Truthdig Staff

advertisement

-->
The Omnivore’s Dilemma : A Natural History of Four MealsBy Michael Pollan
$17.79

advertisement

-->
The Orphan Master’s Son: A NovelBy Adam Johnson

advertisement

-->
Women’s Raglan Hoodie$35

  Email    Print    Share

Tweet Posted on Dec 13, 2012

By Eugene Robinson

Are you as sick of the “fiscal cliff” as I am? Actually, that’s a trick question. You couldn’t possibly be.

Having to read and hear all the constant blather about this self-inflicted “crisis” is an onerous burden, I’ll admit. But just imagine having to produce that blather. Imagine trying to come up with something original and interesting to say about a “showdown” that has all the drama and excitement of, well, a budgetary dispute.

As if this weren’t bad enough, it happens that both of the protagonists—President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner—have reasons to wait until the last possible moment to agree on a deal. Obama believes time is on his side, while Boehner needs to show the troops that he will fight on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets ... This could go on past Christmas, at which point many of us will be looking for a real cliff to jump from.

What is the true state of the negotiations? I can say with supreme confidence that we don’t have a clue.

For all we know, Obama and Boehner may be working on some grand fiscal bargain that will overwhelm all opposition with its scope and audacity. Then again, in their one-on-one meetings, they might be discussing their golf swings. The fact that we’ve learned essentially nothing about their private conversations is either a very good sign or a very bad one, depending on which uninformed “analyst” or “observer” you choose to believe.

Advertisement

But the utter lack of reliable information doesn’t stop us from talking and writing about the state of play. Boehner sounds flustered, so that’s a bad sign—unless he just wants everyone to think he’s flustered. Obama seems unworried, so that’s a good sign—unless he’s just hiding his inner Cassandra.

Numbers are being tossed around that have no basis in reality. I’ve heard television commentators confidently predict that we’ll end up with an agreement for about $1.2 trillion in new revenue over the next decade. Why that figure? Well, we know that Obama began by demanding $1.6 trillion, and that Boehner began by offering $800 billion, so if you split the difference you get $1.2 trillion. This makes perfect sense—in some parallel reality.

Anyone who thinks Washington is a split-the-difference kind of place hasn’t been paying attention. It’s more of a take-no-prisoners kind of place, and my guess is that meeting in the middle is one of the least likely conceivable outcomes. But what do I know?

What does anybody know? Among the uncertainties is what would really happen if the White House and Congress fail to reach a deal. Would we be taking a swan dive into the abyss?

This week, corporate America has been lobbying for some agreement—almost any agreement—that would cut government spending and raise new revenue. The Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs, wrote a letter urging the president to “demonstrate that principled compromise is once again possible and that the American political system that underpinned the economic success of our nation and others can function as designed.”

The letter argues that “political paralysis” in Washington fuels “global uncertainty that discourages businesses from investing and hiring new workers.” I would call this the “just agree on something, anything” school of thought.

But as I recall, our elected officials did agree on something: That the Bush tax cuts, the payroll tax cut and other measures would expire in January, and that huge and unprecedented budget cuts, especially in defense spending, would take effect. The fiscal cliff wasn’t formed by plate tectonics or volcanic eruptions. It was made by Congress and the president.

So really, how seriously are we supposed to take the warnings of doom coming from Capitol Hill and the White House? If Congress didn’t want taxes to go way up and spending to go way down, why did it pass legislation ensuring these things would happen? And why did Obama sign those bills into law if they’re such a guarantee of unmitigated disaster?

Here is one observation about the fiscal cliff that is based not on guesswork but on empirical fact: The politicians who brought us to this precipice are the same politicians we’re counting on to keep us from tumbling into the void. Which suggests to me that if you’ve got a parachute, now might be a good time to strap it on.

Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.
   
© 2012, Washington Post Writers Group

TAGS: barack obama budget bush tax cuts congress eugene robinson fiscal cliff government john boehner politics tax cuts taxes white house



Related Entries The Shameful Exploitation of Bradley Manning Homeownership Support Shouldn’t Be a Mansion Subsidy Senator Demands Federal Pot Plan, Norquist Makes Insane Prediction, and More Susan Rice Withdraws From Secretary of State Consideration

Email to a friend

Get truth delivered to
your inbox every week.

Previous item: Why the Fed’s Jobs Program Will Fail

Next item: Homeownership Support Shouldn’t Be a Mansion Subsidy

New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Get Truthdig in your inbox

Newsletter

Become a Fan

Follow Us

Subscribe

     
       #donation_div {display:none;}.popup {background:#FFF; border:1px solid #333; padding:1px;}.popup-header {height:65px; padding: 30px 40px 10px 50px;}.popup-header h2 {margin:0; padding:0; font-size:18px; float:left;}.popup-header .close-link {float:right; font-size:11px;}.popup-body {padding: 20px 70px 20px 50px;}a {color: #990000;}Close

Give the gift of independent journalism.

Support Truthdig by making a donation of at least $25 in someone's name, and we'll send him or her a signed letter of appreciation from our publisher.

With your support, we've been able to pay writers such as Chris Hedges, Col. Ann Wright, Mr. Fish and Nomi Prins.

We've sent reporters around the world, from Afghanistan to Cairo to Cuba.

Thanks to you, our mission to find and publish a range of insightful opinion and analysis from a progressive point of view continues.

Support Truthdig

HOME|Digs|Reports|Arts & Culture|Uncovered|Ear to the Ground|A/V Booth|Cartoons
Tags|Bazaar|Podcast|About Us|Contact Us|User Agreement|Privacy Policy|FAQ: Comments and Moderation | Google+ Google+
A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2012 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved. Web site development by Hop Studios 

View the Original article