I don't think they were listening

The infinitely obtuse Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell--or at least he plays an infinitely obtuse minority leader for the provincially obtuse--has

responded to Obama’s [press conference] remarks with a statement that said the White House and its allies "need to get serious about spending, and the debt-limit debate is the perfect time for it."

Exactly. What better time for a debate about which there is no debate?

You know, we keep hearing about a GOP clown car. But let's get real, and less sarcastic. The GOP's 276 congressional members don't really travel around in a clown car. That's ridiculous. They use a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, with a sexy Bozo painted on the nose.

Comments

[Robert Lipscomb]

I believe that Obama has really figured this out.

He took a break-even or better deal in 2011, then the same on the second half of the 2011 deal a few weeks ago. As krugman recently pointed out, this has already gotten us far, far along on the way to a balanced budget.

The GOP continues to conflate the debt ceiling with budget balancing, while Obama contines to delineate them.

So, Obama now has the simpler meassage, "They are not the same. If the GOP congress is the only part of government not ready, willing able to do its part. If they fail, the GOP will own 100% of the economic disaster."

Those gutless bastards will not be able to withstand more than one day of the resulting heat. So, they will either blink before or after. Either way, they will be neutered for the next two years.

Then, Obama can negotiate a long-term budget deficit deal with minimal short-term pain. A third or more of the GOP House will do everything they can to prove they are not bat shit crazy - including voting with Dems in a bipartisan fashion.

So Obama will negotiate terms on his terms; then he will begin setting his mind to foreign policy and promulgation of regulations and presidential orders for the remainder of his second term.

And the far left will bitch.