Jared Bernstein: Lousy Negotiating Skills Are Not the Problem

[amborin]

Lousy Negotiating Skills Are Not the Problem

snip

If your conclusion is that Democrats got rolled because the President is a lousy negotiator, I disagree.
Not on his negotiating skills…as someone said in comments,
I wouldn’t want him in the auto showroom with me when I’m bargaining for a better price.
I disagree that better negotiating skills would have made a big difference. The problem goes much deeper.

snip

–First, a small but influential group of extreme conservatives are so intent on shrinking the
federal government that they would credibly threaten national default;

–Second, Democrats, including the president, do not have a strategy to counteract such extremism,
so they accepted a plan far less balanced than they would have liked—the final deal could well
turn out to be $3 trillion in spending cuts over ten years, with no revenue increases to offset the cuts.

–Third, and perhaps most importantly, like every debate about the size of government,
it’s impossible for normal people, if not the “experts,” to figure out what anyone is
really talking about and therefore to judge the deal.

snip

We’re about to agree to cut $1 trillion from something called discretionary spending......
........these cuts will hurt our ability to pursue what I view as most positive aspects of
the President’s economic agenda—investment in infrastructure, clean energy, research, education.
They will pinch programs that are already budget constrained…programs that help low income people
with child care, housing, and community services.....

Then, in part two of the deal, we unleash the gang-of-twelve who are assigned to come
up with $1.5 trillion more in deficit savings.
They’ll be hitting the entitlements—Social Security, Mcare, Mcaid—and more.........

snip

http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/lousy-negotiating-skills-are-not-the-problem/

[librechik]

1. I think I'm going to be sick

[Bandit]

2. What we have learned to excel at is making really huge needles and really small camels.

:shrug:

[OHdem10]

3. "Secondly the Democrats including the President do not have a

Plan to counteact such extremism so they accepted a plan
far less balanced than they would have liked'..."......

Supposedly we were having a debate about the size
of Government. The Republicans had their talking
points all about how bad government is and how it
must be made smaller.

Can you name one Democrat much less a group of Democrats
who were extolling the good things Government does.

A one-sided Debate which the Republicans won because
the Democrats abstained from the Debate.

Just saying I want to make investments is no explanation.

The Democrats are unwilling to defend Liberalism or
Progressive Ideology. They are unwilling to give the
public the information they need to make a comparison.

Republicans win by default--not necessarily because
their solution is so great but the Democrats leave
the impression they have no solution.

[amborin]

4. agree; Dems not only take no steps to shape the debate, they don't even participate in the existing

one

why wasn't O out there explaining the debt ceiling was a phony issue?

that Soc Security has nothing to do with the debt or deficit (except that it's owed funds)

etc.........

all the evidence supports the view that this is what Dems really wanted