| September 11 |  |
Editor says, what if the Republicans and Democrats came together to resolve the Federal Debt Crisis? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the September 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2012, on this day the publication of Bob Woodward's latest book "The Grand Bargain" described how the president and the House speaker defied Washington odds to establish a spending framework that resolved the Federal Debt Crisis.
Obama and Boehner strike the Grand BargainInstead of causing the outbreak of a partisan fight, the argument over deficit spending entered the ranks of the Republicans. Incredibly, the Boehner-Obama talks had started without the knowledge of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Boehner later acknowledged to the president that Cantor was working against the very deal they were trying to reach. Nevertheless the deal was shephered through in the teeth of intense opposition from the Tea Partiers.
However, they subsequently formed their own caucus, and explored three future possibilties. Either to seek to evict the establishment in the Presidential primaries or failing that form their own party. However the most significant development was the third option, in which the various state Republican parties might run different people for President.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Barack Obama, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Woodward. Editor says, in preparing this article we have consulted with Scott Palter. Woodward's book The price of Politics the author claims that ~ at one critical juncture, with an agreement tantalizingly close, Obama pressed Boehner for additional taxes as part of a final deal -- a miscalculation, in retrospect, given how far the House speaker felt he'd already gone.
~ I really wish something like this *had* happened. IMHO, the Tea Party has been a fairly destructive force in politics.
~ The explosive split in the GOP is my concept and thus the blame falls on me if you disagree. As I see it Boehner was prepared to destroy the party if he got a deal that he regarded as in the national interest but was not prepared to commit political suicide just to save Obama. Therefore when Obama overplayed his hand, Boehner backed off. IMO. YMMV.
~ The Tea Party is a near anarchic temper tantrum.
Comment from Dennis Stogsdill on Facebook: Not a member of the Tea Party, But it seems to me they are only blamed when the other side dosen't get it's way..... compromise is supposed to work both ways...... you can always tell when a compromise is good, no one is happy.... at least that was how I was taught....
~ Problem is, even with a deal, D.C. is just putting a band-aid over a skull fracture. D.C. has cut spending -- pure and simple. I don't know if either side is willing to make the cuts that are needed.
~ There are only two things which the voters refuse to do: reduce their own entitlements and pay more taxes. I don't see how anyone could get around THAT.
~ Eventually something has to crack. It'll be an interesting world in a few years.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
