Not giving an inch is seen as best strategy for win at White House

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/325663-not-giving-an-inch-is-seen-as-best-strategy-for-win-at-white-house


Not giving an inch is seen as best strategy for win at White House
By Amie Parnes - 09/30/13 08:12 PM ET

There was no shadow of doubt at the White House as the clocked ticked down to midnight Monday.

Officials suggested that a refusal to negotiate over funding the government was the winning strategy.

White House officials expressed confidence they wouldn’t have to back down in the slightest, while aides close to Obama, former administration officials and top Democratic strategists who confer with the White House say the chances of them negotiating with Republicans are slim to none.

Sources said the White House believes GOP divisions, and polls showing more people would blame Republicans in Congress for a shutdown, mean Obama — who has been blamed for giving in too much in previous bargaining sessions — won’t have to give an inch.

White House officials were even more emboldened by support from Senate Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who said publicly that she disagreed with the House Republican strategy of linking the Affordable Care Act with “the continuing functioning of government.”

Some Republicans in the House on Monday also expressed public support for moving a clean funding measure, something the White House will see as giving it more leverage.

Those close to the White House say Republicans have backed themselves into a corner with few options remaining.

“This is truly [Speaker] John Boehner’s  [R-Ohio] worst nightmare,” one former senior administration official said. “This is Republican on Republican violence right now. This has absolutely nothing to do with Democrats or the president. So all Obama has to do now is sit back.”

The battle isn’t about “lack of engagement,” the former official added.

“The president could go to the Capitol and give the speech of his life on why we shouldn’t shut down the government. But you have this Tea Party base that will never be placated, and they’re itching for a fight. But I have news for them: They won’t win it,” the official said.

Another former administration official added, “The question isn’t, should he negotiate. It’s who does he negotiate with. Who up there is actually empowered to cut a deal. It’s not clear. They can’t make up their minds amongst themselves, so who can he negotiate with to reach a deal that sticks?”

White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer backed that sentiment in an interview on CNN.

“What the Republicans want is to extract some ideological concession in order to save face for the Tea Party that funds the government for two months,” Pfeiffer said. “What happens two months from now? What are they going to want then? Full repeal of ObamaCare? Overturn of Roe v. Wade? An installment of [Mitt] Romney as president? At some point, we have to bring this cycle of hostage taking and brinksmanship to an end.”

In the lead-up to the shutdown, Obama sent strong signals that he felt he was on the right side of the fight. On Saturday, with the House in session and voting on legislation to avoid the shutdown, the president played a round of golf. 

Likewise, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) — who has been coordinating closely with the White House — was in no rush to convene the upper chamber on Sunday.

The first former senior administration official credited Reid with stepping up his role in the fight. “Harry Reid is basically saying, ‘No way, not again,’ ” the former official said.

Some Republicans accused the White House of over-confidence Monday and said Obama risked getting plenty of blame for a shutdown by not negotiating with Republicans.

“If we’re unable to avoid a crisis in the next few weeks, the president will have to explain why he sat at home and did nothing to help find a solution,” said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Boehner.

“Obama is the president, and his job is to lead,” said Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman at the Republican National Committee. “The longer he refuses to come to the table, the more Americans will realize he’s the typical politician he promised he wouldn’t be.”

With cable news networks displaying countdown clocks until the deadline Monday, Obama did telegraph a willingness to at least talk to congressional leaders.

“I suspect I will be speaking to the leaders today, tomorrow and the next day,” Obama told reporters earlier in the day.

Later in the day, however, he signaled a tougher line, stating that “one faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government doesn’t get to shut down the entire government just to refight an election.”

“You don’t get to extract a ransom for doing your job,” Obama said.

Those close to the White House predicted that a deal would eventually be reached, even after the deadline. But they reaffirmed the confidence that it would be Republicans who would suffer the consequences.

In the meantime, as the debt-ceiling fight heats up, they said Obama would ramp up the rhetoric and use the bully pulpit to drive home that point. In addition, one former senior official said Obama has to get the business community and Wall Street to say, “What the f--- is happening here?”

 “As people realize what this will do to the stock market, they’ll ask Boehner and the Tea Party, ‘Is this what you really want?’” the official added.

 “The more he can remain a bit above the fray and say, ‘I’m not going to get on your level’, the better. ”

[GourmetDan]

“You don’t get to extract a ransom for doing your job,” Obama said.

Neither do you, buddy.

I suppose the fact that your statement applied equally to you went right over your head...

[andy58-in-nh]

You may notice all of the quotes from unnamed "former senior administration officials".

Thanks, that's helpful.

This entire piece pushes the Democrat narrative, which is unsurprising given the composition of The Hill's editorial staff.   

[sinkspur]

In the meantime, as the debt-ceiling fight heats up, they said Obama would ramp up the rhetoric and use the bully pulpit to drive home that point. In addition, one former senior official said Obama has to get the business community and Wall Street to say, “What the f--- is happening here?”

 “As people realize what this will do to the stock market, they’ll ask Boehner and the Tea Party, ‘Is this what you really want?’” the official added.

Because the Carnival Cruzers miscalculated and decided to go to the wall on the CR, they've screwed themselves out of anything.  Obama will not negotiate, the Republicans will continue to beg and plead for a meeting (thus looking weak), and the debt ceiling deadline will approach.

Had the Republicans waited, they could have had more leverage. Now, they've got no leverage at all as it is they who are blamed for the shutdown.  They'll have to put forward a clean CR and a clean debt ceiling increase. 

The Republicans will get nothing.

[sinkspur]

You may notice all of the quotes from unnamed "former senior administration officials".

Thanks, that's helpful.

This entire piece pushes the Democrat narrative, which is unsurprising given the composition of The Hill's editorial staff.   

So what's the GOP narrative? 

[truth_seeker]

So what's the GOP narrative?

Entertaining Dr. Seuss recitals, by their most popular figure.

(along with the apparent inability to game this whole thing through, to obtain something for their less-than-veto-proof majority of one house).

[andy58-in-nh]

Entertaining Dr. Seuss recitals, by their most popular figure.

(along with the apparent inability to game this whole thing through, to obtain something for their less-than-veto-proof majority of one house).

Thank you for repeating an insipid Democrat talking point while ignoring Mr. Cruz's detailed, substantive arguments made over the course of 23 hours.

[sinkspur]

Thank you for repeating an insipid Democrat talking point while ignoring Mr. Cruz's detailed, substantive arguments made over the course of 23 hours.

And what good did all that talking do?  It filled Cruz's campaign coffers and padded his resume if he wants to run for President. 

And he managed to let Harry Reid back Republicans into a corner.

[andy58-in-nh]

And what good did all that talking do?  It filled Cruz's campaign coffers and padded his resume if he wants to run for President. 

And he managed to let Harry Reid back Republicans into a corner.

You don't get it: Harry Reid was never going to give an inch, no matter what. Not on the ACA and not on the debt ceiling.

This is Democrat kabuki theater. The leadership will not negotiate with Republicans on anything, ever... unless their members can be scared into it.

And the only way that happens is by changing public opinion, which will not be accomplished by simply voting for a (so-called) "clean" resolution and letting the ACA go into effect and trying to fight it next year - an election year in which nothing substantive will be accomplished.

By 2015, the ACA will be a full-blown disaster - just as was planned.

[GourmetDan]

You don't get it: Harry Reid was never going to give an inch, no matter what. Not on the ACA and not on the debt ceiling.

Oh he gets it.

It just doesn't make any difference to him...

[sinkspur]

You don't get it: Harry Reid was never going to give an inch, no matter what. Not on the ACA and not on the debt ceiling.

This is Democrat kabuki theater. The leadership will not negotiate with Republicans on anything, ever... unless their members can be scared into it.

And the only way that happens is by changing public opinion, which will not be accomplished by simply voting for a (so-called) "clean" resolution and letting the ACA go into effect and trying to fight it next year - an election year in which nothing substantive will be accomplished.

By 2015, the ACA will be a full-blown disaster - just as was planned.

So you're going to change public opinion in two weeks?

[andy58-in-nh]

So you're going to change public opinion in two weeks?

Changing public opinion is a long-term goal. The short-term goal is to galvanize opposition to ObamaCare and move the needle just enough to get the Democrats back to the table. When people see the absolute lack of impact on their lives of the horrible, awful, calamitous "shutdown", it will begin to dawn that they are being played for fools by Ruling Class statists of both parties who have built their entire careers on centralizing power, control and other people's money.

[Rapunzel]

Thank you for repeating an insipid Democrat talking point while ignoring Mr. Cruz's detailed, substantive arguments made over the course of 23 hours.

No kidding..

A comment worthy of the DU

[massadvj]

I find it interesting that when Mitt Romney was the GOP nominee and the election was near, we did not hear a single peep of criticism from conservatives about whether it was wise to run a rich, moderate, establishment Wall Street Mormon against OPapaDoc.  We kept our mouths zipped.  In fact most of us, myself included, put R2's in our online names to show solidarity.  Now, when conservatives need solidarity, where are the moderates?  Running for the exits, that's where.  Helping OPapaDoc win his victory.  This stinks, it really does.

The decision has been made.  The GOP members of the house have voted.  It's time for certain people to come to the realization that if you can't support us, then just STFU.

[Cincinnatus]

The Sinkspur/Truth_seeker strategy. Remarkably effective.

[mystery-ak]

worth repeating

In fact most of us, myself included, put R2's in our online names to show solidarity.  Now, when conservatives need solidarity, where are the moderates?  Running for the exits, that's where.  Helping OPapaDoc win his victory.  This stinks, it really does.

The decision has been made.  The GOP members of the house have voted.  It's time for certain people to come to the realization that if you can't support us, then just STFU.

[andy58-in-nh]

The Sinkspur/Truth_seeker strategy. Remarkably effective.

A bit unfair, perhaps.

I think that they just don't quite understand who and what we are dealing with.

If every single Republican in Congress were of a moderate, shall we say "Boehner-esque" inclination (except: mostly sober), Barack Obama, Harry Reid and all the rest of the Democrats would still call them "radicals" and terrorists".

They would. But why?

Because Obama's Democrat Party is itself, a radical enterprise, committed to the fundamental transformation of America into something it is not, and which its own Constitution forbids. And so, to convince a majority to go along with their plans for a better world: they need to lie.

They are, and always have been both statists and socialists. They believe in centralized government power and planning. They believe that government and not God is the source of your rights, and mine. They view power with envy, and individual liberty with disdain. They covet what they have not themselves earned and employ armies of the covetous to enrich themselves at the expense of those who produce and create and yet allow themselves to be pillaged, whether out of misplaced guilt or carelessness, or weakness.

They have labored for over 100 years to bring us to this time. They control the culture, the schools, the bureaucracies, and even many mainline religious institutions. They have systematically attacked and destroyed the institutions that lay between the individual and the state: families, neighborhoods, membership associations, charities, churches, and synagogues. They have fostered and created dependency in place of independence; indifference in place of commitment; irresponsibility in place of honor. Progressives have done all of this.

And now, they need to be stopped.

Not by compromise, which they abuse as a weapon against decent people who actually mean what they say. But by fighting back - and rolling back - all of their dreadful works.

If the idea of America is still worth fighting for - even if our President thinks it is not, and I think he clearly believes that it is not - then it is long past time to start fighting.

[Cincinnatus]

A bit unfair, perhaps.

Hardly.

[andy58-in-nh]

A bit unfair, perhaps.

Hardly.

I said "a bit".

And only consequent to a battle for the soul of America that I believe many otherwise intelligent and patriotic people have not yet joined. Give them time.

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

[sinkspur]

I find it interesting that when Mitt Romney was the GOP nominee and the election was near, we did not hear a single peep of criticism from conservatives about whether it was wise to run a rich, moderate, establishment Wall Street Mormon against OPapaDoc.  We kept our mouths zipped.  In fact most of us, myself included, put R2's in our online names to show solidarity.  Now, when conservatives need solidarity, where are the moderates?  Running for the exits, that's where.  Helping OPapaDoc win his victory.  This stinks, it really does.

The decision has been made.  The GOP members of the house have voted.  It's time for certain people to come to the realization that if you can't support us, then just STFU.

OK, Jim Robinson. 

[Oceander]

A bit unfair, perhaps.

I think that they just don't quite understand who and what we are dealing with.

If every single Republican in Congress were of a moderate, shall we say "Boehner-esque" inclination (except: mostly sober), Barack Obama, Harry Reid and all the rest of the Democrats would still call them "radicals" and terrorists".

They would. But why?

Because Obama's Democrat Party is itself, a radical enterprise, committed to the fundamental transformation of America into something it is not, and which its own Constitution forbids. And so, to convince a majority to go along with their plans for a better world: they need to lie.

They are, and always have been both statists and socialists. They believe in centralized government power and planning. They believe that government and not God is the source of your rights, and mine. They view power with envy, and individual liberty with disdain. They covet what they have not themselves earned and employ armies of the covetous to enrich themselves at the expense of those who produce and create and yet allow themselves to be pillaged, whether out of misplaced guilt or carelessness, or weakness.

They have labored for over 100 years to bring us to this time. They control the culture, the schools, the bureaucracies, and even many mainline religious institutions. They have systematically attacked and destroyed the institutions that lay between the individual and the state: families, neighborhoods, membership associations, charities, churches, and synagogues. They have fostered and created dependency in place of independence; indifference in place of commitment; irresponsibility in place of honor. Progressives have done all of this.

And now, they need to be stopped.

Not by compromise, which they abuse as a weapon against decent people who actually mean what they say. But by fighting back - and rolling back - all of their dreadful works.

If the idea of America is still worth fighting for - even if our President thinks it is not, and I think he clearly believes that it is not - then it is long past time to start fighting.

[Bigun]

A bit unfair, perhaps.

I think that they just don't quite understand who and what we are dealing with.

If every single Republican in Congress were of a moderate, shall we say "Boehner-esque" inclination (except: mostly sober), Barack Obama, Harry Reid and all the rest of the Democrats would still call them "radicals" and terrorists".

They would. But why?

Because Obama's Democrat Party is itself, a radical enterprise, committed to the fundamental transformation of America into something it is not, and which its own Constitution forbids. And so, to convince a majority to go along with their plans for a better world: they need to lie.

They are, and always have been both statists and socialists. They believe in centralized government power and planning. They believe that government and not God is the source of your rights, and mine. They view power with envy, and individual liberty with disdain. They covet what they have not themselves earned and employ armies of the covetous to enrich themselves at the expense of those who produce and create and yet allow themselves to be pillaged, whether out of misplaced guilt or carelessness, or weakness.

They have labored for over 100 years to bring us to this time. They control the culture, the schools, the bureaucracies, and even many mainline religious institutions. They have systematically attacked and destroyed the institutions that lay between the individual and the state: families, neighborhoods, membership associations, charities, churches, and synagogues. They have fostered and created dependency in place of independence; indifference in place of commitment; irresponsibility in place of honor. Progressives have done all of this.

And now, they need to be stopped.

Not by compromise, which they abuse as a weapon against decent people who actually mean what they say. But by fighting back - and rolling back - all of their dreadful works.

If the idea of America is still worth fighting for - even if our President thinks it is not, and I think he clearly believes that it is not - then it is long past time to start fighting.

BRAVO!!!

 When republicans make a clear distinction between themselves and the democrats they win every time when they do not they loose every time!