While the democrats' public posture has been that they will not negotiate, that is becoming increasingly untenable. They are certainly not winning the PR battle with anyone who doesn't watch MSNBC, and they arguably are losing it.
Reid is smart enough not to reveal his cards, but there have been enough hints in the liberal press to reveal his strategy. Part of Obamacare involved an excise tax on medical devices, one of the few remaining industries the US is preeminent in. It is unpopular with not only republicans but with plenty of democrats as well, as they have device manufacturers in their districts.
The compromise being covertly floated is to repeal this tax in exchange for funding the remainder of Obamacare. It is being styled a win-win result, in that the republicans can claim a victory and the repeal is at least somewhat bipartisan.
No doubt the usual republican surrender monkeys are desperate to take this deal. Then they can safely get back to the business of selling out their constituents. But is it a good deal?
A basic rule of negotiating is to never accept the first offer. So just on that ground, the republicans should hold out for more. Beyond that, getting rid of a small tax seems like a mighty poor payoff for going all in. They risked getting smoked and have basically survived longer than most of them expected. The fact is, most voters are only dimly aware there is even a shutdown, and of the ones that are aware, a lot of them support it, if only on grounds of sticking it to federal bureaucrats.
So my advice is no, don't take this offer. The minimum I would accept is a delay of Obamacare until after the next election.
Reid is smart enough not to reveal his cards, but there have been enough hints in the liberal press to reveal his strategy. Part of Obamacare involved an excise tax on medical devices, one of the few remaining industries the US is preeminent in. It is unpopular with not only republicans but with plenty of democrats as well, as they have device manufacturers in their districts.
The compromise being covertly floated is to repeal this tax in exchange for funding the remainder of Obamacare. It is being styled a win-win result, in that the republicans can claim a victory and the repeal is at least somewhat bipartisan.
No doubt the usual republican surrender monkeys are desperate to take this deal. Then they can safely get back to the business of selling out their constituents. But is it a good deal?
A basic rule of negotiating is to never accept the first offer. So just on that ground, the republicans should hold out for more. Beyond that, getting rid of a small tax seems like a mighty poor payoff for going all in. They risked getting smoked and have basically survived longer than most of them expected. The fact is, most voters are only dimly aware there is even a shutdown, and of the ones that are aware, a lot of them support it, if only on grounds of sticking it to federal bureaucrats.
So my advice is no, don't take this offer. The minimum I would accept is a delay of Obamacare until after the next election.
