How do we judge between the two conflicting accounts that Democratic and Republican party leaders are offering as to why they haven’t reached a deal yet that could keep the government up and running?...
>>>How do we judge between the two conflicting accounts that Democratic and Republican party leaders are offering as to why they haven’t reached a deal yet that could keep the government up and running?
According to the Democrats, the Wall Street Journal reports, President Obama, Speaker Boehner and Senator Majority Leader Reid agreed Thursday night on $38 billion in cuts from the current fiscal year’s budget — $5 billion more than the Democrats had been willing to cut — in return for the House Republicans agreeing to give up their demand to defund Planned Parenthood (a nonfiscal issue that is all about furthering the social-issue right’s war on choice).
According to the Republicans, the size of the cuts still divide the two parties, and they’re not saying much about the Planned Parenthood issue.
Think about this for a moment. Is it really credible that a difference of a couple billion dollars, in a budget of multiple trillions, could be the reason for the shutdown? Would Democrats and Republicans be unable to come to an accord over whether the cuts come to $35 billion or $39 billion? Is that really plausible?
Quantitative differences can be bridged. Qualitative differences, on the other hand, are harder to reconcile. There is a midpoint between, say, 35 and 39. There is not a midpoint when the choice is between funding Planned Parenthood and not funding Planned Parenthood.
That’s why I think the Democrats’ account is the more plausible.
... Read more on the Washington Post Article...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/whom-to-believe-on-budget-democrats-or-republicans/2011/03/04/AFgRRC3C_blog.html?hpid=z3
