One of the most important elements in any type of conflict is to control the ground you fight on.  In politics, that usually means controlling the issues that will be discussed.  And for Republicans in the pending fight over the debt limit, that means taking the issue of defaulting on our debt payments off of the table and focusing on spending.

In our country’s fiscal wars there have been three major moving parts: 1) taxes, 2) spending and 3) borrowing.  Republicans don’t want tax increases and Democrats don’t want spending cuts, which left borrowing to finance the spending.  But now increasing payments on borrowing threaten to gobble future revenue for spending and mandate future taxes; which brings us the recurring battles over the debt ceiling.

Despite the tax hikes in the recent “fiscal cliff” deal, neither Obama nor any Democrats will publicly state that the rich are now “paying their fair share”.  They know that with the great unwashed, the politics of envy (AKA, jealousy) is always gold.

They also know that facing up to spending means facing up to reality, and facing reality means making choices, which will set some elements of the Democrats’ coalition at odds against each another.  If pretty much your entire political party is built out of constituent groups bought off with tax dollars, then you better keep the punch-bowl filled or the party’s over.  read more »

Yes Republicans were gut punched this last election. The re-election of a failed president, being rejected by half of the electorate can be a bit disheartening. Well I may be able to offer a bit of chin lifting inspiration to conservatives, Republicans or just people that think we are in a permanent downward spiral. With the prospect of another four years of out of control spending and little hope of Obama Care being repealed things look bleak especially when you you hear media oulets trumpet polls telling us Hillary Clinton is a shoe in for POTUS in 2016.  read more »