Obama: NO negotiations until House passes clean resolution and ends the shutdown

[Cali_Democrat]

Obama Rules Out Negotiations With Congress on Budget Until Government Reopened

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama ruled out negotiations on budget issues with Congress on Wednesday until lawmakers end a U.S. government shutdown by approving spending measures.

In a CNBC interview, Obama described himself as exasperated that Republicans refused to drop demands that led to the government shutting down on Tuesday.

"Am I exasperated? Absolutely I'm exasperated," he said, because the shutdown was totally unnecessary.

Obama said Wall Street should be concerned that a faction of Republicans in the House of Representatives seemed willing to allow the United States to default on its debt in order to push their demand that funding be cut for Obama's signature healthcare law.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/10/02/us/politics/02reuters-usa-fiscal-obama-cnbc.html?hp

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Cali_Democrat.

[BlueStreak]

2. This is a tactic in a bigger game

Obama is trying to arrange events so that this shutdown bleeds into the debt increase. There is not enough pain felt from the shutdown to get the teabaggers to respond, so you saw this morning that Lew is tightening the screws.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/01/228268706/treasury-secretary-warns-congress-of-next-looming-crisis

The last thing Obama wants is to make some kind of concession (however small and symbolic) this week, just to turn around and face another hostage crisis next week. Obama's leverage goes way up as the debt ceiling draws closer. You are already hearing Obama start to tie the two things together, and this has surely been WH strategy all along.

[Skraxx]

10. Yup, and the GOP is falling right into his trap, as they are also making noise about lumping it

together.

[BlueStreak]

13. Cruz is a lightweight. The Obama people had this games out for at least a year

And you can see that they had the foresight to structure the ACA:

1) To have it's most significant event happen the first day of a fiscal year; and

2) Protect the funding streams from the hostage-taking.

In general, I am a real skeptic about Obama's n-dimensional chess playing. But in this case, I think a lot of this was truly anticipated years in advance. Of course everything has to fall just the right way for these scenarios to play out. Obviously if Romney had won the election, then all the zen chess stuff wouldn't matter at all. But this seems to be a case where it all comes together more or less as hoped for.

Cruz wasn't on the scene when this all started. He is serving as a very useful idiot. Obama is letting him play out his cards this week. Obama gets the upper hand next week. With regard to the debt limit, there are some "concessions" that Obama can make to let the rest of the GOP save face. These are things that won't really hurt -- might actually be helpful. And in the process, this will further isolate the teabaggers.

But looking at the long term, we don't want to destroy the teabaggers. Indeed, we want Cruz to be the candidate and the face of the party in 2015. So it will be interesting to see how Obama plays this one. Cruz cannot win anything but primaries outside of Texas. Christie or Jeb would be far more formidable candidates.

[JaneyVee]

3. He's setting a great precedent for future Presidents as well.

[wandy]

9. Either President Obama sets the precedent, or the GOP owners will. nt

[Blue Idaho]

4. The time is NOW, the place is HERE.

Keep fighting Mr. President. Time to break the backs of the TeaPublicans.

[jberryhill]

5. See? See? He CAVED by promising negotiations later!

[Enrique]

6. i thought it said "until House cleans restroom" n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

7. Turns out that Obama is the bad ass bear in the back of the cave. nt.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Congressman, you can have my offer now if you like

My final offer is this... Nothing. And I expect you
to personally open the government by sending a clean CR
to the Senate, lift the debt ceiling and roll back the sequester.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

11. "You get NOTHING! You LOSE! Good day, Sir!!!"

I would pay to see President Obama really go "full Wonka" on the Republicans.

[kentuck]

12. Damn!! This is war!

Fix Bayonets!

Seriously, is there a book about the art of negotiation? The first rule is that you do not make demands that can not be delivered.

[Zorra]

14. Daayum, where did this hard ass hostage negotiator come from?

I like him. He can stay.

[BlueDemKev]

15. AND cleanly raises the debt ceiling!

[LostOne4Ever]

16. WTG OBAMA!!!

Negociating in ANY way with these people would only encourage them to do this again, and again, and again. They either let the hostage go or no talks!!!

[bowens43]

17. Keep it up Mr president! These assholes have pushed too far.

[Hekate]

18. Those suckers are trying to create a line-item veto for themselves and Obama will not let them

Caving? I don't think so.

GOBAMA!

[Cha]

19. thanks Cali!