It was a "chicken-run" by the Republicans and the Democrats, drag-racing to the edge of the Bush Tax Cliff as the sun was setting, but who really bailed out of the car and who remained will be revealed in two years. In the movie, the adversaries, Jim (played by James Dean) and Buzz, check out the abyss of the cliff before climbing into their cars:
Buzz: This is the edge. That's the end.
Jim: Yeah. It certainly is.
Buzz: You know something? I like you. You know that?
Jim: Why do we do this?
Buzz: You got to do something, now don't you?
And that seems to be the nature of the "deal" between the two parties: "You got to do something, now don't you?" On the surface, President Obama caved in. Someone had to and it was pretty clear the Republicans were prepared to fly off the cliff to preserve the precious Bush tax cuts for "everyone," especially for the wealthiest, the old Razzle Dazzle 'em of trickle-down economics.
We now continue the drag race to the same cliff in two years but this one also includes the Presidential election. If the "compromise" just further expands the deficit without creating meaningful jobs, the Democrats will blame the Republicans who will be left in the car. Of course the American people will be in the passenger's seat. "This is the edge. That's the end."
Buzz: This is the edge. That's the end.
Jim: Yeah. It certainly is.
Buzz: You know something? I like you. You know that?
Jim: Why do we do this?
Buzz: You got to do something, now don't you?
And that seems to be the nature of the "deal" between the two parties: "You got to do something, now don't you?" On the surface, President Obama caved in. Someone had to and it was pretty clear the Republicans were prepared to fly off the cliff to preserve the precious Bush tax cuts for "everyone," especially for the wealthiest, the old Razzle Dazzle 'em of trickle-down economics.
We now continue the drag race to the same cliff in two years but this one also includes the Presidential election. If the "compromise" just further expands the deficit without creating meaningful jobs, the Democrats will blame the Republicans who will be left in the car. Of course the American people will be in the passenger's seat. "This is the edge. That's the end."
