Boehner Gave Up Too Much

By Kyle-Anne Shiver and Lee Cary

I believe Boehner gave up too much. A TV pundit said that the Dems and Repubs "split the difference." Nonsense.

In a former occupation, I designed and taught a business negotiating skills class for the management training company I worked for then, and later wrote and sold a better class as an independent. Back then, in a Neanderthalish zero sum game, if I "drop anchor" at 100, and you drop at zero, and the final agreement is 38.5, we obviously didn't "split the difference." I lost. Particularly considering that, as you know, the federal debt jumped $54B while they were debating what turned out to be a lesser decrease in spending. Who's zoomin' who?

Boehner should have said, "We'll agree to a total decrease in spending equal to the additional debt we incurred while debating this issue. And, if you can't agree to that, let's shut down all but essential government functions - you decide what's essential - and the number we'll agree to will continue to rise as we continue to borrow more money. We won't be a party to bankrupting the nation. And that, gentlemen, is our final offer."

I believe that would have send a powerful and compelling message.

I see the whole exercise as essentially a coin toss before the big game starts. In this case, the coin landed on its edge. We the people lost, while the political parties tied. I don't see anything much good coming out of all this at the near end. Nothing, anyway, that will forestall some rendition of national bankrupcy.

My motto is: When the politicians and pundits from both political parties claim victory, the people lost. And when the politicians say the people ultimately won, I know for sure we lost.