He who fights with monsters might take care....

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you . -Friedrich Nietzsche 


Why do I love that quote and think it's the perfect quote for much of what is happening in politics today? Because, quite frankly there are some leftists who look a lot like the tea party. Anything that President Obama and the democrats in congress do, I know will soon be attacked by certain parties on the left in minutes, no doubt. I agree with much of what they are saying...but they tend to speak and write before they have the facts. They have fought with monsters and the abyss is gazing back. Their responses are emotional and they are battle worn and have lost hope. I want to write about facts and hope and why the emotional responses from far left are too much like the emotional responses from the tea party-and both sides lose the facts in the process. 


The debt ceiling compromise is a perfect example. I'm sure you've heard that the Democrats "caved" to the Republicans-that there are big cuts in medicare and social security. 


But it's simply not true. 


"Barack Obama ate John Boehner's lunch, and then he turned Boehner out to go preach to his conservative colleagues that this eating of the lunch by Obama is actually politically good for them.."  as the Peoplesview stated.   


Here's a summary:  

• A down payment on deficit reduction with historic long-term spending restraint: Nearly $1 trillion in spending cuts -- done in a way to not harm the economic recovery, are balanced between domestic and pentagon spending, and protects critical initiatives like aid for college students;
• Expedited process for balanced deficit reduction: Puts in place a longer term process for additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction through a committee structure that will put everything on the table, including tax and entitlement reform. To prevent either side from using procedural tricks to prevent Congress from acting, the committee’s recommendations will receive fast track authority, which means they can’t be amended or filibustered.   
• Sets the stage for a balanced package, including revenues: The American people and a growing number of Republicans agree that any deficit reduction package must be balanced and included revenue.
  • If the Committee does not succeed in meaningful balanced deficit reduction with revenue-raising tax reform on the most well-off by the end of 2012, the President can use his veto pen to raise nearly $1 trillion from the most well-off by vetoing any extension of the Bush high income tax cuts.
• A proven enforcement mechanism: An enforcement mechanism that will compel painful enough cuts to both sides that it will force congress to act. Enforcement mechanisms by their very nature should include measures that neither side supports so as to ensure action.
  
  
  Here's the important part:
  • If Congress fails to act, beginning in 2013 there will be $1.2 trillion in spending cuts through 2021 – 50 percent from domestic spending and 50 percent from defense spending.  Low income programs, including Medicaid, and Social Security and Medicare benefits would be exempted.  Medicare cuts would be capped, limited to the provider side. 

    
    

    Exempted except for the provider side. People like Marcus Bachmann are worried. Those "non-profit" hospitals are worried. But you should not be. Leftists, Democrats should not be. I did run over to a right wing site just to see what they were saying. 

    
    

    They hate it that there will defense cuts...They say things like "The 'joint commission' is one of the worst ideas to come down the pike in a while."  They hate the super committee...because they know they can't agree and if they don't, there will be deep defense cuts which are equally divided with domestic programs-and "entitlement programs are exempt.  Remember the last Republican debate when all the candidates were asked if they would accept a deficit reduction deal that favored spending cuts over raising tax revenue by 10-1 and were asked to raise their hand if 10-1 was unacceptable. All eight raised their hands.  Of course they hate the triggers and the deficit committee....

    
    

    Even Kissinger said Obama is like a chess player....and so have others. I agree. So, my leftist and moderate friends, be careful fighting with monsters, lest you become one.