Tuesday, March 12, 2013

How Obama and Republicans can compromise

Republicans claim they won't raise taxes on anybody no matter what.
President Obama has insisted that any plan to deal with our deficit must include raising taxes further on the wealthy.

Both sides claim it is imperative that we reduce our deficit.

Where's an honorable compromise? One that both sides can feel good about?

Introduce other items in an omnibus deal:

Republicans get:

all spending cuts to reduce the deficit, including entitlement reform that helps make Medicare and Social Security more sustainable for the future.

Obama gets:
-no filibuster on any judges or appointments for the next two years
-public acceptance of Obamacare and no more attempts to defund or attack it, only to make it better
-immigration reform along the lines of McCain-Kennedy
-gun safety legislation that includes background checks, ban assault rifles, increased enforcement, closing gun show loopholes and more

This is a fair deal.  Both sides are giving up cherished items, but in most cases things that would have happened anyway.

Sometimes the answer to a direct disagreement is to introduce new issues.

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