Tom Toles for February 24, 2013

The only problem here is Republicans are actually to blame. They thought up and passed the sequestor and now they are the ones avoiding any solution and ducking the responsibility.

This really isn’t the Democrats’ fault and it is the Republicans.

Let the trolling begin !!!!!!!

Do you even pay ANY attention to what is really going on.

Of course they think it will backfire, they do not think anyone is paying attention to the fact that the democrats have not passed a budget in 4 years and are the ones blocking any balanced budgets.

The president puts out budgets too, and the Republicans ignore those. I don’t know why the Republicans’ budgets should magically be valid (they don’t balance the deficit, give massive tax breaks to the rich, and are hugely cruel to the poor) while you pretend that the president’s doesn’t exist.

Both sides own the sequester, both sides have a responsibility either to accept it or change it.

This ranks up there with JFK quote on DC. “DC has northern hospitality with Southern efficiency.” (sorry for the sp)

Maybe the bottom line, politically, is that the Republicans will get more blame for the sequester than anyone, so it will be a win for Obama and the Dems. Plus it’s the only way certain budget items, like the bloated Defense budget, can get reduced. Boehner realizes all this, which is why he’d like to avoid the sequester, but he can’t control the Tea Party faction of his caucus.

I’m curious: why do you Obama haters call him “Barry”? It sort of “normalizes” him. Wouldn’t you prefer to concentrate on the alien nature of his real name? “He’s not One of Us,” etc.?

We ALL know it was Obama’s staff that brought the sequester idea to Republicans in 2011. The White House was trying desperately to get a deal on the debt ceiling limit. Republicans who knew it was a terrible idea, went along because they thought they would be working with President Romney at this point, not Obama. Now that their plan failed, the Republicans are so divided that once again, it will be impossible to get a long term deal. Boehner’s camp think they can still pin the blame one Obama. The Tea Party has decided that stupidly planned spending cuts are better than no spending cuts. The only thing Congressional Republicans agree on is that they will not raise revenue.I keep bringing this up & I’ll ask again: Why was it a great idea to close loopholes to raise revenue when Romney proposed it, but now that Obama is pushing for it, it’s a non-starter?Regardless, neither Obama nor the Republicans are going to budge until we see how much pain the sequester creates & who voters blame. Toles has pretty much nailed it.

“Hype and Blame is all Obama has!”It’s called the bully pulpit. I guess you forgot GW Bush’s barnstorming tour in 2005 to rally support for privatizing Social Security.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61523-2005Feb3.html

It doesn’t really matter who proposed the sequester. It passed the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate, and was signed by Obama. THEY ALL OWN IT.*And while it has things in it that both sides don’t like, the Republicans feel more backed into a corner than do the Democrats.*i don’t think the Democrats are great strategists that planned this out like a chess grand-master. I think they just got lucky.*That said, the sequester, if it happens, will have the unintended consequence of slowing down the economy. One can argue that for the next year or so, JOBS are more important than the deficit, and that if the economy picks up, the deficit will get smaller without such painful cuts simply because more people will be working. But laying off so many people now, and so suddenly, will create an economic shock. Therefore, a compromise that kicks a smaller can down the road may be the best thing.

mikefive: Your math is accurate, but your knowledge of US political reality leaves much to be desired. The junior senator from Vermont is not permitted to identity his party, but back when Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington, he could say it is the Socialist Party.

No, no, no, say the GOPers. No, no, no.

I blame the voters that re-elected politicians. We are all suffering from the actions of the majority.