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Political Bits That Make You Go Hmmmm.

On Instapundit’s blog, he links to the Washington Examiner, which says this:

President Obama insisted yesterday that Congress reach a long-term budget deal, not a short-term “quick-fix” that could put the debt ceiling debt smack in the middle of the 2012 campaign next year. This is a major shift. Since January, the Obama administration has been calling for a “clean” debt limit hike to avoid economic “catastrophe.” As recently as two weeks ago the White House signaled they were open to a short-term deal. Now Obama’s position is that the deal must include reforms for Medicare, Medicaid and taxes, all to be completed by July 22. Why the monumental shift in position?

Obama wants to minimize how often Republicans in Congress can ask for spending cuts and maximize his own opportunities to seek tax hikes aka “revenue.” Obama has been asking for a $2.4 trillion debt hike that would allow enough deficit spending to last into 2013. That would be after the Bush tax cuts expire in 2012. If Obama gets a deal that locks Republicans into to a couple trillion in long-term spending cuts now, then he is free to push for trillions in tax hikes when the debate shifts to extending the Bush tax rates later in 2012. That gives Obama two bites at the tax hiking apple: He’ll accept some tiny tax hikes now, paired with a couple trillion in spending cuts, but then in 2012 he’ll push for $5 trillion in tax hikes by ending the Bush rates. Why any conservative would sign on to this deal escapes us.

Two points…

1. Of Course Obama will push for letting the Bush tax cuts expire…. Duh!!!! But that won’t be a part of this deal! Are you saying Republicans must not pass a balanced budget because of what Obama will do in the future? Obama has been asking for a $2.4 trillion debt hike, but I can’t imagine he’ll get that.

2. “President Obama insisted yesterday that Congress reach a long-term budget deal, not a short-term “quick-fix” that could put the debt ceiling debt smack in the middle of the 2012 campaign next year…. the deal must include reforms for Medicare, Medicaid and taxes, all to be completed by July 22.”

Funny, President Obama is not exactly known for keeping a deadline. Look back and see how many deadlines were moved leading up to the passage of the healthcare reform bill. That took at least nine months longer than the first hard deadline demanded. My bet is that Republicans won’t pass anything that includes tax increases or the sun-setting of certain tax deductions, and the President won’t sign onto any long term deal without them. So they will pass some sort of stop gap measure measure to keep things going into the full election year. Maybe I’m just too cynical, but this is just too juicy an issue NOT to have laying around to beat each other over the head with in the 2012 election cycle.