There is a growing consensus that Obama overplayed his hand in the absurd fear-mongering about the immediate impact of the sequester.
While Republican’s did their own share of fear-mongering as to military cuts, and thereby played into Obama’s hand, it still was Obama’s political hand being played.
With the acknowledgement in the media that Obama was untruthful at the presidential debate when he resolutely denied being the source of the sequester concept, to the recognition that the sky was not falling by none other than Obama himself, it seems (pick your analogy!) the Emperor has no clothes and the curtain was pulled back exposing the Wizard.
Via Roll Call:
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for the White House and a re-elected president with political capital to spend. But President Barack Obama is in a position of supplication to Hill Republicans, talking loudly and often about the harm of automatic budget cuts but lacking the leverage to get the GOP to buckle.Senior administration officials had for months predicted that Republicans would cave on the sequester and agree to more taxes, even after agreeing to $600 billion in tax increases in the New Year’s Eve fiscal-cliff deal.After all, aides noted, Republicans had caved again and again: on the 2012 payroll tax cut, on tax rate increases for the wealthy and on a debt ceiling extension.Why not one more GOP rollover? Polls seemed solidly in the president’s favor. But so far it’s not working out as the West Wing planned.Obama held out hope that the GOP might yet yield following a face-to-face meeting with congressional leaders that accomplished nothing.He said he understands that Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio has strong opposition in his conference to allowing any more revenue now.“My hope is that they can do it later,” after the effects of the sequester kick in across the country, the president said.But Obama gave away the one big legislative stick he has in his arsenal. He said he wouldn’t risk a government shutdown by demanding a sequester fix in the continuing resolution needed to fund the government past March 27.
Even the Taiwanese animators are mocking Obama:
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