Just a thought. This could be a seminal moment in politics. I think it's quite possible Obama has unmasked them in a big, meaningful way with long lasting repercussions.
I think he broke their back.
David Kurtz touches upon this here, but doesn't quite go as far as I do.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Time To Declare Victory
You never win any Washington debate unless you declare yourself the winner. Period. No third party -- let alone the press -- will declare you the victor until you bestow the honors upon yourself. It's just the way the town works.
--snip--
he Republicans via Mitch McConnell just balked in an epic, paradigm-shifting way that could finally shift the long-moldering debate on fiscal policy. The debt ceiling negotiations have revealed one of the bedrock foundational elements of the GOP platform -- spending cuts are the only way to balance the budget -- to be built on the shifting sands of political expediency.
Obama needs to quickly move to declare victory in this thirty-year debate on taxes. Do it now, with the biggest, wickedest grin he can muster while Republicans are in disarray fighting amongst themselves.
The curtain has been pulled back. The wizard has been revealed as a small insecure man. But in Washington no one will acknowledge even a seminal moment unless you grab ahold of it and declare it as such.
I agree with this. This is a seminal moment. He has really done a terrific job of framing and EDUCATING the populace about the GOP and their motives.
This was a teaching moment and he used it wisely.
Wed Jul 13, 2011 at 7:51 AM PT: Oops, misattributed to JM, it's David Kurtz. Sorry!