The deal in place is IMO very good for progressives today, with a small risk of things going very sour tomorrow. If we are smart, we avoid these risks through smart politics.
But nobody cares what I think!
Below the line in Krugman's take from about an hour ago...
His article this morning really boils down to this bit:
Well, the CBO estimates cumulative potential GDP over the next decade at $208 trillion.So the difference between what Obama got and what he arguably should have gotten is around 0.1 percent of potential GDP. That’s not crucial, to say the least.
And on the principle of the thing, you could say that Democrats held their ground on the essentials — no cuts in benefits — while Republicans have just voted for a tax increase for the first time in decades.
So why the bad taste in progressives’ mouths? It has less to do with where Obama ended up than with how he got there.
If you read the whole thing both sides of the 'pro-deal/anti-deal' have areas to point to in support of their argument.
But to me, the absolute key to the deal is the UI extension. As a result - 2.1 Million Americans in need of another year to bridge the gap to full(er) employment are spared an extremely crappy 2013.
That's the bottom line. And it's good deal because of this key element.
Cheers.