|
|
|
PITTSBURG —
Kenny Rogers was a great political strategist. He may not have known it, but when it comes to negotiation, being a good poker player is a vital skill. You really do have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold’em ... know when to walk away, and know when to run. It’s time the Republicans took some negotiating lessons from The Gambler.
When you are not holding any trump cards, you can only bluff for so long until someone calls that bluff and forces you to show your hand. It appears that is where we are at in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
Until recently, President Obama had not been a very good poker player. He folded his cards long before he needed to, and he negotiated from a position of weakness, not strength. The Republicans expect he will remain true to his previous form, and that when they say jump, he will say, how high? They are forgetting two things in this continuing calculation.
First, the President just won the election, decisively, so he is playing with the stronger hand.
Secondly, he has a strategic advantage in that, if he does nothing, the Republican’s worst nightmare, higher taxes on the top two percent comes true on Jan. first. They can bluster and bluff all they like, but the fact of the matter is that they are not holding any of the trump cards when it comes to the continuation of the tax cuts for the well to do.
Not only are they holding a hand with fewer trump cards, post-election, but they are collectively experiencing only the first stage of grief, which is denial.
There is an old saying that “Denial is a river in Egypt.” The problem is that the Republican river barge is stuck in the accumulated river silt somewhere between Benghazi and the Gaza Strip.
Some Republicans have moved to the second step in the grief process, anger. They are just plain having a hissy fit over Obama’s victory, and are still looking to exact some retribution for his victory.
Some Republicans have actually moved to the final stage of grief, acceptance. Imagine this, even Ann Coulter has arrived at this point, acceptance, The Democrats won, let’s renew the tax cuts on all but the top two percent, and move on to other things, she said recently.
I never thought I would be agreeing with Ann Coulter, but as they say, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”
Kenny Rogers was a great political strategist. He may not have known it, but when it comes to negotiation, being a good poker player is a vital skill. You really do have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold’em ... know when to walk away, and know when to run. It’s time the Republicans took some negotiating lessons from The Gambler.
When you are not holding any trump cards, you can only bluff for so long until someone calls that bluff and forces you to show your hand. It appears that is where we are at in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
Until recently, President Obama had not been a very good poker player. He folded his cards long before he needed to, and he negotiated from a position of weakness, not strength. The Republicans expect he will remain true to his previous form, and that when they say jump, he will say, how high? They are forgetting two things in this continuing calculation.
First, the President just won the election, decisively, so he is playing with the stronger hand.
Secondly, he has a strategic advantage in that, if he does nothing, the Republican’s worst nightmare, higher taxes on the top two percent comes true on Jan. first. They can bluster and bluff all they like, but the fact of the matter is that they are not holding any of the trump cards when it comes to the continuation of the tax cuts for the well to do.
Not only are they holding a hand with fewer trump cards, post-election, but they are collectively experiencing only the first stage of grief, which is denial.
There is an old saying that “Denial is a river in Egypt.” The problem is that the Republican river barge is stuck in the accumulated river silt somewhere between Benghazi and the Gaza Strip.
Some Republicans have moved to the second step in the grief process, anger. They are just plain having a hissy fit over Obama’s victory, and are still looking to exact some retribution for his victory.
Some Republicans have actually moved to the final stage of grief, acceptance. Imagine this, even Ann Coulter has arrived at this point, acceptance, The Democrats won, let’s renew the tax cuts on all but the top two percent, and move on to other things, she said recently.
I never thought I would be agreeing with Ann Coulter, but as they say, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”
The polls say that up to 65 percent of the public is firmly behind the President on the tax issue, so John Beohner and his Congressional cohorts are busy beating dead horses while they wallow in the woes of denial. Perhaps someone should suggest they tune into the Kenny Rogers channel on Pandora. Sooner or later they will hear the words of the song whose lyrics they badly need to listen to ... ”You’ ve got to know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away, and know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.”
For Mr. Boehner, his Waterloo awaits. Before that, he would be well advised to take a serious look at the cards he has been dealt, and play his hand accordingly.
