Suppose you are a parent.\u00a0 You discover your 5 year old son playing with a live hand grenade.\u00a0 What would you do?\u00a0 Would you rush in and try to take it away, risking a struggle that could set off the hand grenade?\u00a0 I doubt it.\u00a0 Most parents would try to bribe the child into handing them the hand grenade, as gently as possible.\u00a0 They might even offer him some ice cream.\u00a0 They would do whatever it takes, because they cannot risk having him set off the grenade.\u00a0 When you are the adult it is your duty to protect your child against himself.\u00a0 It is also your job to make sure the child doesn\u2019t hurt anyone else.\u00a0 Then, after the child was safe, and you make sure it never happens again.<\/p>\n
Now imagine you are John Boehner.\u00a0 The President of the United States is a child playing with the fiscal cliff hand grenade.\u00a0 He is giggling and is prepared to blow up the nation\u2019s economy as long as he can blame Republicans.\u00a0 Speaker Boehner realizes that he is the only adult in the room.\u00a0 So, he agrees to a plan to bribe the President into giving up the fiscal cliff grenade by increasing taxes on people earning more than $400k per year.\u00a0 It is the least expensive bribe available.\u00a0 The President jumps up and down in glee in celebration of his great victory and jets off to Hawaii to celebrate.<\/p>\n
Speaker Boehner reports back to his caucus.\u00a0 They ask him why he gave in to such childish behavior.\u00a0 Boehner replies that saving the country is more important than winning a political battle.\u00a0 But, Boehner also reports that he has learned his lesson.\u00a0 He will never again try to negotiate with someone so childish and irresponsible.\u00a0 Instead, he will just make sure the President never gets another fiscal cliff grenade.<\/p>\n
So, while President Obama is playing golf and swimming in Hawaii, Republicans in congress are working on a plan to take away his power to hold the economy hostage.\u00a0 That is the problem with people who behave childishly and irresponsibly.\u00a0 Eventually, the adults figure out a way to regain control.<\/p>\n
After Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamato realized that while he had won a great victory, he had not destroyed America\u2019s ability to fight.\u00a0 He is quoted as saying:\u00a0 \u201cI fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled her with a terrible resolve.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n President Obama thinks he has destroyed the House of Representatives and stripped it of power.\u00a0 He now thinks he can do whatever he wants.\u00a0 But, I think his childish spiking of the football has only awakened a sleeping giant and he is about to deal with a very determined opponent.\u00a0 Speaker Boehner remains in power today only because he was able to convince the House that he was ready, willing and able to fight back.<\/p>\n Any questions?<\/p>\n TDM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Suppose you are a parent.\u00a0 You discover your 5 year old son playing with a live hand grenade.\u00a0 What would you do?\u00a0 Would you rush in and try to take it away, risking a struggle that could set off the … Continue reading