....no, that's not the beginning of a joke!...........they're linking up to play golf Saturday. HERE is the article on it and here are the parts I found interesting (in bold) and my comments:WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and Republican leader John Boehner will hit the golf course on Saturday with many hoping that over 18 holes they can knock Washington's troubled debt limit talks out of the rough.
Obama and Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, will play golf together for the first time and discuss how to reach a deal to raise the country's $14.3 trillion debt limit by August 2 to avoid the first default in U.S. history.
So........that could be interesting, huh? It gives Boehner and Biden's handicaps in the article...check it out. And, the article says "Traditionally, out of respect to the commander-in-chief and his guests, the scores in a presidential golf match are not publicly disclosed." bummer!
Under the bonhomie that will be on show during the game, the stakes could not be higher. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned that failure to raise the borrowing cap by August 2 will trigger turmoil in the bond markets and economic "catastrophe."
Except some people don't think so....but they don't add the alternate viewpoint here, of course.
The White House says no debt deal will be struck during the golf outing, but the subject will be broached.
Well, there goes that sense of optimism.......why bother to suggest that no deal will be struck? What's the point of that?
Boehner told reporters on June 1 that the White House rarely telephones him, while administration officials privately gripe that Boehner has refused invitations to state dinners.
That was my favorite part of the article......Boehner would like the White House to call him to try to get business done (as Speaker of the House, you'd think they might?) but the White House is griping he won't have dinner with them?
Do you think this golf game could help?
z
17 comments:
The other method to avoid default -- the method they never mention in the press -- is to reduce spending now.
The press (and most politicians, naturally) are unwilling to talk about the prospect not bringing home as much bacon. The morons in the press think greasing palms is the proper role of government. The politicians don't have the excuse of being morons.
Big government is abusive because big government itself spreads stupidity.
Sorry, that's as kind as I can be. Rant rave snort.
So the money supply is not dependent on African mining (as would be the case in a gold standard) but it is dependent on conversation between two politicians while playing golf.
Wouldn't the gold standard be a more effective restriction on power? Gold standard requires hard physical labor in the form of mining to devalue the currency. Fiat money only requires a politician's signature and a proclamation to devalue the currency.
Beamish, I'm looking in your general direction as you've written on this before. No sarcasm intended. Nor any attempt to limit the question to "this or that".
bftm
I'm not sure that teaming up for golf will solve any political deadlocks.
Frankly, I don't have a problem with Obama and Boehner hitting the links.
From here in the sports capitol of America his swing looks terrible.
How does an American find "common ground" with an avowed communist?
Bob Qat, they know that reducing spending will tick off Dem voters...they've made people very used to entitlements and seem to have indoctrinated our kids to feel they shouldn't have too much if their neighbor doesn't; instead of encouraging to make a lot so you can help your neighbor if you feel like it. Sad, isn't it!
Mike, Beamish'll show up!
AOW....I have no problem with them playing golf together, but I sure did find some of the comments made about it weird. I particularly found the line about Boehner wishing the WH would call him to talk business in contrast to the WH being ticked he doesn't attend social dinners funny!
And for the WH to say that the golf game essentially won't have any positive results is sort of typically pessimistic, isn't it.
Ducky, ??
Mustang, I guess the only common ground is the grass under their feet!
So, what should we cut Bob Qat?
Boehner playing golf with Obama is yet another show of weakness.
And didn't Mo just get done saying that Obama works sooooo hard and never gets any free time?
Ugh.
Brooke: "And didn't Mo just get done saying that Obama works sooooo hard and never gets any free time?"
She said that? He plays a lot of golf...I think this will be his 75th game since president.....every two weeks or so?
The pressure of actually working at the WH and traveling so much does require some R&R, I can't begrudge any president of that; it's the double standard I don't like. When Bush went to his ranch, the media always pounced on his 'vacations'.. no matter how many dignitaries he had there or how many meetings he had there.
I think it's picking up now for Obama because he's campaigning so hard already; nobody knows quite why he'd have made a trip to Puerto Rico except to garner Hispanic votes.l As if he needs them (tho every Hispanic immigrant I know well is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative)
Are you kidding, z. He can't even bring the club head back properly. His balance is atrocious.
Guy's a lamer.
Are they going to play near Andrews Air Force Base in Prince Georges County, Maryland? That region is in the middle of an open-air drug market, which "specializes" in selling powder cocaine and crack cocaine. Obama has a particular fondness for that golf course in PG County. Just sayin'.
BTW, the rumor mill here says that Obama can't play golf very well. Boehner is the better golfer -- or so I've heard.
Mike: The gold standard often sounds like a good thing, but it would cause more problems than it would solve.
You expressed the idea that it would be difficult to expand the money supply, and that is one of the faults with gold. In an expanding economy it is necessary to increase the money supply.
A gold standard is problematic, and will not solve any of the problems we currently face.
Beamish may take his pass at this, too, from his perspective.
Bob
Spurious Missives
AOW, apparently, he's not too good a golfer.
My point here was that they're meeting to play and to talk and the White House is already saying nothing will get settled there; and the ridiculously revealing comment from Boehner that the WH doesn't call him even in the position he has, while the WH whines he doesn't come to State dinners!
Ducky....who cares about his swing? You're suddenly the 'sports capital'? (as if you didn't know that's what I meant?)
I think that they should play golf together at least once a week.
More championships in the 21st century than anywhere in the U.S.A, z.
This is the place.
Bob,
Is it really necessary to expand the money supply in an expanding economy? If we start producing more houses, cars, wheat, etc, the prices of all those things, in terms of gold, go down. Is that necessarily bad? The farmer who produces wheat dislikes the drop in wheat prices, but he is also a consumer of cars, computers, etc, and he cheers the drop in prices of those things.
The person least in favor of an overall drop in prices is the person in debt. If prices drop, he would have to produce more of something to get out of debt. So in an expanding economy, doesn't the gold standard discourage deficit spending?
bftm
Speedy, I think it's a good thing, too.
Ducky...good for Mass. ..I didn't know that.
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