With the election over we are now starting to focus on the fiscal cliff that we are supposed to fall over in December.
We have people on both sides acting as if the world will end if their plans and proposals are not adopted.
And it’s all for show.
At the risk of making a not very bold prediction I can give a pretty good idea of what will happen in the next couple of months
First we will have lots of hand wringing and panic, with all kinds of media stories about how
Then legislation will be passed to extend the “middle class” (under 200/250k) tax cuts either permanently or at least for 5-10 years. Some sort of short term compromise will be reached on the upper class cuts, likely phasing them out to some degree but leaving enough loopholes for most to slip (or stroll) through
We will see similar dramatic but largely empty legislation passed to set up a “grand committee” to work on the problems of social security and medicare. They will eventually release a report which will be largely ignored.
We will see earnest commentary from bright eyed conference/compromise committee members about how this is the start of a new era of working together (said era lasting until the camera crews leave the room).
We will see protests from the proper interest groups on both the left and the right about how passage of
More moderate/mainstream conservatives and liberals won’t be super happy either but they will be more pragmatic and composed about it.
The same will happen on the various blogs, especially the usual suspects (IE Red State, Polipundit, Daily Kos and Huff Po).
Those in the middle will continue to be perplexed about the unwillingness of both sides to work together.
And then everyone will return to their dressing rooms for a new coat of face paint.