You've Been Had

So, as the old adage goes, if you sit at the poker table and you don’t know who the sucker is, then more than likely it’s you. 

Obviously, the Republican hierarchy has never played poker.  Several months ago, the threat of a government shutdown was front and center in most politicians’ minds. 

Either raise the debt ceiling or the world would end (didn’t we hear that about TARP?)  Republicans, smelling a victory in 2012, didn’t want to do anything that would remind the American public of that fateful Newt Gingrich government shutdown during the Clinton administration. 

So, they bought into the premise of a supercommittee, twelve carefully chosen career politicians. 

One would most certainly think on the eave of Thanksgiving, the supercommittee would put country ahead of their individual self interests. 

After all, these were twelve good folks who would work diligently in order to resolve the necessary revenue increases and spending cuts that would truly rescue us from the brink of disaster.  It may have given the appearance of kicking the can down the road, but that was only to the unsophisticated, untrained eye of a non-Washingtonian. 

Obviously, this is not about politics. 

It was about doing the right thing.  Hmmmmmm. 

Of course, the President, being the leader of the free world, would whip and drive the fateful twelve to achieve success, perhaps better than the Simpson-Bowles commission, which he rejected. 

He would be involved every step of the way, or not.  Mr. President, mission accomplished. 

You showed skill at suckering the Republicans into caving on the ceiling of limitation, knowing Washington committees accomplish absolutely nothing.  Now, a platform you can run on.  Not on what you did, but what the Republicans didn’t do. 

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Congratulations.  John and Mitch, you got suckered, and it was called into question whether or not you ever played poker before. 

At the least, you guys should have studied how Tip O’Neil bested my hero Ronal Reagan several years ago. 

Tip promised that if Ron (they were friends, therefore the informality) only raised taxes one time, then the Democrats would offset them by spending cuts. 

Yeah, right, a Democrat offering spending cuts!  Unfortunately, in a poker game, promises are bluffs, and in this one President Reagan fell hook, line and sinker. 

So, I guess we shouldn’t get too upset since this committee was not designed to work in the first place. 

It was simply a political ploy to give Obama a talking point. 

Poker is a game played by the skillful, and always needs a sucker. 

In this instance, neither John not Mitch knew who the sucker was.