With a debt crisis that exists only because of the Democrats' insane spending increases from 2009 on -- and a gang that has completely abdicated its legal responsibility to produce any budget -- now Hill Dems (and the President, who produced a laughable "budget" that was voted down in the Senate 97-0) is trying to trick Republicans into surrendering their most potent policy and political principles: Opposition to big spending and to tax increases.
Democrats are smart enough, politically at least, to know that these issues will be their undoing next year unless they find a way to blur or neutralize them -- hence their gambit for a big, "bipartisan" compromise that will force tax increases with only illusory spending cuts in out years. If their plans came to fruition, they would have the dual effect of demoralizing the passionate conservative/GOP/Tea Party base, while allowing Democrats to claim to independents that their miserable fiscal record has actually been sensible bipartisan compromise in disguise.
Let's hope the GOP isn't crazy (or dumb) enough to fall for it.