Shutdown Countdown, Part 13

John Boehner's professional hostage game is now working perfectly, and Dems are falling for it hook, line, and stinker.

A top Senate Democratic aide says there's been a key thaw in discussions between Senate Dem leaders and House Republicans to avert a government shutdown.

The aide said Republican negotiators are once again willing to meet Democrats in the middle, to cut a bit over $30 billion from current spending -- just about half the $61 billion House Republicans have proposed.

Crucially, the idea of drawing from mandatory spending areas -- including the big entitlement programs -- is back on the table, according to the aide.

"Part of the thaw is that we think we can get some of the cuts we need to add up to this number from areas outside of discretionary," the aide said.

Another source familiar with the discussions says, "The appropriations committees in the House and Senate have been tasked to work on a bill that achieves cuts betweenw 30 and 36 [billion dollars]."

"That's just on [overall] spending cuts," the second source added, "and they'll have to hash out how much mandatory, how much discretionary."

I don't buy the news that Cantor has been cut out of the budget loop, either.  Meeting the GOP halfway on budget cuts is not something the Tea Party will accept.  It's possible they are going to save their ammunition for the debt ceiling fight, but you notice that the original GOP proposal way back in early February was $32 billion or so out of the House Appropriations committee.  After a Tea Party revolt, it was pushed up to $60 billion as a compromise with the wingers, who wanted $100 billion plus (and some wanting several times that.)

But you see, now the GOP has gotten their opening proposal as the minimum of what they are going to receive from the Dems.  The Dems have basically folded from day one.

All this talk about government shutdowns and Eric Cantor and his threats are just hiding the reality that the Dems have given the Republicans their original proposal without so much as a fight.  Orange Julius has gotten a 100% win here and the Dems, the Village, and everyone has fallen for it.  The Republicans started with $32 billion in cuts and the Democrats' pushback lasted less than a week.  It is still possible that the Tea Party could go into complete revolt.  But the real power behind the GOP will put them in their place, as always, and the GOP will take yet another complete win.

Anything above the $32-$33 billion mark they are going to get now is gravy, and they know it.  Should make the debt ceiling fight even more fun.