The table above has these entries. Post entries with just one line for Reach were not boosted. Boosted posts have two lines for Reach and several other items. The upper line reflects all interactions, the bottom line just those resulting from paid ads.
========== Biden turned out to be wiser and more skillful than most commentators gave him credit for. He defanged the Freischütz Caucus, and avoided the debit limit crisis, and the annual budget-shutdown crisis, all until the next Congress, and gave McCarthy enough small wins that McCarthy might be willing to try bipartisan compromise again, instead of Freischütz. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-debt-limit-budget-36bd8dbb08192ba7f7507cab16184d93 And the same for McCarthy! #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-06-02 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Biden turned out to be wiser and more skillful than most topic deficit wordrate 0 words 62 epoch Lifetime ID 1944103822600794 impress 8 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "06/02/2023 21:06" reach 7 title "Biden celebrates a 'crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on bipartisan debt ceiling deal" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1944103822600794 ========== A big win for Biden and McCarthy! That's how the sausage gets made. Biden achieves his two greatest objectives - 1) not being blamed for the economic fallout from a debt limit freeze 2) no more debt limit theatre until the next Congress - so the current Congress can get back to work - relatively speaking. McCarthy achieves his two greatest objectives - 1) not being blamed for the economic fallout from a debt limit freeze 2) no new taxes or enhanced IRS enforcement against the megadonor class. To understand the significance of the last victory, remember that McCarthy rose to power on his ability to move money from GOP megadonor investors to GOP House candidates. Those megadonors have been able to out-lawyer the IRS for many years thanks to GOP starving the IRS, and McCarthy announced that protecting those megadonors was his #1 priority for this Congress. https://thehill.com/newsletters/business-economy/3806111-on-the-money-mccarthy-pushes-to-cut-irs-funding/ As usual he and the rest of the GOP pretended their concern was for small taxpayer, but small taxpayers don't pay for big political campaigns. So it really wasn't about the budget deficit after all, but about defending minority rule. Crippling IRS enforcement increases the deficit. Refusing to consider changes to the 2017 megadonor tax relief bill increases the deficit. Even the plan to increase work requirements increases the deficit. https://apnews.com/article/debt-bill-default-work-requirements-food-stamps-a42064f794b4466903ca06ca140b9013 But all those were acceptable prices to pay to protect minority rule. https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-biden-mccarthy-senate-house-default-b8c3566b0c9cb168d9706aa256e327f7 And no, the GOP REALLY doesn't want anybody to know who funds their unlimited dark campaign money. The end result - Biden and McCarthy maximized their chances of getting through this budget cycle unscathed, and thus re-elected, in order to face each again in 2025 over the same issues. Better 2025 than 2024! Perhaps someday a Democratic Congress will repeal the debt limit and set up automatic continuing resolutions, to avoid continual brinksmanship around these issues. As for the budget deficit? Everybody agrees that runaway Federal spending is a problem - except in THEIR district. == Possibly the biggest win of all was putting a big crimp in the gun of the Freischütz Caucus which had convinced almost everybody that McCarthy was in their back pocket. Much like the sudden re-evaluation of the Russian army after its hasty withdrawal from Kyiv. Maybe everybody had it backwards - the Caucus was in McCarthy's back pocket all along, they just didn't know it until now. We'll see when it comes to passing budget appropriations later this year. As far as passing the budget goes, it SOUNDS like - if Congress doesn't pass a budget on time this fall, there's an automatic continuing resolution with a 1% budget cut. https://www.factcheck.org/2023/05/debt-limit-agreement-breakdown/ If that's true, that's good news - no government shutdowns until the next Congress - another crimp in the Freischütz gun. Maybe they've finally shot their seventh bullet. https://www.alternet.org/the-house-freedom-caucus-were-the-biggest-losers-of-all-in-the-debt-ceiling-battle/ #PS1deficit https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-biden-mccarthy-senate-house-default-b8c3566b0c9cb168d9706aa256e327f7 ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-06-01 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title A big win for Biden and McCarthy! That's how the sausage topic deficit wordrate 0 words 465 epoch Lifetime ID 1943393102671866 impress 45 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "06/01/2023 21:06" rcs 1 reach 24 reactions 1 title "Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to Biden" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1943393102671866 ========== And after all that, it really doesn't reduce the deficit by enough to notice! https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/politics/debt-deal-spending-decisions-analysis/index.html It's all smoke and mirrors to obscure the reality that the deficit is not going to shrink without increasing taxes, cutting defense spending, social security, and medicare, but few GOP legislators are willing to risk their careers by putting forward a realistic proposal. #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-31 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title And after all that, it really doesn't reduce the deficit topic deficit wordrate 0 words 58 epoch Lifetime ID 1942776822733494 impress 7 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/31/2023 21:05" reach 7 title "Debt deal avoids the really tough decisions | CNN Politics" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1942776822733494 ========== 314-117 - not even close! The Freischütz Caucus has suffered an unexpected strategic defeat, much like Putin at Kyiv, and their thunder might not rattle centrist nerves as much in the future. And they might not be able to unseat McCarthy as Speaker, though they will surely try. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/31/debt-ceiling-deal-house-vote-bill/ https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-biden-mccarthy-house-votes-9375cce9b7526b2d0a5728f8d4a18a0a #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-31 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title 314-117 - not even close! topic deficit wordrate 0 words 49 epoch Lifetime ID 1942768432734333 impress 12 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/31/2023 20:05" reach 9 title "House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1942768432734333 ========== Those who speak do not know? Those who know do not speak? https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/30/mccarthy-chip-roy-speaker-deal/ It seems that nobody knows or speaks for sure. But getting the NEXT debt limit crisis postponed at least to the next Congress is a victory for common sense and the global economy - and for Biden - and a defeat for the Freischütz Caucus - and they know it and will fight it, and will take out their frustration on McCarthy if they can - leading to another fit of Congressional paralysis trying to elect a new Speaker - not as good as a default, but a paralyzed Congress is still a win for the Freischütz Caucus. A paralyzed Congress can't pass any bills threatening minority rule. As the saying goes, McCarthy knew the Freischütz Caucus.were snakes when he jumped into their pit. #PS1deficit ===== impact 14 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-30 ratio 7 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Those who speak do not know? Those who know do not speak? topic deficit wordrate 0 words 137 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1942204296124080 impress 9 matchedlinkclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/30/2023 22:05" reach 7 title "Analysis | McCarthy’s secret speaker deal takes a bizarre turn" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1942204296124080 ========== Congratulations to the Freischütz Caucus! They have successfully fought the Federal budget crisis by threatening default, shaking the financial markets and global confidence in the dollar, making Federal debt interest rates go up, and thus - INCREASING the Federal deficit without passing a single bill! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/28/debt-limit-deal-budget-differences/ #PS1deficit ===== impact 5 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-29 ratio 16 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title Congratulations to the Freischütz Caucus! They topic deficit wordrate 0 words 46 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1941249156219594 impress 21 matchedlinkclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/29/2023 09:05" rcs 1 reach 16 reactions 1 title "Opinion | With this debt limit deal, Congress has beclowned itself" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1941249156219594 ========== Did you think the debt limit was about McCarthy vs Biden? https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/28/this-low-profile-committee-could-sink-or-save-biden-mccarthy-deal/ Think again! It's about McCarthy vs the Freischütz Caucus. He let them into the guard tower and gave them plenty of ammo, hoping - against all experience - that they would aim at Biden instead of, rather than in addition to, McCarthy. Perhaps McCarthy should have limited them to seven bullets. #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-29 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Did you think the debt limit was about McCarthy vs Biden? topic deficit wordrate 0 words 63 epoch Lifetime ID 1941178909559952 impress 13 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/29/2023 08:05" reach 11 title "This low-profile committee could sink or save the Biden-McCarthy deal" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1941178909559952 ========== We're getting close to the confidence-breaking-point. https://www.get-to-sixty.net/ But we're going to keep repeating this scenario until the debt limit is repealed for good. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/20/business/economy/debt-limit-default-economy.html So Biden would do well to announce that he will gladly sign a bill to repeal the debt limit entirely, or he'll hold his nose and sign a bill that combines explicit specific budget cuts in exchange for kicking the can down the road at least as far as 2025, for the next Congress. The Democrats can't get the former past the House, and the GOP can't get the latter past the Senate, so Biden shouldn't stay up late waiting for something to sign. But having names on roll-call votes will be useful for both parties at the next primary and general elections. You can't compromise with fanatics - they take it as weakness and redouble their demands - as with the right-to-lifers. Then when the last day comes, Biden should accept the premium bond or platinum coin tricks to avoid default, and let the House GOP sue or impeach. Being a one-term president would be a small sacrifice compared to burying the debt limit ploy once and for all. #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-22 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title We're getting close to the confidence-breaking-point. topic deficit wordrate 0 words 193 epoch Lifetime ID 1937048273306349 impress 10 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/22/2023 15:05" reach 8 title "Even Flirting With U.S. Default Takes Economic Toll" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1937048273306349 ========== Maybe Biden knew all along how it would end - McCarthy having no cards to deal, there could be no deal, and if there were, we'd just have the same crisis again, just in time for the election. https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/paul-krugman-how-biden-blew-it-on-the-debt-ceiling/article_03607912-3f6d-597d-9754-5b46a0835caa.html So despite all the misdirection, which might have been intentional, Biden might be willing to do the premium bond or platinum coin tricks after all, to avoid default, and then it will be up to the Supreme Court to defend McCarthy's minority rule when the issue is brought to them. https://www.nytimes.com/article/debt-limit-14th-amendment.html The 14th amendment has just such a clause for just such a purpose as the present - Dixiecrats wanting to force minority rule by threatening to blow up the economy - and then blame the other party. The other party was the Republican then and the Democratic now, but the Dixiecrats never changed substance, only label. #PS1deficit https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/paul-krugman-how-biden-blew-it-on-the-debt-ceiling/article_03607912-3f6d-597d-9754-5b46a0835caa.html ===== impact 44 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-19 ratio 3 react 3 reactrate 0 shares 1 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 2 title Maybe Biden knew all along how it would end - McCarthy topic deficit wordrate 0 words 145 audclicks 2 epoch Lifetime ID 1934964530181390 impress 13 matchedlinkclicks 1 matchedotherclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/19/2023 14:05" rcs 1 reach 10 sharesimpress 1 title "Paul Krugman: How Biden blew It on the debt ceiling" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1934964530181390 ========== There's no point in negotiating with somebody who has no cards or chips to negotiate with, except threatening to overturn the table and saying the other guy made him do it. McCarthy has even less room than Boehner. https://nytimes.com/2023/05/10/us/politics/biden-obama-debt-limit.html #PS1deficit ===== impact 4 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-14 ratio 12 react 1 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 sumclicks 1 title There's no point in negotiating with somebody who has no topic deficit wordrate 0 words 39 audclicks 1 epoch Lifetime ID 1932065217137988 impress 17 matchedlinkclicks 1 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/14/2023 18:05" reach 12 title "How Past Debt Limit Crises Shaped Biden’s No-Negotiation Stance" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1932065217137988 ========== Want to do something about the Federal budget deficit? You could repeal part of the GOP billionaire tax relief of 2017 - but GOP megadonors won't like that. Better to raise taxes on poor people - there are more of them. You could reduce agricultural subsidies - but GOP megadonors won't like that. Better to reduce SNAP benefits for poor people. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/05/congress-farm-bill-subsidies-debt/ Defending minority rule requires constant vigilance against handouts to the improvident poor! #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-05-06 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Want to do something about the Federal budget deficit? topic deficit wordrate 0 words 74 epoch Lifetime ID 1926948154316361 impress 17 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "05/06/2023 12:05" rcs 2 reach 14 reactions 2 title "Opinion | Want fiscal responsibility? Stop paying wealthy farmers." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1926948154316361 ========== Debt ceilings and continuing resolutions - political theater that needs to stop. https://www.get-to-sixty.net/ It's not about tearing up the credit cards. It's about announcing to the banks that you are not going to pay off the debt you already charged. Does Kevin McCarthy really want to end his career and be remembered for causing default? No Henry Clay he - most GOP want a showdown and they'll get it. At least give Mitt Romney credit for seeing the folly of it. https://apnews.com/article/biden-mccarthy-debt-ceiling-fight-47539399db37f44d47eff47386a28ddc GOP refuses to say what they want to cut - they want the Democrats to propose cuts, so GOP can criticize those, or the Democrats to refuse to negotiate, so the debt limit takes effect and the GOP can blame them for that. Of course, the fastest way to reduce the deficit would be to repeal the GOP billionaire tax relief of 2017 - practically their only accomplishment under Trump. But instead of repealing, they want MORE of the same. https://www.one-flat-tax.net/ Democrats should vote to repeal the debt ceiling entirely and shut down this theater permanently - as soon as they can find the votes. It'll be easier after GOP trades the stability of the global economy for appearances on Fox. #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-04-01 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title Debt ceilings and continuing resolutions - political topic deficit wordrate 0 words 201 epoch Lifetime ID 1905476606463516 impress 13 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "04/01/2023 08:04" reach 9 title "Intensity and insults rise as lawmakers debate debt ceiling" type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1905476606463516 ========== So what if it costs somebody else $11 billion? Think of all the air time the anarchists get on Fox! https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/17/government-shutdown-washington-preparations/ It's way past time to repeal the deficit ceiling and enact permanent continuing resolutions when Congress refuses to act. But the Freischütz Caucus will never relinquish its power voluntarily. #PS1deficit ===== impact 0 impactrate 0 negative 0 posted 2023-11-17 reactrate 0 sharesrate 0 title So what if it costs somebody else $11 billion? Think of topic deficit wordrate 0 words 50 epoch Lifetime ID 729659619208649 impress 3 pageid 534332363577954 pagename "Political scrapbook" posted "11/17/2023 18:11" reach 3 title "Shutdown prep is exhausting Washington. At least the bartenders are happy." type Link URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/729659619208649