Countdown to Shutdown: Republicans need something out of this T minus 7

My father taught me in a negotiation it is always best to let the other person thought he won and to leave a nickel on the table. I have always thought it was sound long-term advice in spite on my tendency to be greedy and vindictive from time to time. He also taught me to make sure I knew what I wanted and be prepared to walk away if I found myself giving up too much to get something. It is a shame my father is not in a national political leader involved in devising a strategy to resolve Congressional impasses.

I was thinking about these rules from my childhood and how they could relate to the Congress today. What is it that Republicans really want? What are the goals and what are achievable goals? What could they get that would be equivalent to the nickel.

At this point, I do not see any Congressional action that will delay the funding for the Affordable Care Act. Even if there was some token action, it will not effect the implementation of the Act. The county will have to endure whatever is to come, and those supports will have the consequences-good or bad-from elections to come.

However, the question is what can Republicans achieve? Well, there are the budget deficit and the level of federal spending. For the most part conservatives favor reducing both and in large part due to the sequester and previous actions have in the past two years been successful in thwarting the rate of increases.

This success should be qualified. The Budget deficit is still projected to be more than $750 billion for the fiscal year. That is $750 billion; an enormous sum and if not for the other Obama deficits would be the largest in history. These deficits just continue to pile on the national debt and piled on they have. There will be consequences later as debt service will take up more and more resources.

The sides have different spending levels. Democrats favor something around $1.058 trillion in spending, whereas the House has passed a spending rate level of $986 billion. Huge difference. The point being, as budgets get tighter, the ability of the Administration and its liberal allies in Congress to enact grandiose programs becomes more difficult.

The Republicans may not be able to put the health care law back into the bag from whence it came but they could continue make sure the bag is closed going forward. That has to be worth 5 cents.