Dick Durbin praises those compromising Republicans

Well, you could knock me over with a feather.  The Hill: "Durbin, breaking with Democrats, applauds GOP offer on taxes as a breakthrough."

Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democratic leader, chose to focus on the positive and hailed the latest development as a “breakthrough.” He was worked on a massive deficit-reduction package for more than a year as a member of the Simpson-Bowles commission and the Senate’s Gang of Six.
“The fact that some Republicans have stepped forward to talk about revenue, I think, is an invitation for Democrats to step forward and talk about entitlement reform as well as spending cuts. Therein lies the core of an agreement,” Durbin said.

Everybody knows that the structural deficits in Washington cannot be tamed without entitlement reform and now is the time for the Democrats on the Supercommittee to make a counterproposal.  But by various accounts, they've walked away from the debt commission, confirming my long-held belief that Democrats cannot do Medicare reform because "scaring Grandma" is their biannual re-election strategy.  It's the reason that brave, brave President Obama - who has never proposed a reform plan in public - scotched the debt deal he had with Speaker Boehner during the debt ceiling showdown.

Extra - Ace chimes in: "Their electoral plan is to do Mediscare, so they will not actually agree on any reforms, no matter what the GOP proposes. They will always contrive a reason why Sacred Honor compels them to walk away."

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