Mr. Obama and the Democrats Are Winning – Yes the Republicans Hate The President a Little Bit More

But They Respect Him a LOT More

This Forum, along with many other commentators were aghast when the President negotiated with the Republicans over the debt ceiling in 2011 and when he agreed to extend the Bush era tax cuts on the wealthy for a short period of time.  He gave the impression he would yield to pressure and he gave the impression he trusted the Republicans to act in the best interests of the country.

Now Mr. Obama is standing fast, and the results are exactly as predicted.  He is winning.  How do we know?

1. Slowly some Republicans are starting to argue for a clean CR to stop the government shutdown.

2. Republican Governors are on the side of the President.

3. Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli is reeling from his association with the GOP even though he opposes the shutdown (for purely political reasons, not for principle)

4. The non-right wing editors and commentators are all on the side of the Democrats.

5. Republicans are turning on Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the cheerleaders of the shutdown.  Republicans may vote to end the shutdown and avert the debt ceiling crisis just to spite Mr. Cruz.

6. Republicans are starting to look for a face saving way out.

7. Speaker John Boehner is sending signals that he will not allow a default and that he is open to passing a CR/ Debt Ceiling Bill with largely Democratic votes.

The only risk here, that Mr. Obama will revert to his old ways of attempting to appease the un-appeasable.  But you know what, maybe he won't.