One might think that the dueling addresses might lay out the differences – except we already know what they are, and we further know that the only reason we don’t have resolution is because Obama and the Democrats won’t give up Big Government.  Whether there will be a shift in Obama’s position remains to be seen – I highly doubt it, but I bet they’ve crafted some poll-tested sound bites to try and move the debate Obama’s way.  Trouble is, I doubt that most people are really paying attention to Obama at this point.

As for Boehner, we can expect he’ll just re-state the obvious:  the GOP won’t go for tax hikes and insists upon real spending reductions.  This is core, GOP belief and it is backed by the majority of the American people.

How does this end?  Beats me – but unless the GOP caves, we’re going to come out on top.

UPDATE: Allen West backs Boehner:

I will support the new debt deal- it has enough of what I need including no tax hikes, spending caps and a step toward a balanced budget.

That should help Boehner with the TEA Party wing.

UPDATE II:  And we’ll see if Obama’s speech changes this…

From CNBC:

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told fellow Republicans on Sunday that he is considering a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution as part of a bill that would raise the debt ceiling, a source who heard his message said.

That could be a sign that the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate remain far apart in tense negotiations to avoid an Aug. 2 default.

A balanced-budget amendment is popular with conservatives and was a central element of a bill that failed in the Senate after passing the House last week…

The bottom line here is that Boehner must bring home something in the nature of genuine cuts and/or a reform in spending which promises to balance the budget in a realistic amount of time.  Failure to carry at least this minimum risks a wipe out of the GOP in 2012 – not that GOPers would vote Democrat, but it would almost ensure a third party emerging to carry the fiscally conservative banner in to 2012.  This is key – this is central; this is the non-negotiable thing.

On the other side are the Democrats.  For them it is a matter of preserving the spending they enacted 2009-10.  This must become the “new normal”.  They know full well that they won’t regain the House in 2012 and stand to lose control of the Senate – the loss of the White House must also be envisioned but for the Democrats this is a secondary thing.  Keeping the spending is vital – because it is only via government spending that they retain any power.  Only, that is, if they can keep dispensing lavish amounts of taxpayer dollars on favored groups can the Democrat coalition sustain itself.  Even if they lose in 2012, if they can retain the 2010 level of spending, Democrats feel confident that by 2014 or 2016 they can regain power…and then expand their power via spending from today’s current levels.  Whatever Democrats do, they won’t agree to any substantial cuts in spending.  Not for real – promises of trillions in cuts over the years they’ll give with wild abandon…counting on never having to actually produce the cuts.  We can debate whether they don’t care we’re going broke, or don’t realize it – but the effect is the same:  come what may, they are determined to preserve their spending (my view is that they don’t care – if we do eventually default, they’ll have no problem with that, figuring it would just allow them to go on another borrowed money spending spree once the dust settles…and, of course, a default would be a strong argument for higher taxes).

So, how do we get past the impasse?  Mostly, we put it off until 2013 – hoping that in 2012 we win so big that we’ll have sufficient political power to impose a fiscally conservative settlement of the issue.  The way to get from here to there is, at the end of the day, agree to an increase in the debt ceiling (a totally un-necessary and, indeed, regressive thing to do…but Democrats have their heart set on it and as they control the White House and the Senate, we really can’t get ’round it).  But if we are to agree to increase the debt ceiling, we need something concrete out of it – some sort of real cut to spending next year, along with some real budgetary reform.  A balanced budget amendment, sent to the States, would be ideal.

We’ll see now if it can be done.  Democrats have hyped up the August 2nd deadline as if it means something…but when powerfull people start talking like that, the sheep who man the financial markets start to take it seriously.  Thus we’ve seen the tremors roiling through the global markets.  They should be worried about the fact that the global economy is heading in to recession…but what they are worried about is whether the government will approve the ability to go further in to debt (ie, further on the road to economic ruin).  Still, in all this, Democrats might have shot themselves in the foot…it is  fake crisis, but even a fake crisis can become real if enough people are suckered by it (see Global Warming for a prime example).  Democrats are behind the 8 ball – having said that something must be done by August 2nd to avoid catastrophe, they’d better come up with some thing by August 2nd.  If Boehner can craft a good bill and get it through the House, Democrats may be forced to go along with it.

It could be a very interesting week.

If Obama and his Democrats simply won’t govern, then someone has to – from Politico:

House Speaker John Boehner hopes to have a framework for a debt-limit plan in place by Sunday afternoon to avoid roiling the Asian markets, he told colleagues on a Saturday conference call.

An immediate deal would raise the debt ceiling and cut spending, Boehner said, and there are still options on the table for more comprehensive deficit reduction of $3 trillion to $5 trillion, according to GOP sources on the call. He is also aiming for a framework in the form of Cut, Cap and Balance — the plan that has failed in the Senate, Obama has threatened to veto but House Republicans passed overwhelmingly…

The linked article reports that Boehner advised the President that, at the end of the day, Congress writes the laws and the President decides to sign or veto.  As Obama keeps messing around with negotiations – probably in hopes that the GOP would just get scared and go along with a debt increase without significant spending reform – there is really no need to bring him in to the discussion.  Work out a bill which can avoid any problems starting Monday – make it something which can pass the House and Senate regardless of what Reid or Obama might want…and then just leave it up to them.  Reid, as Majority Leader, could refuse to hold a vote…or Obama can veto the result.  In either case, it would be Democrats blocking the necessary action.

Remember what we’re up against in Obama and his Democrats:  people who’s only goal is to retain power for themselves, and that means keeping Big Government alive and ever growing.  But the time for that is past – we’re broke and we’ll default in a few years if we don’t start getting our house in order.  Fundamental reforms cannot be done while Obama has the ability to obstruct, but we can get something together which bridges the gap between now and January, 2013.  At that time it is hoped we’ll have a new President and a new Senate Majority Leader…perhaps even of a type which cares more about America than personal power.