Sometimes I think the Democratic Party simply doesn't understand how the process of negotiation works. Take the current political posturing around the debt ceiling and budget. The Republican position is clear: no tax increases on the wealthiest Americans will be accepted; deep cuts to domestic spending are necessary, even if that means decimating social safety net programs. The response from the Democratic Party has been that everything must be on the table, including repealing tax cuts and domestic spending cuts. Unbelievably, the Democratic Party has already made it clear that cuts to social safety net programs will probably be inevitable. I, for one, am tired of the Democratic Party's terrible negotiation tactics and miscalculation that they will somehow be rewarded for being the only reasonable party.

What should the Democrats be doing instead? Remember, the Republicans are starting from the position that tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and big oil cannot be repealed and that savings must instead come in the form of deep cuts to social safety net programs. The initial Democratic position should be that the Bush tax cuts and subsidies to big oil must be repealed and that any additional money needed beyond the massive revenue generated by asking the wealthy to pay their fair share will come from cuts to defense spending.

This would have a few big advantages. First, by addressing both the revenue side and the spending side of the equation instead of only the spending side, this plan would require much smaller cuts to spending of any sort. In contrast, the Republican plan requires deep cuts to vital programs because they refuse to consider the revenue side. Second, such a position from the Democrats would be useful in pinning down the Republicans. "You refuse to repeal tax breaks on the wealthiest Americans? Okay, but that means the defense budget is going to be cut way back." Third, tax increases on the wealthiest Americans are exactly what most Americans want.

Of course, some sort of compromise is going to be required and neither the current Republican position nor my hypothetical Democratic position is going to win. But by starting with what they claim to want, the Democratic Party would be in a much better position to negotiate a successful compromise. That they refuse to do so tells me that the Democrats learned absolutely nothing from health care reform.

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