Learn what "bomfog" means. You're going need to know.

Nelson Rockerfeller repeated the phrase "Under the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God" so often reporters inserted BOMFOG as anabreviation. We can use it again in the budgetary debate.

Here's a smart and (to my mind) authoritative guide to the debate that will shape at least the next several months of American politics: BALANCE THE BUDGET. I encourage you to read it (I'll use a gift article link) to help prepare for the bomfog* Republicans are guaranteed to use to scrape up government money to reward their secret dark money backers.

The biggest and most predictable bomfog will be to compare the federal budget to your personal finances. This is an intentional (and highly effective) debating technique but it is fundamentally at odds with reality. Governments and families don't operate on the same budgetary principals -- and shouldn't. They are fundamentally different things.

"Every family in America has to balance their budget. Washington should, too" said Speaker John Boehner in 2013. They say it over and over -- because it works -- it fools a lot of people and lets Republicans take money from you to give to their supporters.

But it sounds so reasonable, and that's the trap they have successfully employed to deliver billions and billions in tax cuts to the very richest Americans while doing everything they can to pile up more to pass along. It's as predictable as your dog barking at the mail man. Maybe more, YDMV (Your Dog May Vary).

*Bomfog. I’m going to define a new definition: lukewarm mush served up every budget season to encompass a large, preselected set of intentions without ever owning up to what they mean or who they’re aiming to serve. A fancier word meaning “bullshit” served cup with a side of historical authenticity.

Here a gift article link to a good NYT analysis of the shifty terms of this debate: https://nyti.ms/3ZFsJN8