Once the debt “deal” was reached, Congress and the White House decided that a yet-to-be-formed “Super Committee” of twelve members of the House and Senate should decide exactly how to butcher the budget. It is no secret that Republicans are opposed to military cuts and Democrats are opposed to social cuts—but will this generalization be productive as a point of compromise? Or will it simply hold each side hostage until the Republicans bluff their way towards bad policy, using the alternative—automatic cuts—as a bluff to force a deal exclusively on their terms?

Ari Melber joins Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC to break down how this “Super” Committee is actually a ticking time bomb strapped to two sacred cows: military spending and social spending.

—Anna Lekas Miller