It feels as though with each passing day, we face a critical, new issue facing our nation. Some have been with us a while, such as the weak economy, stagnant wages, and unemployment. Some are old problems but being seen under fresh light, such as immigration. Some are rising to new levels of awareness and concern, such as relief for hurricane Sandy victims and gun control. But the one that strikes at my increasing level of incredulity today is the debt ceiling.
A little background, if you please.
Capitol Hill (Photo credit: David Holt London)
The debt ceiling is a created dollar amount, like a personal target of spending which an individual may decide not to exceed. It’s not a number cast in stone, it is not a dollar amount having any direct relation to the bills due. Further, although the liability amounts and their scheduled due dates are relatively clear and planned for, income to the Treasury is erratic and not as easily planned for.
Like every large corporation out there, Treasury is required to borrow money against future income to smooth out these fluctuations.
Further, every single dollar of debt has been directed and approved by Congress. Bills are not run up by the President or by any one party or individual; they are only payable to programs approved by Congress. Bottom line, Congress owns the debt.
John Boehner tells American Unemployed its Your Fault for Being Lazy (Photo credit: Cory M. Grenier)
Here’s where the Republicans in general, and House Speaker John Boehner in particular, come into focus for their ridiculous posturing and antics, for playing politics and gamesmanship with our country’s economic future.
Treasury has already begun moving money around between accounts in order to stave off the moment when they (we, actually) can no longer pay the bills that come due. Further, they’ve estimated that by mid-February even these short-term emergency band-aids will no longer do the trick. Thus the day of reckoning for the debt ceiling.
Tea Party rally (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Similar to the 175 Republican extremists who voted against aid for fellow citizens who just happened to be hurricane Sandy victims, this same mind-set pervades the group who are against raising the debt ceiling. To be sure, they are after selective spending cuts, aiming to hurt the same kind of individual citizens that their posturing against Sandy would have hurt. Only this time instead of victims of a catastrophe, their targets are senior citizens, recipients of Social Security and Medicare. Not the wealthy, not big corporations such as oil drillers, not defense contractors. Nope, just old people.
here’s the piece-de-resistance. These same, cold-hearted Republicans, led by Boehner, speak of “the American people, and that they won’t stand still for increasing the debt ceiling without offsets.” But I ask, how would he know what the American people want? Boehner, whose outer office in Washington is little more than a clubhouse for lobbyists and wealthy contributors? He, whose been quoted in the past as claiming, “Lobbyists are people, too?” He who likely couldn’t tell you the last time he actually spoke to an average American citizen?
Depending upon the poll one looks at, the approval rating for Congress lies somewhere between 9% and 19%. So who exactly are these American people Boehner is so concerned about? Obviously, it’s not the majority of our fellow citizens.
President Obama has an approval rating of over 50%. A slightly smaller percent approve of the way he is handling the economy, compared with a less than 35% approval rating for the way Congress is handling the economy. With these number, isn’t it clear that the House, made up of a Republican majority, is the culprit in the debt ceiling discussion? That they clearly are not working in the best interests of the country, nor even working in support of the will of the country? It does not require a leap of faith to conclude that Republicans are focused on being obstructionists, on playing gotcha’ politics. They are willing to risk killing the already slow recovery and sending the country back into a recession, rather than compromise, walk the middle ground, and do what is right for the country and what the American people actually want.
The Republican agenda has nothing to do with the debt ceiling, and everything to do with a power play against the administration. The American people are of little concern to these far-right wingers, no matter how loudly they protest to the contrary.
But that’s just me…
Related articles
- Geithner Says Debt Limit Steps May Run Out by Mid-February – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- Lots of smart Republicans are terrified of the debt ceiling (washingtonpost.com)
- John Boehner: Congress ‘Never Going To Give Up’ Debt Ceiling Powers (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
- House GOP may seek short-term debt limit extension (cnsnews.com)
Okay, so I’m going to step into the fire. We cannot blame a single party for the division in government. It is the refusal of both sides to work together for the best of the country that is causing the problems. There are too many agendas being pushed that have no relevance to solving the challenges we are facing as a nation and as average citizens.
We “the people” have recourse to fire our govenment representatives. It’s called recalls and impreachment proceedings. I don’t feel that we can look to the government to solve our problems. It is too far removed from the realities of our lives. Each of is going to need to take responsibility for where we are and contact our representatives to let them know what we feel is important. Personally, instead of threatening to hold back social security payments, I think that the government should go without pay until the matter is resolved.
In a general concept, I agree with your position of dual responsibility. But I think by further investigation, even into the saner legs of the right wing, it is pretty clear that in the debt ceiling argument, the intractable party to the negations are the Republicans, led by Boehner, Ryan, and Cantor in the House. Even Republican senators have said that the battle for Republican values cannot be won by only one house of congress. And to be clear, compromise cannot occur when one party to the negotiation is intractable and immovable.
As to too many agendas, you are correct, but again, the core Right wing agenda is to cut taxes to the wealthy, not touch the bloated defense department budget, and to cut social security, medicare, medicaid, and school lunch programs. Do you really see this as being the basis for compromise? I’m certainly not looking to the government to solve all my problems, in reality, very few Americans are. What we are looking for is a level playing field. Is that too much to ask?
Up until today’s republican proposal, have you heard of anyone suggesting cutting expenses/salaries in Congress? But they’ve certainly jumped on the wagon of cutting payments to social security recipients. Is that really compromise?
Lastly, I think you give the American voter way too much credit. They might commonly comment on the poor performance of Congress, and will rant to “throw the bums out,” but in reality, they believe that all congress members are bums, “except for their guys.” Thus no changes.
Thanks for your thoughts
Washington Post had a piece today on the Republican retreat in Williamsburg, VA this week. Seems like the seminars are all about re-branding their message, but not changing the content or core beliefs. No introspection there. Just PR and propoganda machines working.
Oscar
I did see the Post article earlier today. I think you are right, they are trying to re-brand their message, but will still be just PR. They also have an agenda item of how to continue to block the debt ceiling. I think its going to take more than a weekend golfing retreat to fix their problems. I believe, as Ive noted in the past, its going to take a major election drubbing for them to finally realize they cant just cater to the far right extremists.
Thanks for your comments
I was amused that one of their motivational speakers ran Dominoe’s Pizza. Didn’t one of the recent candidates run a pizza shop chain? Chain pizza shop sound about the mentality that they think the voters are.
Herman Cain, Godfather Pizza. John Whathisname from Papa John’s Pizza, this speaker, and Herman Cain. Hmmm Bunch of crusty, cranky men with a cheesy message. LOL Couldn’t resist.
3 days at a golf resort,and they believe they’re going to change their image. Good luck with that
Using your tagline inviting comments, you are on the right track, it is the GOP that is lost in the jungle. As I mentioned over the summer and as we discussed, the GOP platform is built on a very weak foundation – I used the phrase big hairy audacious lies. Their platform is anti-global warming prevention, anti-gun control, anti-diversity rights,anti-resaonable immigration reform, anti-broader healthcare, anti-voting rights, anti-stimulus action (when reputable economists said the stimulus bill work and kept us out of a depression) and pro-tax abatement for our wealthiest brethren. You throw in the mix that they do not want to consider two key levers to reduce the deficits (defense cuts and revenue increases) and I don’t see a whole lot they offer. We need reasonable conservative voices, but what is postured is far from reasonable. Gersten laments today the loss of Gov. Mitch Daniels to Purdue. He was a more reasonable, conservative voice. Good post, BTG
True, functional conservativism was destroyed by Newt Gingrich in the ’90′s. His forcing the republicans to a far-right position of intractability and no compromise was the start of today’s Washington gridlock. I fear the only solution will come with the total destruction of the Republican party and their wing-nut positions. Everything I read seems to indicate that most Americans want more moderation, not more extremism. if thats the case, than as Hugh and you have pointed out, and I firmly believe, the ones pulling the strings, the wealthy and lobbyists, will get even less for their money. The party may not self-destruct, but its positions surely will.
The Party of No, the Party of total denial of science, the Party of making women second class citizens, the party against minorities and immigrants, will devolve given enough time, and constant call-outs of their ridiculous positions.
Thanks for the comment
It’s really hard to plumb the depths of the Republican psyche and figure out what their motivation might be. It’s partly racism involving this President, I suggest, but mostly they are dancing to the tunes their wealthy sponsors play. Too bad the Founders didn’t implement a way to disband the government and start over when it becomes unworkable,
The idea of disbanding government is interesting; Europe and Canada do it on a regular basis. I think a great deal of the core undercurrent is based on racism. No one has the courage to come right out with a direct attack of course, so it is all couched in attacks on his liberalism, elitism, and of course, facism and socialism. But you are correct, the wealthy sponsors are at the core, and I do believe if the Republicans continue on this path, and Obama has the courage to take a stand and fight, they right will self-destruct for having gone too far out on the limb.
Thanks for writing, always enjoy your thoughts