Twelve days into it and Republicans still want President Obama to give in. If he doesn’t, something I passionately hope will be the case, it looks like Republicans really are ready to tank the economy and the country.
That is surreal. I knew the Tea Party would do such a thing because of their hatred of President Obama, but deep down I did not believe more responsible Republicans would allow them to do it. No longer. The sane heads are gone. What’s left are cowards and extremists, which pretty much leaves the rest of us out in the cold, something that may in fact become a literal reality for some Americans the way things are going.
As dire as the consequences are, the President and Democrats cannot compromise to get a deal without doing long term damage to the political system we have. It’s already under great stress. Any cave in to Republican extortion would put it under. The economic damage it might avoid would be offset by a permanent state of the tyranny of the minority.
Some will repeat the mantra, of course, that you cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But in this instance there really is no “good,” only choices between “bad” and “less bad.” The shutdown has already done great harm and that will get worse. So, too, with playing around with the debt ceiling. If the President were to negotiate before the government is reopened, he would be making things worse rather than better.
The sobering reality, though, is the fact that we are not talking about a President who has shown great presidential strength since he took office. Thus, the longer this goes on the more I worry about what Obama will do as much as I worry about what Republicans are doing. The combination of Republican anarchy and Obama’s penchant for confusing capitulation with compromise could result in a “deal” that would do irrevocable damage to the future of our democracy.
Thus far he has been the kind of President we need in this crisis, repeatedly saying that he is standing firm for the sake of future presidents as well as his own presidency. Will he continue to do so? I suspect the coming week is when we will find out.
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Yes, this is a time for self-determination, a quality that considers the big picture, vs. self-assertion, a quality which is purely selfish!
We would all be wise to send this president messages of support for “firmness” this week. As you point out, and he knows full well, the fabric of our ever more frail democracy will separate into tattered pieces if tyranny prevails.
I think Obama will hold firm because he knows capitulation will end our democracy as we know it. It is time to send the T-party traitors to the trash heap of history.
I share your concern about the ability of President Obama to stand firm. In my view, this is a time for standing firm if there ever was one. It is simply a must-do. I too hope that this exercise will send the Tea Party out into the woods to get lost, but I am skeptical about the American electorate’s memory.