Quote of the Day II: the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis and the Failure of the Establishment
As I have noted here, future historians will not look back on 2011 and say it was the golden age of American leadership — in Congress or in the White House. Our second political Quote of the Day comes from The New Republic’s Jonathan Chait who gives this take on our inept and self-absorbed political establishment:
The political assumptions here turned out to be badly wrong. The main problem is that the Republican Party does not actually care very much about the deficit. It cares about, in order: Low taxes for high-income earners; reducing social spending, especially for the poor; protecting the defense budget; and low deficits. The Obama administration and many Democrats actually do care about the deficit and are willing to sacrifice their priorities in order to achieve it, a desire that was on full display during the health care reform debate. Republicans care about deficit reduction only to the extent that it can be undertaken without impeding upon other, higher priorities. Primarily “deficit reduction” is a framing device for their opposition to social spending, as opposed to a genuine belief that revenue and outlays ought to bear some relationship to each other.
The Post has since published a series of increasingly terrified-sounding editorials pleading for a debt ceiling hike backing away from its bold hopes that the debt ceiling would produce a bipartisan compromise. In retrospect, they now see what should have been obvious: Increasing the political leverage of the Republican Party made a Grand Bargain less, not more, likely. Moreover, the deficit hawks who represent the center of Washington establishment thought badly underestimated the danger entailed by tying high stakes negotiations involving the Republican Party to a cataclysmic event. Happy visions of Bob Dole and Tip O’Neill danced in their heads, oblivious to the reality of what they were facing.
6 Responses to “Quote of the Day II: the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis and the Failure of the Establishment”
“Republican Party does not actually care very much about the deficit.”
Ah, another “Republicans are evil, Democrats are saints” line. The echo chamber is in panic mode. Democrats, of course, never start wars, never pander to special interests, never support programs for the rich, never tax the middle class, and never give Wall Street free rein (or reign).
Any time it looks like they did, they really were giving into Republican pressures, because they’re wimps (even when there was no Republican support).
Did I miss something?
You did.
Despite all those shortcomings, they are still saner, more humane, and more responsible than the Republican Party.
Basically their sole saving virtue is that the Republicans are insane and unimaginably worse…
Ah yes, the lesser of two evils. I’ve heard it many times.
‘still evil.
I suspect one of the problems is they’re not nearly self-absorbed enough. The two camps in Washington are disagreeing because the people the represent disagree. Back in the old days, before 24×7 media coverage, they could work together and quietly do the right thing. Today, it’s all about the constituents and whatever the polls say they want.
Overall, I am happy with my health insurance I found through “Penny Health” network. It is not perfect, but in today’s world what is? The health insurance plan has worked quite well for me and my family.
“Ah, another “Republicans are evil, Democrats are saints” line.”
No, you whiny fool – it’s a line that compares previous GOP behavior with the behavior of today.
They never cared about the deficit in the past. Never. In any way. They just see the deficit as a chance to cut spending on the poor. Solely. That can be inferred from empirical reality.
Is this how it always going to be with you? every time someone points out republicans are generally worse people than democrats based on observed reality you are going to go “I GUESS REPUBLICANS ARE NAZIS HUH?!?!?!”
You are pathetic.