Should President Obama stop allowing himself to be ‘made a fool of’ and present Republicans with a ‘fait accompli’ on the U.S. debt ceiling? For Germany’s Financial Times Deutschland, Matthias Ruch argues that Republicans have only one goal – to defeat Obama – so he implores the president to stop playing the ‘fool’ and resort to the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to end the debt ceiling crisis.
For the Financial Times Deutschland, Matthias Ruch writes in part:
Since the Congressional elections last November, the U.S. hasn’t been governed but managed. The country continues to suffer from the after-effects of the recession, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and from mismanagement by the previous Bush government. And now, on top of everything, the election campaign is beginning. With the advent of the Tea Party in the House of Representatives, the Republicans are taking the route of imposing a total blockade. Their goals are clearly defined: Show strength and take Obama down.
Whether their political demands for budget cuts, lower taxes, and less government are justified in this case is a matter for discussion. But what’s really unbearable is how this radical fringe group is making a fool of a properly elected president.
For the Tea Party, a national bankruptcy of the United States – the global economic consequences of which cannot yet be predicted – would be a political victory: The government 10,000 civil servants and limit itself to the bare minimum. Wonderful! That’s exactly what these radical populists have been demanding for years.
President Obama would be well-advised to put an end to this humiliating game and to present Congress with a ‘fait accompli.’ He should long since have done – as advised by Bill Clinton – what he feels is necessary, namely, raise the debt ceiling himself, circumventing Congress and setting an example.
Whether it is legal to take such action alone is questionable and would one day have to be decided in court. Now, however, it would be a demonstration of strength from Obama: I won’t be made a fool of and I won’t let my country go to the dogs! I’ve tried to get the job done using an amicable approach, I’ve made compromises, and I’ve been patient. Enough is enough!
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