US Congress can't be trusted to govern
Posted on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 09:23 AM
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But in getting there the damage has already been done: namely, by the GOP controlled Congress who have demonstrated they can't be trusted to govern the United States in a responsible manner.
With the Republican rank and file putting the party and ideological purity before the common good and all common sense, at the moment it looks like no deal is possible.
On Wall Street big, intractable problems tend to get resolved with urgency and without political posturing, but the opposite happens in Washington. Thanks to this lingering debate mistrust and ill will have grown between the parities.
But it's become quite clear that in drawing a line in the sand over the debt ceiling the GOP House has miscalculated, because what looks like good good sense to their Tea Party base looks like political and economic suicide to the American public.
The business community have been patient. They have waited for sense to prevail. But this week they lost faith in the GOP's ability to govern. That's why 470 CEO's sent a letter to every member of Congress and the White House urging action on the debt ceiling and expressing support for deficit reduction.
If anything has to convince you that the GOP have reached a further shore of governmental hubris, it's the sight CEO's reduced to begging our congressional representatives to reach agreement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put his cards on the table long ago: his job, he said, is to stymie President Obama. McConnell's convoluted plan to give the President unilateral power to raise the debt ceiling is really nothing more than a gambit to ensure he'll get all the political blame for an out-of-control budget.
This is the kind of blatant tactic that convinces the US business community that GOP politicians are ignoring extremely harsh realities to further their party's political interests.
The nation is looking on and coming to the same conclusion.
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eiriamach | Jul 17, 2011, 05:09 PM EDT
The Gallup polls are on the Internet, maloney. People can figure it all out for themselves. Republicans are trying to dismantle the social safety net and return us to a 'homo homini lupus,' anything-goes, rampant and unrestrained capitalist exploitative free-for-all. Everyone has a choice-- to behave like sheep for the wolves to devour or to vote Democrat.
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OleSarge | Jul 17, 2011, 06:11 AM EDT
It is the season of liberal political hacks sucking up to Obama. Obama doesn't lead, the Democratic Senate doesn't lead and neither put forth any plan to curb government spending. All they want to do is tax and tax some more. and why do they want to impoverish the American people, why to keep expanding the government.
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eiriamach | Jul 16, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT
Where do the Obama bashers below get their misinformation and their chutzpah? One of them writes, "there are many more Americans who disagree with you than agree with you." False and insupportable! Most of them indulge in name calling or sweeping generalizations for which there is no factual support whatever. On taxes, for example: anyone who can Google Gallup polling knows that Obama did not misrepresent the data. The July 7-10, 2011 poll by Gallup has 43% in favor of reducing the deficit "equally with spending cuts and tax increases, "mostly with tax increases," or "only with tax increases." Slightly more, 50%, favored "only with spending cuts" or "mostly with spending cuts." BUT NOTE: the questions in THIS poll did not specify what kind of tax increases would be used. Last September, 44% of those polled by Gallup favored keeping the Bush-era tax cuts for incomes under $250,000 (32% of Republicans & 60% of Dems favored this strategy) and ENDING the tax cuts for incomes of $250,000 and above, while 15% favored ending all the Bush-era tax cuts. That's nearly 60% favoring increased taxation of one kind or another. There's nothing to indicate that the majority of Americans have changed their minds and are now disinclined to tax the rich fairly as part of deficit reduction. Clearly, Americans oppose the current Republican intransigence against taxing private wealth.
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johhnyb | Jul 16, 2011, 10:48 AM EDT
I must be missing something here. Why are 470 CEO's urging action on the debt ceiling and expressing support for deficit reduction. Surely it's because they don't want more debt? If that's the case then the Republicans are right to refuse to raise the debt ceiling. Am I wrong?
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hollabackgurl | Jul 16, 2011, 08:36 AM EDT
The Tea Party have been useful idiots for the GOP and we're watching a bit of meaningless theater to placate them: but once Wall Street says enough silly games you can expect to see the party move quickly to do the inevitable.
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odonnell521 | Jul 16, 2011, 04:25 AM EDT
The Fox GOP News channel, Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck must be so pround of all the village eejits they have produced (for evidence, see above). The only realy problem is their Wall Street masters are starting to get a bit ticked off about this debt ceiling thing and may take their financial support for the Tea Party elsewhere - first rule in politics, never bite the hand that feeds you.
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donal1951 | Jul 16, 2011, 03:20 AM EDT
I'm beginning to think the USA would be better off with a parliamentary system where the PM is head of government and either a constitutional monarch, or a somewhat of a figurehead president, similar to Ireland, is head of state.
We need a coalition government but quick and it cannot happen under our current system. The leaders of 1916 and their successors were smart not to imitate the American model of government.
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JBRAFTREE | Jul 15, 2011, 08:21 PM EDT
When Medicare recipients don't get a cola raise for two years, and the cost of our insurance is going up because the people that can't afford insurance are getting it at my expense. (The minorities, no, the majority.) I hope their asses grow together!!!!
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caramia | Jul 15, 2011, 07:50 PM EDT
It's not as if this debt-ceiling crisis just appeared, magically, out of the blue. The Obama administration has been operating without a budget for 2 years. And until 6 months ago, the Senate AND the House AND the presidency was controlled by Democrats. So where were all the decisions then to handle this crisis in the most beneficial way to American business, et al? It's been manufactured to make the Republicans look like the bad guys: smoke and mirrors by the Dems. If no "agreement" can be reached, of course it will be the GOP's fault, and Obama will use executive order to cram his solution down the American people's throats. Again. So he can feel like the "king" he thinks he is. I personally cannot wait for November 2012.
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caramia | Jul 15, 2011, 07:29 PM EDT
First, there is no "GOP controlled congress", and make no mistake about it: OBama is "running for president", and getting ready to stick it to the American people yet again. You'd actually be surprised at how many Americans don't worship the ground Mr. OBama and his co-horts walk on. If you're going to "publish", you should at least make a small effort to get at least SOME of the facts correct.
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cillowen | Jul 15, 2011, 06:27 PM EDT
repugs are stuck in, protecting their oligarch master to the hilt.
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Scrivner | Jul 15, 2011, 05:54 PM EDT
Cahir, Obama may have developed his goals from the Hyde Park Liberals, but he learned his tactics from the Daley Machine...crush your enemies, compromise to co-op and divide & conquer. Listen to the comments coming from the White House, the offers, lack of offers, tantrums and walking out in a huff.
The vague warnings of cutting off Social Security and Veterans Benefits and defaulting on debt, show that Obama would rather bring hurt on the populace than give in for the good of the country.
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allentown | Jul 15, 2011, 05:46 PM EDT
How do you negotiate with the Democrats in congress that have not offered a budget for the last two years and who voted unamiously to reject their own Democratic President's proposed budget.
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Maoleitigh | Jul 15, 2011, 03:56 PM EDT
O'Doherty you are 180 degrees out. When are you guys going to take your heads out of the sand and wise up?
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