Are Dems Willing To Accept A Bad Deal ?

The deadline for getting a "deal" done regarding the debt ceiling is fast approaching, and both parties seem more interested in playing political games than in doing what is best for the American people. And I get the impression from all the media reports that the reality of what is good for the country is getting lost in the pursuit of getting a "deal" -- as though agreeing to something, regardless of what that something is, seems to be more important than doing the right thing.

I am not against compromise. I think generally compromise is a good thing. But true compromise is a give-and=take where both sides are willing to accept some things they don't really like to get some other things they do really like. That is not what is happening. The teabaggers in the House of Representatives are not willing to compromise. They want everything they want and are not willing to give in on anything. And the longer this goes on, the more I have a feeling that Obama and the Democrats are going to be willing to give up far too much just to get a "deal" done.

And the sad thing about it is that they will probably give in even though the majority of Americans don't want them to do so. Actually, I'm not sure why they are trying to get a "deal" at all. If the Democrats were smart, they would refuse to attach any sort of deal to raising the debt ceiling. Just demand an up or down vote on raising it with no "deals".

The Republicans are in the weak position here. A failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause serious problems for the country -- problems that the Republicans would be unable to explain away in the next election. They are already getting huge pressure from their contributors on Wall Street that they want the debt ceiling to be raised regardless of what else is (or is not) agreed to. The Wall Street moguls know the economic disruption of failing to raise the debt ceiling could be disastrous for them.

And then you have the problem of government not being able to send out checks (Social Security, Veterans, etc.). Are the Republicans really willing to accept the blame for that happening? Some of them may think they are dealing from a position of power, since they control the House of Representatives, but they are not. Every American knows that if the debt ceiling is not raised, it will be because of Republican intransigence -- and they're going to blame the Republicans for every bad thing that happens economically if the debt ceiling is not raised.

But the Democrats and the president are acting like they are in the weak position. They are talking about agreeing to cut a trillion dollars or more from the federal budget in the middle of a recession (and I don't care what the pundits say, the recession still rages on Main Street). This is not smart, and will just result in further shrinking the economy at a time when it is critical that the economy grows and starts to create jobs -- a lot of jobs. Agreeing to huge cuts like those being discussed is tantamount to agreeing to extend the recession for many more years.

And they're talking about agreeing to cuts in Medicare and Social Security. That's just insane! Neither of these programs is paid for out of general funds, and therefore don't contribute to the deficit at all. While they may have some minor funding problems, those problems have nothing to do with the deficit (and could be easily solved by removing the cap on income subject to Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes). It is just wrong to include cuts to either of these programs into talks on how to lower the deficit.

It's like the Democrats are just totally unable to stand up to Republican threats, even when they are in the position of strength. And this has happened before too many times. The health care reform bill is a prime example. The Democrats should have been able to stand their ground and pass some real health care reform. But they knuckled under to Republicans, and just put a few band-aids on a broken health care system -- just to get a deal, any deal.

Now they are doing it again. They are willing to give in and give up far to much just to get a deal done. While the debt ceiling needs to be raised, making a bad deal to get it raised only creates further problems. Some seem to think any deal is a good deal, but that isn't true. A bad deal only makes the economy worse (and makes the Democrats look like they are weak).

The Dems need to grow a pair and call the Republicans on their bluff to force this nation into default. They need to learn to play the same kind of political hardball that the Republicans are playing. But that would require a president and some congressional Democrats with true political courage and know-how, and so far they haven't demonstrated they have either one.

They'll reach a deal. And it'll be a deal that's bad for America. I'm getting disgusted.