CHICAGO, August 1, 2011—Negotiation is a very complex task during the best of times. The ultimate goal in any negotiation is to get to a win-win situation so all sides are content.
The debt crisis, a crisis that should never have happened, was a perfect demonstration that Washington is severely dysfunctional and our government is broken. At the end it was definitely a lose-lose situation.
This so called deal is not a permanent solution. It is no solution at all.
Winner: No one. No one is talking the trophy home on this one. Least of all the American people.
Losers: : President Obama, John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid
Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, President Obama and Harry Reid prior to Debt Ceiling talks
. The president came into the debt negotiations late, as usual, and used his my way or the highway governance to try and dictate terms. He failed. He failed to get his purely symbolic tax increases that would do nothing to reduce the debt. He looked childish by trying to play the adult. Eat peas? Take a haircut? Then he tried balanced approach. Those are weasel words.
The president claims that government spending will be lower than the Eisenhower administration, as if that’s a bad thing. He just does not get it. The government can cut spending 25% to one third across the board and not affect any service or any American. There is that much waste, mismanagement, and malfeasance in the government.
Obama constantly harped on 2012. The only thing this bill does is give him breathing room until the election. That was the only real sticking point; the only thing Obama cares about more than his golf game. His reelection is all that matters. Good governance and stewardship be damned.
Speaker Boehner took on the impossible task of herding cats. He had the establishment Republicans, the young guns like Cantor and Ryan, the Tea Party, and the moderate Republicans to deal with and appease. He also had to try to negotiate with an stubborn president who refused to negotiate in good faith.
Speaker Boehner did not get an iron clad guarantee that there would be no tax increases in the near future. The President has not given up on his war of attrition on the American people.
Boehner will pay dearly if taxes go up on anyone. There is also no cap, cut, and balance. This would have been a sterling victory for the people and Mr. Boehner.
Nancy Pelosi. Ms Pelosi, formerly the most powerful person in Washington, merely provided window dressing. She did nothing except smile for the cameras and make outrageous statements. She blathered about saving the planet.
She still believes her caucus and their vote is meaningful. Maybe she had a senior moment and forgot they are not in the majority anymore. Why she was involved is anybody’s guess.
Harry Reid: Harry Reid, like Nancy Pelosi, was window dressing. He stumbled and bumbled through the whole crisis. Mitch McConnell finally stood up and carried the weight and the water for the Senate.
If it wasn’t for McConnell there would be no deal. At the eleventh hour he brought all the parties together, including the Vice President. McConnell, who should be a winner, will get little credit for his achievement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gives a thumbs up when asked about a deal an the debt ceiling as he heads to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sunday, July 31, 2011. (Image: Associated Press)
The Tea Party. The members of Congress who identify with the Tea Party are losers. When attacked by the left as being extremists, militants, and dangerous, they did not come back with strong counter punches. They came back with no counter punches. This was a big mistake. Taking punches only does one thing. Damage.
The American people. This debate-win, lose, or draw, does not help one single American. Since the start of the Obama administration the American people have taken a worse beating since the Great Depression. Nothing his administration did benefitted Americans, especially working families and the poor.
Things went from bad to worse and worse to worst in the blink of an eye. The end result of this crisis is not one American citizen will benefit. No new jobs will be created, the economy will not turn around any faster, and there is still too much uncertainty in the business, finance, and banking industries. They are worried what government will do to them next.
Big deal, the government credit rating is still AAA. Nothing out of this crisis will put more food on the table, pay the rent or mortgage, or put clothes on our backs. The bottom line? It’s all about us. Not about them. After the American people everyone else comes first.
Pity, our government thinks the reverse is true.
The politicians from both parties and this president should be ashamed of themselves. But politicians have no shame. They have no morals, ethics, or decency either.
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