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A Failed President Who Turned Governing Over to the Radical
House Republicans
With the House rejecting the Senate bill to finance
the government for the next several months and with the debt ceiling limit
coming due in mid October, President Obama faces a very defining choice. The House is demanding that Health Care
Reform be delayed for one year, in effect killing the reform as a one year
delay would mean the end of the law. This would be in return for extending the funding of the
government until mid December at which time the crisis would continue ad nauseum.
While some serious
people will argue that the President should accept this position, if he
were to do so it would end his Presidency and turn governing over to the
House. A cave in by the President would
mean a cave in on the debt ceiling and further concessions in mid December when
another deadline for funding the government comes due. From this point forward the House Republicans
would be dictators of national policy.
The radical
Republican establishment wants this fight, they want to shut down the
government and they want to block an increase in the debt ceiling. Their motives are two fold, one to get their
way on legislation and two to permanently cripple the Federal government whom
they view as the source of all evil in the world.
Mr. Obama finds
himself in this situation because he has long given the impression that he
can be rolled. He is now stating he
cannot be rolled. But he lacks the
credibility and without a fiscal crisis where he withstands the pressure he
will never have the credibility he needs to govern. So Mr. Obama should welcome this test, he
should welcome the situation where he has a chance to demonstrate his resolve. It is the only way he can restore confidence in his administration. And yes, the cost may be terrible.
Of course, that
presumes that he has the resolve needed to govern. He hasn’t in the past. Does he have it now?
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