PHOTOS, PAGE 1

       Editor and prime reporter is Doug Terry, a veteran television and radio reporter in   Washington, DC, (details below)

OBAMA HELPED TO MAKE THE DEBT DISASTER

The Republicans have made so many mistakes in this “debt crisis” mess that it is hard to count them all, but Obama has made a few himself. One of the biggest was thinking he could negotiate with the two top leaders of the House, Boehner and Cantor. A really big mistake.

A while after the health care “victory” (disaster) became law, Obama told an interviewer that the House and Senate Repubicans, then in the minority, had “rolled” him.  That means they misled him, took him for a ride, giving the impression that they could work together and come up with a workable bill when, in fact, they had no intention of ever making that leap. Obama and the Dems paid very heavily for this rolling, losing the majority of the House of Representatives, in part, because the public was disgusted with the long slow torture of the debate in Washington, DC (there were many other factors, too, of course).

So, how did Obama learn his lesson from health care? On the debt ceiling, he decided to try to deal forthrightly with the Republicans and work out a compromise. He proposed big cuts in federal spending, cuts that would hurt the democrats core supporters. Then, he proposed some more cuts, if only he could get some additional tax revenues rolling in by closing loop holes and ending certain deductions. The Republicans talked a good game, but whenever any details were leaked about the discussions, they were bombed with complaints from their wealthy supporters. That’s how we got to where we are now, which is pretty close to being nowhere with the deadline only five plus days away.

All of this leads to the conclusion that Obama and his team don’t understand the presidency and how to use its powers. Should they not have realized from the start that the Republicans were not going to agree to anything in cooperation with them? Who, for example, has the job in the White House of understanding the collective madness of the tea party influenced, new members of the House? Did they think those members, many of whom have said they don’t care if they get reelected next year, were just going to cave?

Another big mistake was having Obama so deeply and personally involved in the talks. Generally, presidents do not treat members of Congress, particularly members of the House, as equals. A president is an equal to foreign heads of state, but in our system of government, he has no equal, other than the strictures of the Constitution and the ultimate judgment of the voters. By going to the meetings himself, he gave an increased, false sense of value to Boehner and Cantor and that value was paid back, in the form of a verbal slap across the face, when Boehner addressed the “nation” (but actually his party) on television Monday night.

What has Obama gained by weeks of discussions with Republicans? Perhaps some sympathy from the voters, but not much else.

Presidents are supposed to lead, to show the way and encourage (force) other people to come along. They use the support and opinions of American voters and the other powers of the presidency to get this job done. As the Republicans acted more and more unreasonable, what was Obama’s choice? He tried to be more reasonable and offered bigger compromises with his own party. In the end, he got nothing in the form of an agreement from the Republicans, because they were determined from the start not to give it. The tea party inspired Republican House members actually want to wreck the American government and they see this as their main chance to do it. Why didn’t Obama and his team understand this sooner?

Doug Terr7   7.27.11

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