The Debt Ceiling and the Ugliness of American Politics

 

I anticipate that sometime this week, the British news media will report that the US government is at serious risk of shut down if the country’s debt ceiling is not raised with the approval of Congress. If this feels like déjà vu, you’d be right. It is a tactic which has twice been employed by Republicans in Congress during Obama’s administration. However, this year’s effort has a twist. The House Republicans are telling the President, “We’ll agree to increase the debt ceiling if you’ll accept the stripping of funding for the Affordable Healthcare Act.” It is a proposal which has no possible chance of success but exposes the Republican Party to scorn and ridicule.

Democracy is a difficult and complex subject, involving principles which are sometimes hard to accept. For example, in seeking election to Congress, a candidate is expected to advocate his and his political party’s views. However, once elected, the successful candidate legislates for all the voters, not just those who voted for him. Therefore, what possible justification is there for a small number of legislators to decide that some forty million American citizens should be denied access to affordable healthcare? If nothing else, it demonstrates the legislators’ lack of appreciation of what it takes to be a good legislator in a democracy.

How can Speaker Boehner say “the American people don’t want Obamacare?” I accept that many of Romney’s 47%, the people he felt would never vote Republican, both want and need the protection of the Affordable Healthcare Act but this does not mean that the remaining 53% don’t want it. The AHA was approved by Congress, where the Republicans lost the argument. The Supreme Court approved the AHA. The Republicans lost the argument again. And last November, the American people were given the opportunity to elect an administration which would repeal the AHA. They voted overwhelmingly for Obama and, by implication the AHA. So, where is your evidence Mr. Boehner? His representatives in the U. S. House are doing the Republican Party no favours by attacking healthcare in this way.

Let’s next look at “government” and see whether these House Republicans are fit to govern. Here in Western Europe, a part of the world that Republicans like Bush (W) and Rumsfeld disrespected following 9/11 and particularly in the UK, which joined the US in the War on Terror despite “our old ways,” there are four pillars of government, principles from which every elected government, Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat does not depart. They are defence of the realm and taking care of the young, the old and the sick. The British government provides a state pension, education and healthcare. However, whilst education and healthcare are free at the point of delivery, they are not free. The cost is paid through taxation. The essential point is that the vast majority of citizens accept collective responsibility for the weaker members of society.

It seems the British concept of government is very distinct from the America standpoint. Many Republicans don’t want to help their fellow citizens, except through a graded taxation where the more you earn, the higher rate you pay. There seems to be no sense of fellow-citizenship. If evidence is required, in his book, Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam spelled out clearly how much the America people have changed in their unwillingness to concern themselves with their neighbours and the wider community.

Finally, let’s look at the politics? The Deficit Bill passed in the House will be defeated in the Senate. Even in the highly unlikely event it is not, President Obama will use his veto. The veto will not be overridden. The Democrats have a majority in the Senate. So where is the gain for the Congressional Republicans in having the federal government shut down? It will hurt middle class employees, people the Republicans would hope to attract as voters in the 2014 mid-terms. It will risk having the country regarded as “a dead-beat nation”, to use the President’s words. It has no worthwhile political upside.

It appears to me that the House Republicans are bent on introducing a form of economic paralysis. If so, they have no interest other than to damage, spoil and destroy anything with a Democrat tag.

I will be very interested to see how the Republicans get themselves out of this political hole. I anticipate they will back down and agree a Continuing Resolution to deal with the debt problem short-term. I suspect Obama will try to get more from them but there will be a political deal to save faces.

 For many months, Obama has been regarded as weak. Whether he is or not is for another blog. For me, Speaker Boehner, whether he thought up the debt ceiling antic or went along with the Republican herd, is the truly weak individual. He should have kicked out the debt ceiling/healthcare idea as soon as he heard of it and kept his Party’s powder dry on healthcare until the 2014 mid-terms.