The Federal Debt Impasse and Shutdown

I don't want a federal government shutdown, but I applaud the president for not (yet) caving in to Republican demands, which go far beyond simply exercising fiscal restraint. If practicing fiscal responsibility were the single overriding factor in the GOP's push in congress this year, then I would be inclined to be sympathetic and supportive of their efforts. But unfortunately, their actions betray their words. For one, they keep insisting on deepening the deficit much more by giving tax breaks to the rich. Their chief argument for this is that it will stimulate economic growth. The irony is that the very same people condemned the Democrats a couple of years ago for their economic stimulus plan because it would increase the deficit. For another, the Republicans are tacking on a social agenda that kowtows to their religious base and to right-wing media. So we have demands to end any federal funding relating to an organization promoting family planning (which includes possible abortion decisions, although federal funds are already prohibited by law from being applied specifically there) as well as calls to completely cut off public broadcasting. These demands do very little to bring down the deficit, but they serve to shore up the base in their party.

President Obama really has no choice but to stand firm. His party has already gone far enough to accommodate Republican deficit concerns by essentially agreeing to an earlier GOP proposal cutting $30 billion. But it seems that with each step the Democrats take to reach an agreement, the Republicans step back further and make more demands. I am convinced that the Republicans want this shutdown and believe that they can turn it to their political advantage. And who knows, with the way the American voters turned to wacko fringe right-wing elements in the 2010 election, they may be right. To steal a line from Michael Moore, "Dude, where's my country?"

President Obama is not an extreme left-wing president as his political opponents have alleged. If anything, he has shown himself to be a collaborator, always searching out coalitions and compromises. This is not necessarily a positive trait, though. The health care reform act, which received almost zero Republican support, nevertheless was watered down so much during its legislation through various amendments and compromises that it is now only a shadow of its original vision. That Obama allowed Libya's Gadhafi time to regroup while seeking an international consensus for military intervention has created a bloody stalemate there.

It's about time that our president draw a line and adhere to it. Now.