Reader Doug Johnson provides an interesting perspective on my recent post on The Debt Ceiling Charade. His comments are shown below.
He wrestles with the political aspects of a strategy for the debt ceiling problem, believing that an economic resolution of the problem is likely impossible in today’s political climate. His comments prompted some additional thoughts and perspective on the charade that is being played out.
Politics and economics are generally at odds with one another. Good politics is generally bad economics and vice-versa. Mr. Johnson’s point is relevant in that both sides are playing politics to different degrees. Neither side can/wants to solve all the economic problems quickly. Both fear the ramifications of doing so more than the risk of an economic collapse. For one side to get too far out in front on the economics could result in a form of political suicide.
President Obama appears interested mainly in avoiding any economic action. He seems to only want to play politics. Why would that be? My guess is that internal polling regarding Obama’s re-election is so horrendous that he and his advisers have concluded that he cannot win reelection, at least via a conventional campaign. There is nothing that he has done that he can run on. He has made virtually everything that he has touched worse. His record is a liability and must be hidden, avoided or dramatically augmented.
If this guess is correct, then President Obama has already lost the next election unless a miracle can be found. A shut-down of the government may be his version of a “Hail Mary” pass. For those unaware, a Hail Mary pass is a desperation play at the end of a football game that is lost unless you score. It is a high-risk play, generally used as the last play of a game. If it works, you win. If not, you lose. In that sense, it is actually low risk. You have already lost the game unless you can pull off a miracle.
Obama’s version of this play seems to be to create another major crisis and blame it on the opposing party. The possibility of it working seems remote, yet if that is all you have, you go with it. Looked at from that perspective, Obama’s actions, while high risk, appear quite rational. He is attempting to create his own political miracle.
Mr. Johnson apparently believes that a political solution to the real problem is impossible, so why risk a political debacle by striving for something that is unattainable at least in this election cycle.
Other readers are encouraged to provide their own perspectives on Obama’s bizarre behavior.
Here are Mr. Johnson’s comments that energized my thoughts above:
Monty, I believe that the best we can do at this point in time is a “political” fix. The majority of the 78 percent who don’t want the debt ceiling raised have no clue what would ensue and as soon as the immediate pain hits, that number will drop precipitously. I’ve found it interesting that conservative commentators I like are split on the issue. There are those that believe that republicans should hold the line, refuse to raise the debt limit unless matching cuts are made, then there are those that think that we should give Obama the rope to hang himself, my view also.
I believe, as your article states, that we are doomed anyway. The question is, who will be left standing to resurrect our nation? I prefer it be conservatives. Lets face it, we’re not going to get meaningful cuts from Obama and the senate, and even those “draconian” cuts proposed by conservatives such as Ryan aren’t enough to rescue the nation. I think that the extra year or so that raising the debt ceiling will give us will be more time for more people to prepare. I’ve told my friends that they need to get prepared, that way there will be one less person I’ll have to shoot when the starving dazed masses start prowling around to steal what they can just to survive. (I wouldn’t shoot them except as a last resort. Remember Sun Tsu, when you are weak, act strong, when you are strong, act weak).
Too many Americans think we can survive any disaster, but we can’t any longer. We’re no longer an agrarian society, there’s no one out there that can bail us out. When the shelves are emptied out at Walmart, they’ll not be refilled. The best we can hope for is that a conservative government will take power. They will have to take care of the military just to use them to maintain order and defend the nation. The inner cities will burn and what food stores there are will be used to pacify them. Mexicans will scurry back across the border, liberals will cry, spoiled kids will learn there’s more to life than whether their ipod works or not, the liberal media will be done in because there’s no one to buy their crap and some people might think of God and realize that just maybe they shouldn’t have ignored or ridiculed him all their lives.
Keep up the good work of sounding the alarm!!
