Whatâs
Wrong Today:
The essence of jazz is the same as
democracy: the greatest amount of individual freedom consistent with a healthy
community. Each musician is allowed extraordinary liberty during a solo and
then is expected to conscientiously back up the other musicians in turn. The
two most exciting moments in jazz are during flights of individual virtuosity
and when the entire musical group seems to become one. The genius of jazz (and
democracy) is that the same people are willing and able to do both. – Sam
Smith
Not true
in Congress today. From the National
Journal: House Republicans are drafting what members call a âmenuâ of
mandatory spending cuts to offer the White House in exchange for raising the countryâs debt ceiling. Their
idea is to put the President in the position of picking from among difficult
options:
and get a short extension of the debt ceiling. Go big–by agreeing to privatize
Social Security, for example–and get a deal that will raise the ceiling for
the rest of President Obamaâs term.
So
in October, we will again begin to hear the same disjointed, cacophonous music from
Republicans: They will demand
that Medicare be dismantled, or Social Security privatized, or SNAP (food
stamps) cut back further in order to get the House to go along with a debt
ceiling increase. We had thought that we
would reach the debt ceiling in
April, but raising taxes on the rich, the continuing Sequester and the
improvement in the economy have pushed out any need to talk about the debt ceiling
until sometime in the 4th quarter. More from the National Journal:
long-term deal, one that gives Treasury borrowing authority for
three-and-a-half years, Obama would have to agree to privatize Medicare…the
most controversial aspect of the Ryan budget, is the Holy Grail for
conservatives…For a medium-sized increase in the debt-limit, Republicans want
Mr. Obama to agree to cut spending in the SNAP food stamp program, block-grant
Medicaid, or agree to chained
CPI. For a smaller increase in the debt
limit, there is talk of means-testing Social Security, or ending certain
SNAP subsidies.
This is another
example of poorly thought out Republican tactics. The Republicans already seem
confused in their response to immigration. They have produced nothing concrete
on their IRS and Benghazi investigations, their sequester, as short sighted as
it is, actually lowers the deficit and is pushing the debt ceiling debate
closer to the 2014 congressional election, giving the president and the
Democrats leverage they might not have expected to have.
Ironically, even in these suggested “deals,” the GOP is acknowledging
that there is no more discretionary spending to cut. That is the reason they now
say they must now go after mandatory spending including Social
Security, Medicaid and Medicare, along with food stamps. No mention of additional cuts in defense spending, though.
But the
president has said that he won’t negotiate on debt payments since the debt results
from spending already authorized by Congress. It is likely that Mr. Obama will say, as he has in the past, that
he would be willing to accept Chained CPI in the context of other reforms. He will again offer that to the Republicans, giving
them a final chance to save face. Because he knows, as well as John Boehner and his
team on the Hill, that the Republicanâs
big business base will not tolerate intransigence over the debt limit.
If Republicans were to fail to
increase the debt ceiling, it could be the third time that the House says no to big business’ interests, having failed to pass the Farm bill and their expected
failure on immigration.
If they agree to extend the debt ceiling for the rest of Mr. Obamaâs term
in exchange for Chained CPI, they can say to their base that they got
something very big. Otherwise, they will be rolled over by Democrats in a very public humiliation.
The president and the Democrats will be
able make the case to the American people in 2014, blaming the
Republicans for once again trying to hold the global economy hostage in order
to force their ideas about Social Darwinism down the throats of the American
people.
It is unlikely that the most incompetent Speaker in recent history fails to see this one coming. It almost sounds
as though the Grand Old Party wants to take a suicide pill in front of the nation. A sacrifice on the altar of the Gods of Poverty.
Why don’t they try a
different strategy–real, good faith negotiations? That could look and sound a
lot like a good jazz combo, it would be wonderful to experience for a change.
Sadly,
that wonât happen unless the 2014 congressional election changes the composition
of the House. Less Tea, more jazz please.
