The Atlantic - "Should Obama Call the GOP's Bluff on the Debt Ceiling?"

[TomCADem]

This article assumes that the American people are too stupid to understand that the GOP is holding them hostage to gut Medicare while protecting oil companies and the rich. Likewise, the article implicitly assumes that the corporate media is too corporate to call out the Republicans for their lies in claiming that they are concerned about the deficit while saying that tax breaks are off the table.

Of course, we are talking about the same media that continued to pump the President Obama was born in Kenya meme, as well as the death panel meme, as well as the Republicans are protesting HCR to protect Medicare narrative. Interestingly, this commentator readily admits that the Republicans are extorting President Obama, because they feel free to bankrupt the country with little threat of blowback. In the end, the left and right will blame President Obama, so there is absolutely no downside to Republicans. Whether the country defaults sending millions more into unemployment or President Obama agrees to privitize Medicare, the Republicans win, because the American people and the corrupt media will never hold Republicans accountable.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/05/should-obama-call-the-gops-bluff-on-the-debt-ceiling/238939/

But how hard a line can the president really draw? The fact is that he has no leverage. As explained yesterday, many Republicans likely see no huge downside from their standpoint if they wait for the president's will to crumble. Even as the Treasury is forced to cut other obligations to continue to avoid default, Republicans will remain patient. They aren't bluffing.

Meanwhile, remaining obstinate could do the president more harm than good. The White House obviously will not allow the U.S. to default. The economic consequences would be significant, and voters blame the president for economic problems. To be sure, the president also does not want to be first in history under which the U.S. defaulted.

He can try to blame Republicans, but will voters see the situation his way? Republicans can say that they're just trying to fix the deficit problem. That sounds pretty compelling. It's easy to make the President look like the bad guy here. You can imagine the GOP talking point: "We do not think that it is responsible for the U.S. to borrow more than $14.3 trillion without a long-term plan to curb the nation's runaway spending." The president's retort would then be: "Yes! That's why we must raise taxes." Good luck with that.

At best, the president could attempt to appeal to the logic of the American people and provide a simple explanation to why his alternative is better for them than Republicans deeper spending cuts. But even then, this is a pretty wonky issue. Instead, Americans will likely try to simplify matters. They intuitively don't want their taxes to go up and will think that $14.3 trillion does sound like an awful lot of debt. After all, polling shows just 18% of Americans want the ceiling raised. As a result, Republicans likely have politics on their side here. It's hard to see how the President wins this battle.

[Drale]

1. Playing with the debt ceiling is like

playing with a Nuclear weapon that has a twitchy fuse. It is not going to end well.

[TomCADem]

3. The Outrageous Thing About This Article Is That The Writer...

...appears to understand that Republicans are ready to drive the country into a deeper recession for political gain, yet there is no outrage. Instead, he almost appears impressed by their willingness to play politics with the economy and senior health care.

[DCBob]

6. and everyone loses if it goes off.

[EstimatedProphet]

2. If the comments section are typical of The Atlantic...

then many of the commenters are too stupid to understand that the GOP is holding them hostage to gut Medicare while protecting oil companies and the rich.

[TomCADem]

4. Disagree, The Writer Appears To Understand This, But Is Impressed By The GOP...

...for their willingness to destroy our country to achieve a radical ideological goal. Worse, even though this is an opinion piece, he does not condemn the tactics of the GOP, but appears to accept that the American people are too stupid to understand that they are being extorted. Well, with a corporate media like this, of course the American people remain uninformed, because the corporate media is derelict in its obligation to expose the truth about the craven tactics of the GOP.

[EstimatedProphet]

14. I was talking about the comments section though

The Atlantic is known for being overrun with trolls.

[madrchsod]

5. ya got to hand it to the republicans...

they know their solid republican base will go along with losing their medicare and social security.

the president can win the battle but the problem is he willing to do so.

[DCBob]

7. I think the financial markets are already getting jittery..

lets see what happens tomorrow.. I think we have big down day across the board unless there is some movement in the negotiations.

[lib2DaBone]

8. Obama will do nothing... that's a sure bet.....

[TomCADem]

9. Hmm, Maybe The Reporter Is Right If DU Is Willing To Blame Democrats and Give GOP A Free Pass

I thought that Democrats would hold Republicans accountable, but perhaps I should reconsider in light of your post. Maybe the reporter is right, then?

[AndyTiedye]

10. The Republicans Cannot Be Held Accountable For Anything As Long as They Control the Media

The Republicans are not bluffing. They hold all the Aces: ABC, CBS, NBC, Faux, and CNN.

[TomCADem]

11. And Sadly, With That Media Monopoly, Even The "Left" Repeats The Narrative...

...of blaming Democrats, and giving Republicans a free pass. Worse, we have been taught to admire such acts of extortion as courageous and demonstrating leadership. Who knew that we would be trained to admire extortionists and blackmailers who threaten to imperil our economic security.

[Johonny]

12. Obama can not accept Republican plan to cut SS and medicare

and win reelection, however Obama can win reelection if he fights for higher taxes on the rich. If he continues to be successful labeling the whole budget battle a battle to cut medicare, Republicans will lose. It is that simple. Even with all the media, Republicans couldn't hide from the medicare vote and idiots in the Party like Ryan doubling down on the idea will only help.

[TomCADem]

13. Lets Say Republicans Insist On Privitizing Medicare and We Default...

...Will the Republicans be held accountable? Remember how the Republicans attacked Health Care Reform on the ground that it would result in dramatic cuts to Medicare, which was a lie? Now, how many news organizations are actually calling our Republicans for their hypocrisy in endorsing the Paul Ryan plan, which destroys Medicare as we know it?

You say Republicans will lose, but why? Look at the Atlantic story or the comment I am responding to, even DUers are more than willing to blame President Obama while giving Republicans a free pass on their efforts to destroy the country.

At what point do we start to demonstrate in the home districts of Republicans to demand that they stop their support of oil company give aways, and drop their efforts to privitize Medicare?

Or, do we "admire" such efforts as good politics?