As the struggle to come to a compromise on the deficit drags on, the tension across party lines and the unhappiness of the American people regarding the actions of their politicians have grown exponentially. Nobody seems to be more frustrated with the current order of the day than the Commander-in-Chief himself, who is responsible for the fate of the economy regardless of what forces or people help to put a potential decline into motion. If a deal is not reached by August 2nd, Obama will be the one to receive the brunt of the criticism despite the GOP’s role throughout this debacle.
Obama described the debt crisis as “self-created,” which he went on to explain:
“This is actually a self-created crisis in some ways. It has to do with folks who are digging into set positions rather than saying how do we solve a problem.”
Obama’s heated back and forth with John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the GOP at large have has frustrated Americans, and rightfully so. It’s painfully obvious at this time that what America needs is problem-solvers, people with mental flexibility and no allegiances to stubborn partisan thoughts. It is also painfully obvious that America is sorely lacking in people who fit the aforementioned profile. Well, it’s that or certain people in Congress are purposely holding back progress. As a result, talk of the withholding of Social Security checks has emerged, to the chagrin of millions across the country who depend on those checks to live. The President has even gone back and forth with Cantor on that point as well, with Obama telling the House Majority Leader “not to call his bluff.” The debt crisis may not be accessible to all Americans, and the effects of the August 2nd deadline coming and going–and all the major repercussions of outcome–may not be completely understood by many Americans, but the talk about Social Security checks not being sent out is one that hits home in an undiluted and direct manner. It is a language that everybody understands; it doesn’t take Ben Bernanke to understand that not getting that check could have potentially disastrous effects for millions of Americans.
The Gang of Six proposal–a plan drawn up by 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans in an attempt at bipartisan cooperation–is a perfect example of the impossibility of compromise up to this point, and the fragile nature of any positive steps that can be made throughout the process. While the proposal gained traction on Monday, it just as quickly lost it on Tuesday in the span of a mere 24 hours.
One step forward, two steps back.
Contains information from CNN.
