I was surprised tonight by the president’s demeanor. It wasn’t what I wanted or expected. If I were him, I’d be very pissed off with Boehner’s shenanigans that are now threatening the health of the country’s economy. But I guess I was forgetting that this wasn’t a press conference. It was a national address that interrupted people’s normal viewing habits. He was trying to talk to the classic low-information voter, not the people who spend all day watching cable news. Nevertheless, the president’s speech left me angry. I wanted an explicit veto threat and I wanted him to scold Boehner ferociously for his irresponsibility. It’s not enough to be reasonable. We need a bill for the president to sign. Boehner’s bill cannot pass in its present form, and the president already told Cantor not to try to call his bluff about vetoing it. We’re wasting precious time.
Instead of following my brilliant advice, the president instead asked people to call their representatives in Washington, as if the Republicans give a shit about their constituents. Obama did succeed in overwhelming the congressional telephone system, so that’s something (if you want to contact your representative go here). But I don’t think his performance tonight was strong or adequate.
Evidence for this is that John Boehner responded with a bellicose and dishonest speech that showed no sign of give whatsoever. It wasn’t a good speech, and it is now clear that Boehner did not relish “going mano-a-mano with the president of the United States“. In fact, his entire presentation was undermined when CNN reported just before Boehner went live that the credit rating agencies would downgrade the US rating if Congress settled for Boehner’s shitty plan.
Minutes before House Speaker John Boehner delivered a prime-time address in which he framed his latest deficit-reduction deal as a silver bullet for the nation’s economic uncertainty, reports surfaced that the plan being crafted by the Ohio Republican would potentially lead to a downgrading of the United State’s AAA credit rating.
In an address that immediately followed the president’s own, Boehner argued that if the president were to merely sign into law his latest deficit-reduction bill — which slashes more than a trillion dollars in spending before requiring a second tranche of cuts and a second vote — “the ‘crisis’ atmosphere he has created will simply disappear.”
It was a fairly bold selling of a plan that — in terms of both the size of cuts and structural reforms — fell far short of what the Speaker had been negotiating with the White House prior to those negotiations ending this weekend. It also was delivered with an unfortunate backdrop. Just minutes before Boehner spoke, CNN’s Erin Burnett relayed word from her sources on Wall Street that the newest Republican plan would not satisfy the credit rating agencies, which have soured on the idea of a short-term solution to the debt ceiling debate. Rather, it was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s approach (padded by counting the savings from the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq) that would calm their nerves.
So, Boehner was essentially left holding his dick in his hand. But he went through the motions and tried to explain to the American people why his plan, which will kill our credit rating, would actually calm the markets and get companies investing and expanding again. Did I mention that I’ve been very angry this evening?
As for the promise of a veto, I did find it well hidden in the president’s remarks.
Either way, I’ve told leaders of both parties that they must come up with a fair compromise in the next few days that can pass both houses of Congress -– and a compromise that I can sign. I’m confident we can reach this compromise. Despite our disagreements, Republican leaders and I have found common ground before. And I believe that enough members of both parties will ultimately put politics aside and help us make progress.
What he didn’t do is tell the American people plainly what he will not sign. That, really, is what made me so mad.
But, hey, I’m calm now. I’ll probably stay calm until the next time I have to listen to some Republican ask me to believe six impossible things before breakfast.
