The Deal of the Deal

So we have a deal. At least in principle. After what seems like an eternity, every time the issue of what is to be done concerning the nation’s debt ceiling grabs the attention, a deal gets done. That’s the word from the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as both entities seemed to have played a game of chicken, taking the deadline down to the wire. Perhaps what angers the majority of voters is why it takes Democrats and particularly Republicans to want to take hardline stances, the old my-way-or-the-highway attitude every time the debt ceiling comes up. Who are they protecting? Why, rich people that’s who. The main sticking point that Republicans (give them credit) held on to was spending cuts in social programs to those who need it most. For some reason, the SNAP or food stamps program is used as a wedge against Democrats because they know that Democrats have historically been in favor of programs that help those on the margins of society. To be clear, Democrats and Republicans have issued blank checks in the past to those programs that represent voters who keep them in power. For some reason, Republicans make sure that the “well-off” don’t suffer anywhere near as much as those who they know are struggling during these times of rising costs. Everyone knew that if McCarthy didn’t come up with “something” that would satisfy the hardliners in the party, where President Joe Biden would appear to have gotten the better of the Speaker, McCarthy’s gavel-banging days would be in serious jeopardy. It will depend on who voters will listen to as the deadline rapidly approaches leading to fiscal Armageddon. Conservative voters will listen to right-wing media, including Fox, while liberals/progressives will listen to those who will give detailed facts about the debt ceiling. By that, most, if not all Republicans will say things like what Louisiana’s congressman Garrett Graves, who reportedly said, “Democrats right now are willing to default on the debt, so they can continue making welfare (the magic word) payments for people that are refusing to work”. That is not true. People are working, but there are not enough good-paying jobs in the economy so that no one would need government assistance. Graves and Republicans know this. They talk about “creating” jobs, but never admit that the jobs created under any administration cover the high cost of living in the nation. However, they will use buzzwords like “welfare”, even though they are always willing to protect the rich if it means taking the nation over a debt ceiling cliff. They never met a tax cut for the rich that they didn’t dislike. It all comes down to who will believe that they have the better deal. McCarthy has to say every time that there is a microphone in his face that his party won. He has to, just to get the hardliners to convince their voters back home that the Speaker came through for them while making Biden look weak. Nonetheless the president may have “won more than he lost”, meaning that what the president has accomplished, Republicans are not getting the harsh deep cuts that they wanted. Discretionary spending is frozen on the federal level, meaning no loss in federal programs that help those needing assistance, only raising the working age for those getting assistance. As the smoke begins to clear, there will be some objections from both camps as the deal has to be approved by both the House and the Senate. If this deal holds, the next debt ceiling clash occurs two years from now. That might be the best thing for this nation because we have seen time after time how one party will take the nation to the extremes to harm the needs of the many over the wants of the few. McCarthy is not out of hot water just yet, but most Republicans should be willing to let him hang onto the gavel a little while longer. Meanwhile President Biden may end up lighting that cigar after all. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.