Debt Ceiling

There is a old joke that when choosing between Democrats and Republicans, you have to choose between the evil party and the stupid party, respectively. The Republicans are certainly acting like the stupid party over this debt limit thing. They are also forgetting that the United States is not a parliamentary form of government. The House of Representatives cannot pass laws without their also passing the Senate and (unless passed with two thirds majorities) being approved by the President. The structure was designed that way to make it difficult for legislators to make big and often foolish changes in the heat of the moment. The structure worked for Republicans during the first two years of Obama’s administration when, despite having big majorities and a Democratic president, the Democrats still were not able to do anything like all the things they wanted to do. Now it is working against the Republicans when, despite controlling the House, the Republicans cannot just vote a change to policies they would prefer.

Given the fact that the Republicans control the House while the Democrats control the Senate and the presidency, anything that is voted into law will have to be some sort of compromise between the parties. This is natural and appropriate, given the results of the elections in 2008 and 2010. I wish Republicans could cut spending as much as they like, but they cannot do so now. I wish they could really rein in the EPA, the quota boys in the Justice Department, and other out of control regulators, but they can’t fully do so now. If Republicans want to do those things fully and completely, they have a simple way to do it. They need to take back the Senate with a good majority and win the White House in the next election. They have a fine chance of doing both if they do not blow things in the meantime.

Until then they should realize the Constitutional limits on what the House alone can accomplish and reach a reasonable compromise over the debt ceiling. The one being floated today by the gang of six in the Senate seems to be acceptable, not as good as the plan from the debt commission or the fine plan from Senator Coburn, but still acceptable. Something like it should pass.

Then the Republicans can stop being stupid and have a really good fight with Obama over the budgets of assorted out of control agencies this fall when the budgets for next year are prepared.