If President Obama loses the "austerity" vs. "re-investment" argument - and it appears very likely that he will - there is a good chance that despite his legislative and regulatory accomplishments, his presidency will be considered a failure.
As of the moment, the Republican Party already seems to have won the argument. They have successfully spooked the American public, fellow members of Congress - and, it seems, fearful politicians worldwide - into believing that deficits and debt are the highest economic priority and must be addressed before jobs and unemployment.
There is ample evidence that this is an extremely dangerous path to go down. Despite this path's dire economic consequences - or more to the point, precisely because of its dire economic consequences - the GOP is using every tool at its disposal to maneuver the country in this direction. So far, they have been fabulously successful.
I have to wonder how President Obama and his in-house political geniuses, Axelrod and Emanuel, have allowed this to happen. If President Obama can't somehow wrestle the debate back toreality, a fearful, angry and, unfortunately, ignorant electorate will give control of Congress back to the Republican Party and that will be the end of the Age of Obama.
The "transformative" president will have become the "transient" president - a mere pause on the merry Republican ride toward a less democratic, less equitable, less compassionate, more militaristic and more theocratic society.
I understand the frustration with President Obama's failure of leadership on important economic issues. But handing the reins of power back to the GOP would be like handing back the car keys to a drunken driver who just mowed down a sidewalk full of pedestrians. The number of lives ruined and/or made miserable as a result of Conservative policies and "philosophy" is unfathomable.
Yet public anger and frustration - stoked, of course, by these very same Conservatives - is such that we may be facing a return to years more these very same policies - not to mention the possible addition of another Conservative justice to the Supreme Court.
There will be plenty of blame - or if you are on the other side of the debate, kudos - to go around. But I don't even want to begin to explore that subject.
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