In the last few days, I have been reading this man’s writing going way back to Obama about the debt ceiling. He emphasizes what he calls the need to choose the “least unconstitutional option” if/when the Republicans prove they are fully committed to taking the country to the precipice.
Here is his latest article, published today:
Will the Democrats Unilaterally Disarm on the Debt Ceiling in the Name of Being “Normal”? Verdict 23 MAY 2023 NEIL H. BUCHANAN
...Republicans are both more ideologically extreme and less politically competent than they were in the 2010s. Now that it is more important than ever for the President to understand that there are no risk-free options, however, both the White House and even some liberal pundits seem to be in the midst of convincing themselves that the President’s worst available move—consciously choosing to allow the nation to go into default—can somehow be viewed as the centrist and cautious path forward. How is that happening?
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...Yes, there are political risks in every direction, but imagining that there is some version of normality that will give the Biden administration political cover is wishful thinking. The Democrats’ usual retreat into timidity has no place here, because every decision available is both fateful and bold. Imagining otherwise can only lead to disaster.
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The Verdict article describes in detail the flaws of two recent New York Times opinion articles about the situation, one by Michael McConnell, and the other by Ezra Klein.
...there is no doubt that Biden will be in an impossibly difficult situation if (as seems all too likely) this all goes wrong early next month. There is no safe space for Biden to hide, no conventional alternative in an unprecedented situation where there are only unconventional choices.
The President should state his position bluntly: “The Republicans tried to get me to refuse to pay American citizens and businesses the money that we owe them. I will never do that.” The markets will go into a tizzy no matter what he does, and he will win no fans by trying to look normal in the most abnormal of times. President Biden should ignore the people who are telling him that being Scrooge is the path to political salvation.
