Put a Cool Head on It

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has volunteered that high among his party’s priorities is to make Barack Obama a “one term president.” This is hardly a unique wish among officials in the opposition party. But to my knowledge it’s the first time it has been stated publicly by a high ranking member. It’s my opinion that this is because the president in question is this president.

Since LBJ’s tenure, no Democratic president has been given proper respect from Congressional Republicans. I don’t believe the reverse is true. Ronald Reagan and both Bushes weren’t roughed up nearly as badly as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. I see this as reflecting the Republicans notion that the presidency is their divine right.  If they gave two good ol’ Southern boys this kind of treatment, what’s an anti-colonialist Kenyan to expect?

Whatever one’s opinion of a president, formal courtesy by members of Congress used to be a tradition. For a Congressman to shout “you lie” during a State of the Union address is well beyond acceptable limits of disagreement. For Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, during the same speech, to visibly shake his head in response to a presidential legislative recommendation may not be as blatant. But coming from a person who is paid to adjudicate, and by inference to not legislate, it may be even more improper.

Last year Obama invited some Republican legislators to a White House meeting with about two weeks notice. The Republicans declined because the date was not “convenient.” Mr. McConnell recently upbraided the president for his rudeness in not attending a GOP request to appear in the Senate that day.

A major obstacle to settling the debt ceiling crisis has been the Republicans’ realization that any solution worked out after meeting with the president would redound to his credit. I’ve heard that they now intend to keep physical distance from him and work things out on their own. The result of this impasse is anybody’s guess. Mine is that cooler heads will prevail.

But if they don’t my prediction and hope is that Obama will stand behind a downplayed, little noted but unequivocal statement in Friday’s press conference, that he would raise the debt ceiling if necessary. I can see no interpretation other than that he would use the 14th Amendment to do so unilaterally. The pertinent sentence reads “the validity of the public debt shall not be questioned.”

This may not be the last word as legal scholars from both right and left have opined.  But litigation, even with hastened action by the Supremes, takes time that would work to the benefit of those cooler heads and might cool some of the hotter ones. The verdict of the Supreme Court in this decision isn’t the foregone conclusion it has been in recent inter party issues. The Republican Party is not of one mind on this subject and the Wall Street mind takes a dim view of default.  

For Barack Obama not to take this action in this circumstance would be derelict in my opinion. If he acts as I believe he will, he’ll be the coolest head in the block. (neighborhood?)

This could be dated in 24 hours