In the last few days as debate over raising the federal debt limit has escalated, the opening salvo has been fired by Republicans, who have started to frame the debate on their terms. This isn't surprising given that Republicans have somehow convinced America that they are the party of fiscal responsibility despite spending the years 2000-2008 making some of the most fiscally irresponsible decisions in our country's history.
Nevertheless, we've been told by Speaker John Boehner that any vote to increase the debt limit must also come with trillions of dollars in spending cuts. That's right America, if Republicans have their way, we will either default on our loans or cut spending in a manner that is devastating to millions of Americans although very lucrative for the rich.
The saddest part about all this is that Republicans ideas are not bad, but Republican tactics and ideology are far from right.
Speaker Boehner, like most Republicans, is right that America needs to curb long-term spending. Our major budgetary and deficit issues are going to become a real problem if we can't get them fixed. However, they're not a major problem right now which is why the draconian cuts demanded by the Tea Party during the most recent budget debate were not only immoral, they were downright silly. Nevertheless, there is a budget issue that does need to be resolved. Republicans have for years convinced the public that this is their priority even though previous Republican presidents, including his conservative majesty Ronald Reagan, have made America's debt problems worse rather than better. However since Republicans don't have any ideas for how to fix any of the other myriad issues America faces, I'll play along with their fiscal charade. Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility!
So why then is John Boehner threatening to hold the economy and the livelihood of millions of Americans captive if he can't get trillions in spending cuts? The answer lies in the ugliness of Republican ideology, but also in the fact that the party's good ideas are blighted by their bad ones. Boehner and his people should be sitting down and coming up with substantial cuts - and tax increases - to present to the President. They should be looking at ways to reduce military spending, upping the retirement age for Social Security, improving the new healthcare law and cutting silly discretionary spending like subsidies for corn and oil. They should also be facing the reality that without tax increases, we cannot fix our budget issues, but even on that issue, Republicans could show leadership and back tax increases without increasing tax rates. But these are not the things Republicans are focusing on. If they were, I would be supporting them, but they are not. Instead, they are demagoguing about "Obamacare" and tax increases. Their only real plan for decreasing the deficit cuts benefits for millions in order to accommodate tax cuts for a few and it does nothing to actually address the primary driver of the deficit: skyrocketing healthcare costs. The Republican party today is both morally and intellectually bankrupt. The only "ideas" they have are taken from the playbook of an era when it was ok to see the world as haves and have nots, and treat the have nots as though they were not people deserving of basic necessities and opportunities. Even if that were acceptable, those "ideas" still don't address America's problems.
So we're left with Republican demagoguery and we're left with their bad ideas and it's a shame because it doesn't have to be that way. Republicans could lead. They could present their case to America with facts and with a plan because the debate they want to have is one we should be having. But alas, facts and plans don't seem to be the forte of the Republican party these days and so instead of a necessary and intelligent debate with an important goal in mind, we're stuck with a plan to strip Americans of their benefits and funnel excess money to the wealthy.
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