There is politics and then there is policy. The Democrats may as yet win politically in the current debate over the budget and a potential shutdown, but the American people already have lost.
The debate has occurred within parameters set by the Republicans, meaning that we are witnessing a massive slashing of spending at a time when the government needs to help prime the economic pump. The two sides already have agreed to $38 billion in spending cuts, according to The New York Times, and are separated by the smallest of margins:
Despite the disagreement over what still divided the two parties, it was clear that the dollar difference had shrunk to only about $1 billion or $2 billion, and that lawmakers would have a difficult time explaining to voters how most of the federal government could come to be closed over such a relatively small sum.
Think about this for a second. For all the talk about the vast divide separating the two parties, the budget debate has come down to essentially a few pennies. All that really separates Democrats and Republicans, despite the rhetoric in Washington and on the chat shows, is the proverbial drop in a bucket.
The debate, of course, should have been about priorities — about what programs are important to Americans, what kinds of things the government can and should be doing to make the livers of Americans better.
But neither party really takes those concerns to heart. Rather, the two ultimately are beholden to the same corporate master.
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Hank Kalet 