Democrats, Republicans Working for Special Interests in Debt Debate

COMMENTARY | Raising the debt level has become a political football. There are three things that stick out in this major issue involving both Congress and the White House. This article will examine these three issues.

Politics as Usual

Both parties have an eye on the 2012 elections. Both parties are trying to use this issue to gain an advantage in next year's elections. The president wants the debt limit to last until 2013. Why? It won't be a factor until after the elections. The House, which is controlled by the Republicans, would like to have it brought up again before the elections. They can use this to feed their party as well as independent supporters. They gained control of the House in 2010. I wonder on this issue. Now they are trying to take the Senate and the White House.

Who really is calling the shots on this issue? To me, this is politics as usual. Both parties are using this issue to gather votes.

Debt Ceiling Not that Important

Many are claiming Armageddon if nothing gets done. If it was that big of an issue, this would have been settled a long time ago. Why is it so important now compared to other years and times it was raised? The debt ceiling has been raised a total of 17 times. I would have thought, that one or two would have been devastating enough, but 17?

Tea Party Pressure

Neither of the two parties can get organized and gain full support for a plan. However, the worst of the two is the Republican Party. The Tea Party is placing a lot of pressure on the Republicans to advance their agenda. House Speaker John Boehner is struggling to gain full support from his party to endorse a plan to tackle the debt ceiling.

According to Politico, Boehner couldn't get enough votes in the House unless the Cut, Cap and Balance Act was still on the table for negotiations. Republicans, endorsed by the Tea Party, are afraid to give in to Boehner's plan. They don't want to upset their Tea Party supporters.

As for Myself

If this doesn't get settled, it sends a bad message to the rest of the world. The individuals we elected won't do the job they were elected to do. Instead of working for the people, they are working for special interest groups.

sources; Ed Hornick; cnn.com