Republicans Losing the War on Debt, Refuse to Consider Tax Increases

COMMENTARY | Sometimes I wonder if being president is more analogous to running a daycare than being a world leader. The current debt ceiling negotiations consist of the usual Washington bickering. Despite a president willing to do what is best for the country, a deadlock has occurred because of the GOP.

Political Amnesia

According to the Associated Press, House Speaker John Boehner was quoted as saying, "the issue is not congressional inaction, but rather the President's unwillingness to cut spending and restrain the future growth of our government."

Really? So Speaker Boehner is saying that no agreement can be reached because of Obama's unwillingness to compromise. Unfortunately for Boehner, we live in an age where the spoken word is recorded again and again and again. Boehner's political amnesia is affecting his ability to define compromise.

It was Boehner who abandoned a "big ticket" debt deal in the beginning of July for a less ambitious $ 2.4 trillion deal, according to the Washington Post. The reason: The Republicans caved to the extreme elements of their party and refused to include revenue increases to a debt deal, even though President Obama was willing to put the Democratic sacred cows of Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block. In fact, of the $4 trillion to be saved over the next decade, only $800 billion would come from tax increases, according to the Washington Post. Conservative mathematicians rejoice! You won, or you would think. Not even such lopsided figures satisfied Republicans. More astonishing is the Republican spin machine trying to pin the debt crisis on Obama's unwillingness to negotiate.

Republican Spin

No objective observer can deny that President Obama has reached out to the other side of the aisle. The "Odd Couple" golf outing between President Obama and Speaker Boehner is evidence enough of Obama's attempt to find common ground. The president has led debt negotiations in the White House for weeks; this after the conclusion of talks led by Vice President Joe Biden where Republicans declared an impasse.

The Republicans have succeeded in showing America that they hate taxes, as if we didn't know already. But they also risk legitimizing the Democratic argument that they are the party of "no." In addition, Republicans may say they are submitting to the will of the American people. Yet that too seems to be false. In 2010, after Democrats were taken to the woodshed in the midterm elections, a CBS News Poll found that only 21 percent of Americans said Republicans should stick to their positions, even if it means not getting much done. Even a majority of Tea Party members supported compromise over gridlock.

A Nation Wanting Compromise

Make no mistake, President Obama is looking to compromise and the Republicans are not. Obama has proposed a bigger debt reduction, and the Republicans have wavered on their pledge of fiscal responsibility. Americans want compromise, and it's time for the party on the right to come to not only the middle but the table as well.