This is no way to govern. [View all]

[MadHound]

After dealing with the contrived crisis known as the fiscal cliff for nearly two months, we've just been set up for continuing and ongoing governance by contrived crisis.

First, the little air that has now gotten into the room is being sucked right back out by Debt Crisis II(let's not forget it was Debt Crisis I that gave us the Fiscal Cliff). Worse than that, with sequestration just two months down the road, look for Fiscal Cliff II to suck up all the air once we're done with Debt Crisis II.

This is insane, this governing by contrived crisis. It allows no room for anything else to get done. Worse, it open the door for horrible policy, policy that wouldn't normally see the light of day. Furthermore, it dissipates the immense store of political capital that Obama would otherwise have.

Agreeing to set up crisis after crisis, we get it, Obama is bipartisan. In fact he is so bipartisan he is willing to sell out liberals, Democrats, and the country in order to please the most radical among us. He is willing to break promise after promise, nice to see that those making 250,000-450,000 are not going to see their taxes rise. Funny, doesn't the president make 400,000 annually?

This is not a good deal, it simply gives the 'Pugs another chance to chip away, month after month, at the programs they don't like. So, they didn't take up the Obama offer of a chained CPI for SS, don't worry, the 'Pugs are getting at least two more cracks at it in the coming two months.

Nor does this form of governance lend stability and confidence in our government. The American public gets all knotted up by the much hyped fiscal cliff, now they we get to panic about the debt ceiling, or the Fiscal Cliff II.

Meanwhile, nothing else gets done. While our country is reeling from the effects of global climate change, needs to deal with the problem of rampant guns, needs to help the economy further revive, needs to deal with a whole host of issues, all they're going to focus on is the crisis of the month. That is no way to govern.

Obama had the chance to put a stop to this insanity, by simply calling their bluff and going off the fiscal cliff. Despite the hype, there would have been very downside to going over the cliff(or as Robert Reich and others have stated, the fiscal slope). But sadly, that didn't happen. Calling the 'Pugs bluff on the Debt Ceiling II is going to be tougher, but frankly it needs to be done. Otherwise, we're going to spend the next four years like we've spend the last four years, bouncing from contrived crisis to contrived crisis, and getting bad government and bad policy every single time.

This is no victory, just a perpetuation of the bad governance that we've had to deal with for four years now. It is time that Obama stopped dealing with those who don't want to deal with him. It is time he fought back, called their bluff, and backed the bullies down. If he doesn't, they just going to continue to beat him up, and take our lunch money.