(RightWing.org) – Being stubborn is one thing, but being stiff-necked is an entirely different matter altogether. Some might find it difficult to discern the difference, but President Joe Biden makes it easy. In recent weeks, Republican leaders made it clear they will not go along with increasing the debt limit. There isn’t a reason for them to do so because Democrats don’t need them, and the Left intends to shove record-breaking spending on far-left policies down America’s throat.
That’s not stopping Biden, who’s showing he’s willing to put politics ahead of right and wrong. On Tuesday, September 7, the president asked Congress to include money for hurricane relief and Afghan resettlement in a proposal that would increase the debt limit and fund the government later this month. If Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling and fund the government by September 30, it could cause a government shutdown. The president is using a natural disaster and a bad situation he caused to pin his problems on the GOP.
Cynical Move Creates More Distrust
Over the last six months, Biden called Republicans racist and returning to Jim Crow laws for passing common-sense election reforms. He’s one of the most lawless presidents in recent history. Then, in August, Biden scolded America for his botched Afghan withdrawal as his administration continued to misread the situation in Afghanistan. Now, the president wants to tag the GOP as the problem if he can’t raise the debt ceiling over their objections.
It’s a cynical move that exposes the worst of Washington, DC. It’s the kind of maneuvering that leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth for years, not minutes.
The fact remains Democrats could raise the debt ceiling without the GOP through their proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill to expand social programs, provide free community college, transform healthcare and education, and put a down payment on the Green New Deal. Yet, they refuse to add the debt ceiling because it looks better to wrap it around the GOP if they can get away with it.
By adding $14 billion in hurricane relief and $6.4 billion for the Pentagon, State Department, and Department of Health and Human Services to fund Afghan resettlement programs, it’s a serious threat to the GOP. It could give the appearance that Republicans oppose helping people in areas devastated by Hurricane Ida, want to default on debt payments, approve of a government shutdown, and cause a financial market meltdown.
Does Biden Have the Political Muscle?
Joe Biden’s constant struggles with the truth, his blatant move far-left despite presenting himself as a moderate during the 2020 presidential election, and his Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco left his public image in shambles. Many presidents use their political capital in the first year of their presidency on one big thing. In 2021, Biden used his capital up lying and messing up Afghanistan.
In recent weeks, Biden’s poll numbers collapsed. It’s especially pronounced among independents, who gave Biden just a 36% approval rating in an NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll published on September 2. That perception makes matters even more difficult for moderate Democrats unwilling to hang onto the president’s coattails and better for Republicans who aren’t afraid to confront Biden.
The commander in chief isn’t in a good position to demand anything. However, instead of focusing on fixing his image and repairing the damage caused to the country by his heated rhetoric, failed promises, and a botched Afghan withdrawal, the stiff-necked president is buckling down.
We’ll see how far that gets him. Maybe it’ll work?
Don Purdum, Independent Political Analyst
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