Kevin McCarthy is in over his head when it comes to Joe Biden
Politicians in Washington can play games all they want, but they had better not do anything to harm our economy, which is already precariously hanging on. They can play partisan politics as much as they like, but when they start threatening veterans, retirees, and the population in general, they had better think about whether or not they want to remain in Washington. As CNN reported, Kevin McCarthy finally won the speakership by caving to the far-right members of his party. One issue about which they were most clear is their unwillingness to raise the debt ceiling. Now, McCarthy has to balance his debt to those members of his party who didn’t want him with the desires of the American public. Now is the time for both parties to learn to work together for the good of the country.
Life has been hard on Americans for the last few years. We suffered through the worst pandemic in a century, which disrupted everyday life in many negative ways. We lost over one million of our fellow citizens, many of which can rightfully be blamed on Donald Trump and his lies and deception. Even as we continue to crawl out of that hole, there are a few bright spots. Job growth is steady, fears of inflation have flattened out (for the time being), and the stock market is up. This is all despite the Covid crisis. Joe Biden took office, pledging to do battle with Covid, and he kept his promise, as that was one of his major fights. Unlike President Biden, McCarthy has something to prove.
McCarthy wants to shake the notion that he is a weak leader, though everything about him proves that notion true. He bent, cajoled, and contorted himself into the speakership, and anything that makes his cronies unhappy could prove to be his downfall. After all, he did allow to pass the rule that one person could move to take away the speakership. He is seen as nothing more than a puppet of Donald Trump. He has not done one thing in office to prove otherwise, and it continues to boggle the mind how he gets reelected. Regardless, both sides must be ready to listen. According to Politico, both sides agreed that the first meeting “could have gone worse.” Speaking to reporters, McCarthy said: “No agreements, no promises, except that we would continue this conversation.” There will be additional conversations, though Politico also reported that President Biden “made clear that it is their shared duty not to allow an unprecedented and economically catastrophic default. It is not negotiable or conditional.”
Republicans, of course, want to use the opportunity to get things they want, but McCarthy shared that he believes they “can eventually strike a potential two-year funding deal.” That would suffice for now. Hopefully, at the end of two years, Republicans will no longer be in power, and a speaker will be in place who wants to do what is necessary for the people. The only thing that will save these talks is for everyone to check their egos, roll up their sleeves, and get this done for the sake of the American people.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years