Examining the Political Repercussions of the Debt Ceiling Crisis

Alain Sanders, J.D., political science professor at Saint Peter’s University, shares his personal insight on the political maneuvers, political risks and political repercussions of the debt ceiling crisis.

The current impasse over spending and the debt crisis goes to the heart of the presidency and its ability to govern effectively. Following years of ignoring the impact of previous disputes on the office of the president, President Obama has finally awakened to its reality as a result of the enormity of the current deadlock.

No president can effectively govern, let alone negotiate with his opposition, with a gun to his head. The Republican moves to shut down the government, default on the government’s debt, and thereby risk throwing the nation’s economy into a tailspin, are the gun.  If the president gives in, political gunsmanship is likely to become the new normal, and any political faction that opposes any president over any issue is likely to adopt political gunsmanship as a regular political tactic.

Obviously this would be disastrous for any president, and even more disastrous for the peace, security and welfare of the country. That is why President Obama has finally become so adamant, and why he is unlikely to budge very much if at all. The President is aware that if he yields, he will immediately become a lame duck for the next three years and he will hand a much diminished and damaged presidency to his successor. That is not a legacy he would like to pass on, nor the way he would like to be remembered in history.

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