President Biden was already the most successful one-term president in US history. He implemented more transformative legislation than any other. And he did so, despite partisan obstruction not seen since the Civil War.
This accomplishment explains why he’s a master negotiator. It’s why nobody should have doubted him.
Sure enough, he has now managed the most partisan debt ceiling negotiations ever. And he did so, despite having to treat Republicans like hostage takers.
House lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed on Wednesday to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling for two years, heading off an economically devastating default.
After a revolt by far-right Republicans threatened to scuttle consideration of the bill, a bipartisan coalition lined up in large numbers to support the compromise negotiated by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy and pull the nation back from the brink of economic catastrophe.
(The New York Times, May 31, 2023)
Biden treated Republicans like hostage takers
Biden’s negotiation strategy bewildered McCarthy and MAGA Republicans from the outset. They demanded he cut spending in exchange for their agreement to raise the debt ceiling.
For example, they demanded he cut health benefits for veterans. They demanded he cut subsidies for farmers. They demanded he cut loan forgiveness for students. They even demanded he cut food stamps for the poor. Then, when Biden demanded they cut Trump-era tax cuts for the rich, they refused.
But Biden knew their bargaining position was unsustainable. After all, Republicans threatened default unless he cut programs most Americans support. So he called their bluff.
Biden: The man for the moment
Republicans whined for 97 days. They made hay with their supporters about Biden refusing to negotiate with them. But his position was simple: He would happily negotiate their budget priorities. But he wanted them to pass a clean debt ceiling bill first. After all, they passed it three times during the Trump presidency.
Except that, thanks to Trump, hypocrisy in pursuit of “owning the libs” is no vice. (My apologies to Barry Goldwater.) Trump himself gave MAGA Republicans their marching orders.
During a CNN Town Hall on May 10, he said Republicans should let the country default. Default, he thought, was the best way to get Biden to give them the spending cuts they wanted.
Of course, MAGA Republicans were ready to march. But they make up only one-third of the Republican Party. And most Republicans and all Democrats would never let the country default. Biden was confident of this.
McCarthy’s Faustian bargain with MAGA Republicans
McCarthy sold his soul and bargaining chips to MAGA Republicans. That was the price he had to pay to secure the speakership. But this meant he spent more time pandering to them than negotiating in good faith with Biden.
A frustrated Biden accused MAGA Republicans of trying to manufacture an economic crisis. He condemned their hypocrisy. Because it had them trying to trigger widespread chaos. And he damned their cynicism. Because it had them using the threat of chaos to raise campaign funds. Republicans even made clear their hope that it would help them retain congressional power and reelect Trump.
He was right. In fact, Republicans couldn’t care less how their policies impact the American people. They have shown this time and again. I need only cite their refusal to support sensible gun control legislation.
The Unseen Triumph of Biden’s Strategy
Biden and McCarthy struck a deal at the eleventh hour. And both sides are claiming victory. But the way Biden and McCarthy are spinning it speaks volumes.
Biden reconciled. He said compromise was necessary. It’s the nature of democratic governance. McCarthy bragged. He spoke of Republican victories. He said, “Democrats got nothing!” He seemed unaware or didn’t care that Democrats are Americans too.
Republican Newt Gingrich was Speaker from 1995 to 1999. He had an us-against-them, zero-sum approach to governance. And every Speaker since has treated “compromise” as a dirty word. Consider, for example, what former Speaker John Boehner said. It was on the December 12, 2010, edition of 60 Minutes:
I utterly reject the word [compromise].
In fact, Republicans acted throughout like hostage takers. They only wanted to “own the libs” – the welfare of the country be damned. Biden had to talk them down from the ledge. Not to save them so much as to save the friggin’ country.
But it takes a master negotiator to strike a deal like this. That is, one that most Republicans and Democrats support. The only carping about it is coming from those on the fringes of their respective parties. That speaks volumes.
Lessons from the Debt Ceiling Showdown
Biden negotiated a suspension of the nation’s debt ceiling until January 2025. The political stability this ensures is praiseworthy. Not least because it means another hostage drama won’t sully the 2024 election cycle.
But this showdown has taught MAGA Republicans a foreboding lesson. Threatening default is an easy way to command the media attention they covet. So this is bound to become a standard in their political playbook.
Moreover, they now know they can grandstand and damn the consequences. Because there will always be a Biden and a bipartisan majority in Congress who will behave like adults.
Indeed, a bipartisan majority in the Senate passed the House debt ceiling bill last night. Default averted. Thank God, there are still many who prize the national welfare over their personal infamy.