Country First - A Forgotten Campaign Message

In 2008, John McCain ran for President with the slogan "Country First". It seemed to be a call for politicians to put the interests of the nation ahead of partisan party politics. Barack Obama ran on the slogan of "Hope and Change" and "Change You Can Believe In". That slogan seemed vague enough to mean whatever type of "change" the voters thought was needed. I would "hope" that many who voted for either candidate wanted to avoid the type of partisan bickering that we are all witnessing now in the on-going debate about how to raise the federal debt ceiling that the Treasury Secretary has told us will be reached early next week.

It appears that there is no one putting the "country first" in trying to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling. I just received an e-mail from Jim Webb, one of my two Democratic US Senators from Virginia, in which he describes the calamity that the nation faces if no debt ceiling increase is enacted in time. Here is part of what Senator Webb says:

"Our nation, as we all know, faces a looming crisis.

The markets have already warned us. Businesses are already postponing investments. We know the consequences of inaction; they are predictable: Borrowing costs for businesses and individuals will escalate. Interest payments on the debt will grow, and already anemic job growth will decline. Our nation will run the risk of another financial catastrophe and possibly a return to recession.

As [Federal Reserve] Chairman Bernanke recently stated, the outcome would be 'calamitous.' Many Americans are struggling. Far too many remain out of work. They cannot be asked to absorb the shockwaves of yet another failure to act. It is time for both sides and both chambers to find common ground."

The statements made by Senator Webb echo similar statements made by President Obama and other members of Congress over the past several weeks. The key point here is that "we know the consequences of inaction". And this has been known for months. So why is Congress and the White House still trying to find "common ground" just days before the ceiling is reached? I suggest that it is due to the failure of most Washington politicians to put the "country first" and instead to engage in playing unproductive political games that put their party first.

The House of Representatives will be voting soon on a second bill to raise the debt ceiling. The first bill the House passed a couple of weeks ago was tabled in the Senate because the Senate's Democratic leaders objected to the ambitious scope of the bill, which included a requirement that Congress approve a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the Constitution before passing a debt ceiling increase. This ambitious legislative approach was the product of the conservative shift in the balance of power in the House after the Fall 2010 election that swept many Tea Party backed candidates into office.

This extreme conservative wing of the Republican Party in Congress (represented by the newly elected Tea Party backed members) is putting its political philosophy first, even to the detriment of the Republican leaders in Congress (who are working to resolve the oft-described crisis), since the new conservative members continue to insist on forcing the Senate to vote on the BBA bill. On the floor of Senate yesterday, Senator McCain tried to explain to these idealistic right-wing newcomers how impractical that objective is in the Democratic controlled Senate:

“What is really amazing about this is that some members are believing that we can pass a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation — and that is foolish.”

McCain is still trying to put the "country first" by seeking a solution to the debt ceiling crisis that has a realistic chance of passing the two bodies of Congress, which has the House controlled by Republicans and the Senate controlled by Democrats. Due to this split in power in Congress, President Obama has been emphasizing the need for compromise in his frequent statements on the process to pass a debt ceiling increase. The difference is that Obama won the 2008 Presidential election and, as the current President, he has more influence on the process than McCain does and Obama needs to do more than just complain about the lack of compromise.

Obama needs to lead the members of Congress toward a "common ground" solution. Instead the White House has indicated that Obama would veto the bill scheduled to be voted on in the House soon, and the Democrats' Senate Leader, Harry Reid, has made it clear he will assure that the second House bill to resolve the crisis will be blocked again in the Senate because no Democrat in the Senate will vote for the House bill.

So after numerous press conferences and public speeches by the President warning the country of the severe consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling, the Democrats, including my state's Senator Webb, who just told me that "[o]ur nation ... faces a looming crisis", have offered nothing but roadblocks to the Republican House's legislative attempts to address the crisis. And the President has offered no proposal on a compromise to reach a solution to the crisis he has so eloquently described over and over again.

It seems that there are a lot of public servants in Washington who need to be reminded to put the COUNTRY FIRST.

UPDATE: On Friday, the US House passed its second bill to raise the debt ceiling. However, to get enough votes from the more conservative Republican members to pass the bill, Speaker John Boehner had to add another BBA provision. This revision reduces even more the likelihood of passage in the Senate, as Senator McCain warned. Even the White House quickly issued this statement: "This bill has been declared dead on arrival in the Senate."

In addition, President Obama stated this: "The time for putting party first is over. It’s time to step up and show the leadership the American people expect."

Unfortunately, the President wants Congress to provide the compromise solution and seems to be sitting on the sidelines complaining about the lack of bi-partisanship. He's the President. Obama should show "the leadership the American people expect".

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