A recent New York Times article written by Paul Krugman, entitled "The Boehner Bunglers," is one of many, many opinion articles to hit the web this week about the government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling. Krugman, who identifies himself as a liberal, writes about the incompetence and radicalization of the Republican party, calling them bullies and would-be extortionists. He goes on to say that "the modern Republican Party is no longer capable of thinking seriously about policy," and that if Obama were to back down and negotiate under the threat of an economic crisis that it would "legitimize extortion as a routine part of politics." The focus of the entire article is restated at the end: "Incompetence can be a terrible thing."
In many ways I agree with Krugman, incompetence can be costly, Republicans like Boehner have reached an undeniable degree of radicalization, after all, shutting down the government is no small trick. The Affordable Care Act has already been signed into law and refusing to budget the government as a means to delay is akin to a childish tantrum. As Jon Stewart put it: When the Giant's lost 31-7, they didn't shut down the NFL. However, I think a certain amount of incompetence can be attributed to all parties involved. I see too many articles like Krugman's which are quick to scold and point fingers but offer no insight into any sort of solution, or take responsibility for the shortcomings of their own political orientation. All faults aside, any day now someone is going to have to give into compromise and I am eager to witness the outcome.
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