Have I not mentioned before that there are silver hairs in the o’fro? Indeed I have, and short of an undignified use of male hair color, there is nothing to be done about them. The upside (in addition to the fact that I am not losing my hair) is that I look more distinguished when delivering bad news on TV. Not that I do it often, but I have and may need to again. President Obama and I are not unlike each other in that regard, except that he has a real afro and has to deliver bad news all the time.
News like “old people and cripples are going to starve because the Republicans are bastards.” Ok, that’s not what he said. That’s probably not even what he meant. Plus it’s not true. Old people and cripples will just be hungry. Sorry, I know I keep using the term “cripple” and that’s not cool. I’m still bummed about the grey hair. Which is not really grey, it’s just devoid of pigment. Like President Obama’s hair in certain places.
One can imagine why he is going grey, what with the “default” and the “Afghan War” and the “Iraq War” and the “Libyan War” and all that. But why am I going grey? Probably because I see our Congress about to cede yet another of its prerogatives to the Executive Branch. This trend, it is historic and bi-partisan, so the fact that the current defrocking comes as a suggestion of a Republican is no great mark against that party.
What I mean is the deal which will allow the President to raise the debt ceiling and allow the Congress to impotently comment upon it. This step is half way toward removing from the Congress its most powerful tool, the power of the purse. Rather than make a tough decision, the Congress will pass it along to the President. Much like making war has been passed along.
No Chief Executive since George Washington has passed up a chance to abrogate more powers to himself. (George Washington could have been king if he wanted to. He turned it down.) The party out of power will kick and scream about the abuses of the opposition’s President, but the succeeding Presidents will till the ground which has been broken for them. The step which Congress is about to take is another such furrow which will forever be plowed by the occupants of the West Wing.
By giving the President the power to raise the debt ceiling, the Congress can pass any sort of spending it desires and leave it to the President to decide what will really get funded. This is, in essence, the same thing as allowing the President to make his own budget. It’s just one more step toward the Imperial Presidency. Whether that is good or bad, even a Constitutional Literalist can agree that this is not what the Founders intended.