As a Realtor® - I negotiate for a living. Under any kind of normal circumstances, I would say that you catch more flies with honey. I encourage my clients to be honest, up-front and reasonable and I give the heave-ho to any client who plays games with a very serious negotiation. But there is one critical difference between a real estate transaction and negotiating with the tea party. In real estate - either party can choose to walk away. You have an option NOT to negotiate with any given party. This often happens when one side digs in and refuses to budge. A buyer can move on to a new house, a seller can wait for another buyer. There is no such "out" for members of Congress and the president. They have to work with what they've got - and what they've got is a brick wall. If there is one thing I have learned by being in real estate. Trying to move a brick wall is well nigh impossible.
Contrary to standard and prudent practice in real estate - this is a situation where the President and Congress must DIG IN and say "no!" when things get out of hand. They have to face the stare-down on the other side and not blink or they will be held captive to it. Here is how Stephen Colbert would handle things.
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Unfortunately, the only thing the President will dig into is a quiche lorraine garnished with pansies.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to go up against a brick wall. I've been there with clients. I fortunately have the option of firing my clients....and recently I have been doing a lot of that. If I give a buyer a deal so sweet it is dripping in goo and then they STILL want to push- back with numbers that make no sense - I'm done with that person. They aren't going to purchase a home, they just want to steal one. If I have a listing and the buyer is impossible. I just shut down negotiations. Obama doesn't have that option. And NO - you can't let the government default. But he should have held his cards A LOT longer. The more sensible republicans would have come to the table to some extent and the dems could have done the rest to get the thing passed.
ReplyDeleteAll that you say is true but "attitude" matters in Real Estate and in government. The President did not set the tone on the Bush tax cuts negotiations and the Repigs have pushed him around ever since. I would have invoked the 14th Amendment regarding the debt ceiling and dared them to work to allow a default. There should have been no negotiations over the debt ceiling in the first place and, if the President had brought the proper "attitude" to the fight, the American people would have backed him.
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