David Rothkopf Profile picture
Jun 2 9 tweets 2 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
This debt deal will rank with the most significant legislative accomplishments of Biden's first term. In a situation that should not have happened, created by his opponents, with immense stakes, he and his team produced the best possible outcome for the country.
Like so many other Biden accomplishments-from the rescue package to the infra bill, from the inflation reduction act to the CHIPs act-Biden was underestimated, he achieved progress despite his opponents' obstructionism, he didn't play media games & let the work speak for itself.
Many scoffed and said he was out of touch when he spoke during the campaign of seeking bipartisanship and compromise wherever it was possible and consistent with his core principles and objectives. And again and again and again he has achieved it.
While the news media today focused on him stumbling over a misplaced sandbag, the real news was that once again he hurdled over a huge obstacle and deftly spun around his opposition, achieving a seeming impossible goal like the best athletes do in their prime.
What is more, he did it while making major daily gains leading our allies in the biggest ground war Europe has seen since WWII, overseeing an evolving, complex repositioning of the US in the IndoPacific and working to defend our democracy from the domestic threats it faces.
He wisely did not seek to tout the obvious fact that he (and his team--give them credit) got the better of Speaker McCarthy in these negotiations while demonstrating the impotence of the GOP's far right. But with the legislation heading to his desk for his signature...
...now the truth can be told. Americans can celebrate a disaster averted and the preservation of key programs despite the GOP effort to eviscerate them. Democrats can celebrate that once again, the party's Biden Era is marked by historic achievements, by getting the job done.
It is fair to wonder what the next unexpected accomplishment of this @POTUS, @VP & their team will be. We're entering a summer in which at home & abroad huge issues loom, from a Ukraine offensive to the uncharted territory we'll enter if Trump is charged with major crimes.
But one thing is certain, when it comes to governing, we have a president who is both more sure-footed and adroit than the vast majority of those who have held his high office. For that, we can take a moment now to be grateful.

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More from @djrothkopf

May 31
I’m one of those crazy progressives who think supporting the most progressive president in roughly six decades is progressive, who thinks avoiding an economic disaster that would leave millions of the most vulnerable among us suffering.
I’m one of the woke mind virus sufferers who thinks progressive doesn’t mean letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, who thinks maintaining power is the key to advancing progressive goals.
I think protecting the progressive Biden agenda and initiatives of the past couple years from draconian cuts is progressive, that backing the one political leader who can defeat the enemies of democracy is progressive.
Read 5 tweets
May 30
Stealthily, without proportionate recognition, Joe Biden is not just having a good presidency, he's having one that is historic in its concrete achievements and successes. The fair & balanced types in the media won't characterize it fairly because to do so, would "feel" biased.
The opposition won't cover it because it is not in their interests to tell the truth. (It's why they never do.) Editors and producers will shy away from it because positive stories don't sell like conflict does. Consequently most of the media won't present the simple facts.
It should be said, Biden uses the lack coverage to his advantage. He let's the crazies & the partisans and the weathervane pundits and the people who have forgotten that the first job of journalists is to report the truth as it is, as a kind of shield while he just does his job.
Read 26 tweets
May 26
I worked with Henry Kissinger. In retrospect, I shouldn't have. Deep in the foreign policy establishment as I was, it seemed like a kind of validation. He was the guy we discussed around our dining room table when I was growing up. He was undoubtedly brilliant. He picked me.
My parents were impressed. But we all knew that we were sweeping a lot of his history under the rug in order to celebrate my move to Kissinger Associates. While I was there, I also have to admit that Henry was generous with his time and taught me a great deal.
He was a guy...is a guy...who studies the world day-in and day-out. He is constantly seeking more information, more insights. He was also, if he wanted to be, extremely charming. In many ways, I benefited from the couple years I worked with him.
Read 17 tweets
May 26
Joe Biden is a master Congressional negotiator. Was during Obama. Is now. Especially in the face of the toughest kind of opposition. He's the Congress whisperer. That is the seeming message of the deal we're currently hearing floated.
If we had heard what essentially amounts to a freeze come out of normal budget talks with a radicalized House GOP seeking to blow up all social spending, we would see it as a big win. They still could have used a gov't shutdown as leverage then.
This rumored deal (if it passes...and that's not a sure thing with loons like Mike Lee in the Senate) would essentially have done all that while avoiding global economic chaos and huge economic pain back home.
Read 6 tweets
May 23
I have a theory. It is premature to share it. But if I don't share it prematurely and wait a few days, it's likely to sound like conventional wisdom. So here goes: When all is said and done, the debt disaster will be averted and Biden will get major credit for how he managed it.
At the same time, while McCarthy will not get anywhere near what he wanted, he too will get some credit for achieving budget cuts and avoiding disaster. (Though that fact will be due in part to how Biden chose to handle this.)
The far right and the far left will not be happy. Markets will continue to worry about the dependability of the U.S. But Biden's greatest strength as president, his judgment, his ability to know when to hold them and know when to fold them, will shine through.
Read 5 tweets
May 21
I wonder why so many refer to the 14th Amendment as an option. Is it the only optional amendment to the Constitution? Its language is crystal clear: "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
In the same vein, why is the issue "testing the 14th amendment." Isn't the issue that Congressionally mandated process of "lifting the debt ceiling" is unconstitutional? @tribelaw
The Treasury should, as the Constitution requires, keep paying the debt. Do what it must to do so. If the GOP wants to challenge this, let them do so...and reap the consequences.
Read 7 tweets

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