A Win on Points for Biden

Published in Frankfurter Rundschau
(Germany) on 29 May 2023
by Karl Doemens (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Kirsty Low. Edited by Wes Vanderburgh.
With his calm manner, the U.S. president has managed to avoid what would have been a catastrophic default.

He was barely visible, subdued and conciliatory, while his adversary Kevin McCarthy loudly trumpeted his rhetoric. Having last weeks, this bitter debt dispute seemed to provide Joe Biden's critics with new arguments. They complained that the president is too old, too cautious and not sufficiently present in the media.

But anyone who more closely analyzes the compromise reached will come to a very different conclusion. With his calm manner, the sly old fox has achieved far more than many thought possible just days ago; he avoided a U.S. default, which would have had catastrophic political consequences, and deferred the next budget dispute until after the election. He also managed to push through his flagship climate projects.

It's no surprise that the Democrats' left-wing faction is less than enthusiastic about the compromise. But the bottom line is that McCarthy, whose party had demanded brutal cuts, ended up making much larger concessions. This climbdown could even be politically fatal for the careerist, who is at the mercy of the far-right political anarchists in his faction. The fact that Biden has largely allowed McCarthy to dominate the media coverage is a testament to his shrewdness.


Punktsieg für Biden

Der US-Präsident hat es mit ruhiger Art geschafft, einen verheerenden Zahlungsausfall des Landes zu verhindern.

Kaum sichtbar war er gewesen, dazu kleinlaut und konziliant – während sein Gegenspieler Kevin McCarthy seine Parolen lautstark hinausposaunte. Den Kritikern von Joe Biden schienen die Wochen des erbitterten Schuldenstreits neue Argumente zu liefern: Zu alt, zu zurückhaltend, zu wenig medial dominant sei der Präsident, monierten sie.

Wer den nun erzielten Kompromiss genauer analysiert, kommt zu einem sehr anderen Ergebnis: Mit seiner ruhigen Art hat der alte Fuchs viel mehr erreicht, als viele noch vor Tagen für möglich gehalten hatten: Er hat einen politisch verheerenden Zahlungsausfall der USA verhindert. Er hat den nächsten Budgetstreit auf die Zeit nach den Wahlen vertagt. Und er hat seine Klimavorzeigeprojekte ungeschoren durchgebracht.

Dass die Parteilinken gleichwohl wenig begeistert von dem Kompromiss sind, kann niemand verwundern. Aber unter dem Strich muss McCarthy, dessen Partei brutale Einschnitte gefordert hatte, deutlich größere Eingeständnisse machen. Für den Karrieristen, der von der Gnade der ultrarechten Politchaoten in seiner Fraktion abhängt, könnte das Nachgeben politisch sogar lebensbedrohlich werden. Es zeugt daher von Bidens Klugheit, dass er ihm weitgehend die mediale Bühne überlässt.
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