What Does The Process of Averting Fiscal Cliff Tell Us About American Politics?

The media may have hailed the aversion of America’s fiscal cliff for the time being. However, a deeper look at the process leading to it tells us of how bad partisan politics has become in Washington and could very well foretell what to expect for Obama’s second term.

While the automatic tax increases and spending cuts were supposed to kick in on 1^st January, lawmakers on both sides dragged the process of passing the legislation until the dawn of 2^nd January because in theory, anything on paper could not be acted upon until people came back to work. While making a formal notice to Congress that the Government would hit its borrowing limit on 31^st December, Geithner mentioned that the Treasury Department could avoid action for additional two months through creative accounting.

Although such behaviours indicate the perseverance of lawmakers in trying to exploit any loopholes to ensure that they get the best deals for the people that they are representing, it also points to significant differences between two sides to a level that neither is willing to compromise till the very last moment or rather, till there are no more tricks up their sleeve. When one looks at this, one wonders how America will tackle more difficult issues, especially those requiring bipartisan cooperation and compromise.