How Should Obama Deal with the Republicans?

Jonathan Chait notes President Obama seems to have realized he’s not going to get a “grand bargain” to deal with the nation’s debt.

“You can see in the Democratic side a persistent good-government
impulse, one that finds the GOP’s inability to even advance its own
interests rationally as a troublesome failure of government for which
they themselves ultimately share responsibility. It’s true that a
smarter, better organized Republican party would be easier to deal with.
But the GOP remains dysfunctional and apparently bent on
self-immolation. The only question for Obama is whether he wants to
allow Republicans to turn this fact to their advantage, or whether he is
willing to disengage and let them burn out on their own rage.”

The Week: Does President Obama know what he wants?