Winning the Game of Chicken by Not Playing

Michael Kinsley: “President Obama should give in. Yes, this mess is all the Republicans’ fault. Yes, it’s outrageous that they can hold the government hostage in order to reargue a law that’s been voted on, signed, enacted, and upheld by the Supreme Court. Yes, it’s a terrible precedent. Nevertheless, he should give in.”

“Just as not caring about the good of the country gives strength to the Republicans, not caring about how he looks would give strength to Obama. You win the game of chicken by refusing to play… President Obama cannot call an election, but we’re having a midterm election in about a year, and he can make it a referendum on whether people want the Constitution effectively rewritten by madmen so that crises like these can happen more often.”