Politics: Grown-up Bullying?
Apart from the “American Dream”, perhaps America’s defining mottos involve the fact that the government is “by the people, [and] for the people.” However, 150 years later, one would have never guessed that the American government is indeed “for the people.” Three days ago, the U.S. Government shutdown due to discrepancy between the Democrats, specifically Obamacare, and the Republicans. Obamacare, in its simplest definition, can be likened to Canada’s Healthcare in which the public obtains health insurance to help offset otherwise expensive costs. Obamacare was rejected by the Republicans and the House which consequently cost 800,000 employees their jobs. Fortunately, the American Government has decided to give compensation pay for their federal employees while the shutdown occurs. Nevertheless, in addition to the federal employees, regular citizens are being negatively affected.
(Photo by Eric Cantor “illustrating” that the Democrats were not willing to negotiate)
In their efforts to shift the public blame of the Republicans (discovered through polls), to the Democrats, they staged a photo where the Republicans sat in a conference table with the Democrats absent. This “stunt” backfired when the Democrats retorted by stating that the past few months have involved Democrats’ multiple attempts to call a meeting with the Republicans refusing. Politics, be it on an international scale or individual scale, remain prevalent throughout business. In this political issue, elements of Porter’s Five Forces are illustrated: Democrats exist similarly to Supplier Power and also provide barriers to entry. The Democrats, the “powerhouse” of Congress, can ultimately decide how to act in accordance to governing rights and laws while the Republicans can only attempt to influence their choices. This shutdown also incorporates barriers to exit; to solve this, Republican House Speaker, John Boehner, could submit a bill without any anti-Obamacare amendments, but doing so would result in high possibility in Boehner “losing his speakership.” As a result, this trivial issue continues to take its toll on the general public while the debt ceiling, America’s actual biggest concern, lies unresolved.
Sources:
U.S. government shutdown: What’s next? Mark Gollom, CBC News. October 4, 2013.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-government-shutdown-what-s-next-1.1875050
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor posts photo of GOP ‘ready’ to negotiate. Leslie Larson, New York Daily News. October 4, 2013.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cantor-house-gop-invite-democrats-meet-article-1.1472931