Sometimes a crisis is a crisis: not an opportunity.

Yet, I believe both political parties have been operating at the precipice for so long, without any felt consequences of their own: they act as if this is rudimentary, as opposed to a very unique circumstance.

Upstart: Business and Management for 20-40 Year Old Professionals, has continually illustrated that if the debt ceiling is not raised: the United States would face extremely higher interest rates than they do now, which would affect: social security checks, payments to veteran’s families and other entitlement programs. The interests on borrowing money for mortgages, car loans and securing credit for businesses would skyrocket immediately. The stock market would experience volatility, which would not only create a dangerous bear market, but jobs would also be affected, and what’s really scary – the global economy would follow suit, as it’s connected to the U.S. economy.

The real problem is past democratic bending and weakness and republicans continually anticipating that the democrats will cave-in on their demands. You say, “democratic weakness,” well yes: there have been numerous instances where the democrats were not only right, but had the high ground, and somehow ended up with a badly negotiated deal – see Guantanomo and the Health Care Debate.

Republicans are being standoffish, because it has always worked for them: they have stared-down the democrats enough to know that they always blink, so they don’t want to move: but now the republicans are again waiting for a sign or symbol of weakness from democrats — and it has paralyzed them from being in a real-world conversation. Democratic collapses have made republicans try to wait this thing out — and now they’re stuck: they are waiting for the democrats to cower and concede, due to Obama deals seemingly ending up center-right. Brinksmanship is one thing, but this bordering on irresponsibility.

Why is it so hard to find cuts and revenue: it’s not. It’s the politics that create the complication. Republican leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor, are battling each other for the soul of the republicans, at the expense of each other – at the expense of negotiating in good faith, so each can look more like a principled and unwavering republican – these men are waging a battle for the republican leadership at the expense of the American and global economy.

President Obama, has genuflected so much, even his own base is incensed with his centralized deal making. Liberals didn’t think they were getting a centrist, they thought they were getting a liberal. But Obama also wants a deal, not only for the debt ceiling issue to be resolved, yes he wants it resolved, but he wants a big deal, that looks bipartisan – and he purposefully wants to give ground on democratic issues (entitlement programs), because he is gearing up for reelection. President Obama wants to look reasonable and able to deal across the aisle, which would be a boon to his reelection campaign, yet republicans know the politics of this as well.

So there you have it: the debt ceiling is not about the debt ceiling. It’s about two men fighting to be republican leader and one man trying to capture the presidency – again.

The unfortunate part of all of this: no one is ashamed.

Good Luck.