Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Next Crisis:CEOs Plead With President,Congress

A group of CEOs met with President Barack Obama and Members of Congress Wednesday in an effort to educate them about what would happen if the nation defaults on its debt,a prospect that will be realised on October 17,if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling.Among those participating were Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs and Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase.
They shouldn't use the US failing on its obligation to meet its debt as a cudgel,Mr.Blankfein said.There's no precedent for default.We really haven't seen this before,and I'm not anxious to be part of the process witnessing this.*
The CEOs had a grim feeling following their meeting with Republicans in Congress.Congress is completely out of touch with Wall Street and the general economy,according to Bloomberg TV contributor Dawn Kopecki.They have no idea how bad it would be if the nation defaults on its debt.Mortgage rates will start widening.You're not dealing with business school graduates down in Washington,D.C.,Ms.Kopecki said.
The debt ceiling issue is legislatively separate from the budget impasse that has shuttered the federal government for more than two days now.It is related,howvever,by the fact that some House Republicans intend to use it as a political tactic,just as they are using the government shutdown,regardless of the harm it causes.
The chaos partly reflects the internecine conflict going on within the Republican party between moderates and the far right;and,some say,the leadership style of a president who didn't negotiate enough early on.It's resulted in dysfunction on a grand scale.

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