Media portrays Biden’s debt ceiling loss as a win, calling him the ‘Apostle of Bipartisanship’.

Drew HoldenJune 5, 2023

Biden’s Debt Ceiling Negotiations: A Victory for Bipartisanship?

President Joe Biden pledged for months not to negotiate with Republicans on raising the debt ceiling. Then, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) forced Biden not just to negotiate, but also to make significant spending cuts.

Guess whom mainstream media declared the winner of the showdown?

Media Praises Biden’s Approach

Headlines proclaimed Biden the “calm man in the capital” and an “apostle of bipartisanship.”

New York Times: “The Calm Man in the Capital: Biden Lets Others Spike the Ball but Notches a Win”
NBC News: “Biden lowers the temperature, and gets another bipartisan victory”
NPR: “In what appeared to be a nod to one of this key arguments for reelection, Biden underscored the type of steady leadership he asserts he can continue to provide in comparison to some of the partisan fighting being waged by more hardline Republicans, including leading Republican candidates for president.”
Washington Post: “Biden leans into an argument that is expected to be at the heart of his pitch for a second term: that he is a seasoned, competent leader who is able to deliver results in a fractured Washington and a divided America.”
The Guardian: “Apostle of bipartisanship: Why US debt ceiling deal was a victory for Joe Biden”

The president’s approach to the negotiations—and especially their aftermath—reflects a half-century of bargaining in Washington. When someone has been around the track as long as Mr. Biden has, resisting the temptation to spike the ball and claim victory can be critical to actually securing the victory in the first place. From the start of the clash with Mr. McCarthy’s Republicans, Mr. Biden has followed the instincts he has developed through long, hard and sometimes painful experience.

Mr. Biden’s approach was decidedly old-school in a new-school era. No matter how much Mr. McCarthy assailed him for waiting 97 days to talk about the dispute, the president believed there was no point in rushing into extended talks, given that no important agreements in Washington are made until a deadline is looming with catastrophic consequences if the two sides do not come together.