That’s the lesson from Chapter 16—and from Washington’s latest budget standoff.
The President has a blunt alternative: let the government shut down. Painful for some, sure. But it also means he gets to lay off more federal employees—something he’s willing to tolerate, maybe even welcome. That makes his threat credible.
On the other side of the table, Democrats face a dilemma: If they hold firm, they risk being blamed for dysfunction. If they cave, they risk losing the progressive wing of their party. Either way, their “no deal” alternative looks costly.
And that’s the bargaining imbalance: the President’s fallback is uncomfortable but tolerable; the Democrats’ fallback is politically toxic. Guess who that favors at the negotiating table?
Lesson: Don’t just listen to what’s said across the table. Always ask: what happens if there’s no deal? That’s where real bargaining power comes from.
DISCLOSURE: This post written with help of ChatGPT.
DISCLAIMER: "Guess whom that favors at the negotiating table?" is gramatically correct, albeit awkward. ChatGPT made the correct choice to go with the more colloquial and natural, "Guess who..."
No comments:
Post a Comment