Annie Duke Discusses Negotiation Strategies in the Government Shutdown
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) October 07, 2013 -- In a new post on her blog at annieduke.com, professional poker player, author, and organizational coach Annie Duke offers her analysis on the current government shutdown, and how the current difference in equity (or voter power/sentiment) that each party holds may affect the way each chooses to negotiate. Duke writes:
“The current government shutdown offers up an interesting lesson on the influence of future equity on a negotiation, regardless of which party you think is at fault… The looming problem is October 17th, when the government is expected to run out of money if an agreement is not reached to raise the debt limit… That October 17th date has huge implications in the negotiating strength of each side, essentially gutting the strength of the side most likely to be blamed for the shutdown.”
Annie Duke seems to feel that the main core of the argument focuses on raising the debt ceiling with or without conditions, and specifically that of Obamacare. In Duke’s opinion, this greatly affects the way each party approaches negotiation:
“In order to deal with this bind, the Republicans have been offering up certain piecemeal solutions, temporary measures to allow spending in the short-term on certain programs. The Democrats have rejected this piecemeal approach, demanding instead an agreement that would reopen the entire government. The Republicans have cried foul, claiming the Democrats are unwilling to negotiate. But in this case with polls showing that the majority blame the Republican Party for the shutdown, the Democrats are right to demand an all or nothing approach if you look strictly through the lens of negotiating strategy. They are negotiating from a position of strength. A piecemeal approach would take the pressure off, allowing an avoidance of any real crisis that might have a lasting effect on the 2014 election. By keeping the pressure on, the Democrats are more likely to get what they want, leveraging what’s at stake in the future against what’s at stake now.”
In her blog, Duke argues that the consequences of what may happen in the future are the real leverage points in this situation. “Whoever is blamed for the financial crisis and possible recession that would result from the US defaulting on its debts would take a big hit in the 2014 elections and that really matters. In this case, it looks like the majority of voters would blame the Republicans, putting them in the weaker position now if maintaining control of the House and taking back the Senate matter to them.”
Duke, a former Huffington Post contributor, who often blogs about national affairs, goes on to state that the outcome for the future should be considered anytime one enters a negotiation, even when the consequences are not immediately obvious: “At the moment, Americans aren’t feeling a huge effect of the shutdown… business is generally going on as usual and economists predict that if an agreement is reached on a spending bill quickly there won’t be much of a negative impact on economic growth. However, if an agreement is not reached to raise the debt limit, that would mean the US government would default on its debts, likely severely denting the value of the dollar and triggering a rise in interests rates that could cause the US debt to be far costlier to pay back in the long run. That would have a big negative effect on Wall Street and, some say, could cause a recession similar in magnitude to 2008.
“We all need to remember that it is rare that the outcome of any negotiation would have no implications for the future. Obviously, sometimes the stakes are not only high but global, as in the negotiations around the government shutdown and the economic health of the country. Sometimes the stakes are more local but still high on a personal level.”
Duke’s opinion, as it comes across in the blog post, seems to be that we should always consider the future when leveraging our equity in a negotiation such as this.
To read more of Annie Duke’s opinions, visit http://www.annieduke.com/blog.
About Annie Duke
Annie Duke has a strong track record of success in the world of poker. She first burst onto the scene at the 1994 World Series of Poker, where she cashed in three events included making the final three tables of the Main Event. A decade later, she won her first WSOP bracelet and in 2010 became the NBC National Heads-Up Champion bested runner-up, Erik Seidel. Duke has appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and tutored Hollywood A-listers including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on the finer points of the game of poker. She is also the author of three books on poker: Decide to Play Great Poker; Heads-Up Tournament Poker; and The Middle Zone. She also authored an autobiography How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker.
For more information:
Call: 1-888-331-7376
or Email: Info(at)annieduke(dot)com
Jenifer Sarver, Burson Marsteller, http://annieduke.com/, 512-879-0992, [email protected]
Share this article