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Shutdown Report: How to Play Chicken and Lose
Robert Kuttner
September 18, 2013
In past budget showdowns, the GOP has forced Obama to blink first. Not this time.
Republicans are likely to incur serious political damage in their effort to hold hostage continued funding of the government in exchange for deep spending cuts. This routine has become an annual ritual, and in the past President Barack Obama has been the first one to cave. The 2011 Budget Control Act, which includes the automatic sequester, is one bitter fruit of the presidents past failure to hang tough in the face of Republican extremist demands.
But this time is different.
The Tea Party Republicans, who dominate the GOP House Caucus, are demanding that President Obama de-fund the Affordable Care Act in exchange for their willingness to fund ordinary government spending in the new fiscal year, which begins October 1. But they picked the wrong demand. In the past, Obama was willing to make deep cuts in federal spending in order to get a budget deal with Republicans. The Affordable Care Act, however, is a nonnegotiable for the president. Its his personal crown jewel, the centerpiece of his legacy. For Tea Party Republicans, however, Obamacare is evil itself, and opposition to it is a loyalty test.
Moreover, the president has told Democrats in both the House and Senate caucuses that he has no intention of negotiating over the debt ceiling. If the Republicans want to play cute with Americas full faith and credit, they will bear the political responsibility for the consequences.
Happily, the test over the shutdown comes first. We dont need a vote to extend the debt ceiling until mid-October. If the Republicans gamble and lose big on the shutdown, they may well back off the debt-ceiling threat.
Another nice break for Democrats: In the past, voters eyes have glazed over when it came to budget details, and much of the mainstream press has played budget standoffs as partisan bickering, as if it were the equal responsibility of both parties. Equal blame is a mantra promoted by such Wall Street groups as Fix the Debt.
This time, however, the press is reporting on the sheer extremism of the GOP. Polls suggest that in the case of a government shutdown, or worse, a debt default, Republicans would reap most of the blame. A CNN poll released last week found that 51 percent of people would blame Republicans for a shutdown, while 33 percent would blame President Obama. Twelve percent would blame both parties.
more...
http://prospect.org/article/shutdown-report-how-play-chicken-and-lose
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)Koko Ware
(107 posts)the Republicans and replacing it with true progressives that will help the country move forward, not backwards.
Also finally put together some sensible legislation that will allow middle class to co-exist peacefully with the 1%'ers, and also pull the people out of poverty.
The wealthy greedheads will move out of the country, and allow the United States to revoke their citizenship, persona non grata forever and watch their wealth get squandered by bad investments.
nyquil_man
(1,443 posts)or do we have another crop of milquetoast moderates who will cave in at the slightest sign of trouble?
djean111
(14,255 posts)All the GOP needs to do is keep blaming stuff on Democrats. Seems to work pretty well.
Cha
(297,794 posts)the potential shutdown comes after in mid October when so many are excited about their new health care?
That's something.. I thought the potential for shutdown came before Oct 1!
thanks babylonsistah!
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)1000words
(7,051 posts)Hasn't President Obama, in effect, already "renegotiated" ACA by delaying the requirement that businesses with more than 50 employees provide health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty? My understanding is he yielded to complaints from businesses that the requirements were too complicated and difficult to implement in time.