Government Shutdown and "End Times" (of government)

[andym]

Repost of a Journal entry from February (with an update) http://journals.democraticunderground.com/andym/33 :

Teapartiers appear to feel we're in the "last days." Not the last days of the world as in fundamentalist Christianity, but of the federal government. They see themselves as the soldiers who will finally implement Reagan's dream, thanks to the accumulated effects of tax cuts and government spending that have resulted large deficits over the years (a battle plan started by Reagan himself). Did you really think they were hypocrites about the budget? Well they are, but hypocrites with a plan. Not only do they intend to cut the federal government back to the 19th century (goodbye to NPR, EPA, FAA, USPS, FDA etc) sooner rather than later, but will end the possibility of progressive change through the government for a generation or more.

How can they achieve real change with only a majority in the House, when Democrats in the two years before could pass only the most modest progressive legislation? Because in Congress, like in real life, destruction is easier than construction. To pass anything it has to get by a 60 member Senate supermajority. But to defund government, conservatives only need pass their demands in the House, and then when the Senate disagrees refuse to do anything unless they get their way. And this is just what is playing out now! If the Senate or President doesn't go along then shut the government down and they then effectively achieve their ultimate goal: no federal government immediately. Won't that cause them political problems? Perhaps. Perhaps not. When people scream after not getting SS checks, the GOP will simply just blame the "liberal" Democrats for forcing the shutdown. What about all the federal workers losing their jobs? To the GOP they are not real workers anyway, so they don't care. Won't it hurt the economy? Some of the deluded GOP think government evisceration would really help, the others want a bad economy to elect a GOP president next year as well as majorities in both chambers. And if things aren't so bad during the shutdown, they will say it proves their point that the federal government and its services are not needed. They are killing two, maybe three birds with one stone (Federal government shutdown).


So how are the moderate Democratic administration and Senate countering this war on the government: proposing very modest government spending cuts, hoping to achieve some deficit reduction, and take away enough public support from the conservatives to prevent the wholesale government destruction. But how can conservatives be stopped when they don't really care what the public thinks? They believe they can make the public think whatever they want with a little help from Fox and friends and the herd that constitutes the rest of the media.

[andym]

1. Looks like the tea partiers are going to be mad

that they didn't get their shutdown. And they did get big spending cuts, that will hurt the Federal government services.
But they'll be back....