On Government Shutdown 2.0 Ted Cruz Declares 'Mission Accomplished'

      It brings to mind another time Republicans declared 'mission accomplished'-after the defeat of Saddam Huessein in 2003. True the GOP closed feedback loop declares they're winning no matter what. Still, the extent of the miscalculation is breathtaking:

     "Tuesday saw the release of yet another poll showing Republicans in a woeful state, a recurring theme in the wake of the recent budget and debt limit debacle."

     "The survey from CNN and ORC International showed 64 percent of Americans saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the GOP, a high-water mark since the pollster first asked the question in 1992. A mere three in 10 said they view the party favorably."

     "Those findings are the latest in a wave of dreadful polls for Republicans, including an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey that found the party's approval rating plunging to an all-time low. Gallupalso found the GOP's favorability rating sinking to a record low for either party."

    "After the government shut down for the first time since 1996 and the United States appeared to be careening toward default, poll after poll found Americans placing most of the blame on Republicans for the crises."

    "Although their own popularity numbers are mediocre, Democrats have fared much better than their Republican counterparts in recent polling. According to the latest CNN/ORC International poll, 43 percent said they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party while 51 percent said they have an unfavorable view — virtually unchanged since last month."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/another-poll-more-historically-bad-numbers-for-the-gop

    On the other hand, the popularity of Obamacare has actually gone up a little-with the emphasis on a little. That's even in light of the early problems with the Obamacare website. 

   http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115289/obamacare-website-fail-politics-policy-and-polls

    No doubt the GOP is trying to jump on this now-though they lost valuable time during their shutdown. Still, I don't really get the scandal here. It's not surprising that there are early glitches-although these have been pretty glaring. None of this means the public wants to abolish the law. 

    The idea that Obmacare is the ticket to success in 2014 sounds dubious to me but hey it's their strategy and as I don't want them to win anyway who am I to question it? Meanwhile we have a number of Obamacare success stories. One is that premiums have been coming down since the law was implemented. 

     http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/21/us-usa-healthcare-ohio-idUSBRE99K12B20131021

    http://www.diversityinc.com/diversity-and-inclusion/ny-reports-50-drop-in-insurance-premiums-under-affordable-care-act/

     I just don't see that this is an issue for anyone beyond the Tea Party which is the real GOP problem right now: they don't consider any public opinion except that of the Tea Party. No one else is obsessed with hatred of ACA. I would guess a big part of why the law's popularity is rising is just the fact of the exchanges opening even if there are problems right now. Jared Bernstein gives us some much needed perspective-these timely issues aren't going to be remembered in the future. 

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/obamacare-implementation_b_4144946.html

     Meanwhile, more good news for ACA today was that GOP Ohio Governor has successfully gotten the Medicaid expansion going. To do this he had to do a total end run around his own party's legislature. Indeed, they sound like they hate him as much as the GOP House hates Obama now. 

     "Though the expansion plan had the support of prominent medical and business groups, such as the Ohio Manufacturers' Association and the state's Chamber of Commerce, some conservatives are expected to sue. Nearly 40 Republican legislators last week formally protested Kasich's request to the board, which represents a majority of the Republican caucus in the state House."

    "The basis for this government is supposed to be that everybody gets to vote," said State Rep. Louis Terhar, a Republican, on the panel's decision. "What just happened in there is that 90 percent of the people in Ohio just got disenfranchised because they didn't get to vote."

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/21/us-usa-healthcare-ohio-idUSBRE99K12B20131021

    Right. That's Republican math for you-an expansion that benefits 90% of the state somehow disenfranchises 90% of the state. If these GOPers are so worried about disenfranchisement why do they support the emergency managers?