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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Why Has the GOP Shutdown the Government? Redux

     That they lack an endgame is a problem-if you lack a goal how can you achieve anything? The question begs-why have they forced a government shutdown in the first place?

      http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/10/gop-shows-power-of-having-no-end-game.html

      Greg Sargent puts it well:

      "I’m going to begin by repeating something I said last week. The one thing that reporters should be asking House Republicans right now is very simple: Why are you against a clean continuing resolution to re-open the government right now? Republicans owe Americans an answer to that question, and an explanation for why the pain that’s being caused is worth it. And, yes, it’s appropriate for reporters to ask Democrats why they’re against the House’s last offer, too — but I’m more confident that they can answer that one."

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/08/happy-hour-roundup-206/

     I disagree with the gloss at the end: I see no reason to ask Democrats the same thing as I don't see their refusal to negotiate with terrorists as in any well symmetrical to GOP terrorism. Hopefully that's just a sop on his part to the Green Lantern media who insists on drawing false equivalence.Why the GOP is doing this, however, is a very good question. 

    Trotsky said that the means flow from the ends, however, the trouble is that the GOP seems to have no ends in mind. All of which means that they are taking this action of their's that is causing all this pain very lightly. However, let Boehner show this in his own words:

    "Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said Tuesday afternoon that a "clean" debt ceiling increase, as Democrats are demanding, would amount to "unconditional surrender" for Republicans."


    "At times like this, the American people expect their leaders to sit down and have a conversation. I want that conversation to occur now," he told reporters. "What the president said today was if there's unconditional surrender by Republicans, he will sit down and talk to us. That's not the way our government works."

    "The Speaker refused to budge on the eighth day of the government shutdown on funding the government or averting default without preconditions."

    "I didn't come down here to shut down the government," he said. "I certainly didn't come here to default on the debt."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/boehner-clean-debt-limit-would-be-unconditional-surrender-for-gop

      He just sees it as a game-the GOP wants 'respect' as other House Republicans have suggested. He doesn't worry about those suffering pain or not nearly as much as he does about his party 'losing' being forced to 'unconditionally surrender.'  

      It's amazing that he's giving lectures on 'how our government works'-as he has led the most dysfunctional government in memory. Actually, at times like these we don't need a 'conversation' we just need him to do his job and fund the government and raise the debt ceiling and stop using these as weapons to force concessions that he couldn't win through the legitimate deliberative process. 

     For months he could have 'negotiated' or 'sat down and talked' and he rejected Democrat overtures to do just that numerous times. He has many times not answered the President when he has called his office. Now he wants a debating society when real pain is being felt. So the answer to why he and his party are doing this is because they think it's about winning not the interests of the country. 

    As noted in a previous post, Sumner too thinks these tactics of the GOP won't work. 

    http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/10/scott-sumner-on-gops-cunning-plan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DiaryOfARepublicanHater+%28Diary+of+a+Republican+Hater%29

   "However, he kind of wishes it would-he agrees with the goal but doesn't think it can be gotten this way. He does argue that the GOP tactic is not undemocratic because: the Republican House was elected democratically. 

    "Bill, You said;

    “Scott, You are saying the GOP ends could justify the GOP means. I remember you once said that Democracy was the best system. Theses two positions are not compatible.”
This statement is really absurd, for three reasons:
1. The GOP was elected democratically.
2. They are working within the law.
3. I don’t support the GOP tactic.
So basically you get everything 100% wrong; about me, about the GOP, and about democracy.


    Sumner's wrong of course-the GOP only won the House because of gerrymandering. Anyway, just because a politician is elected democratically this doesn't mean that everything he does in office is democratic. Hitler won the election. 



    

    

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