Yesterday, Republican House Speaker John Boehner gave his first and only interview since the shutdown began. Interviewer George Stephanopoulos actually asked some tough questions, and Boehner got angry and almost lost it:
If you think killer robots is an unfair analogy, one of the departments hit by the shutdown is Health and Human Services, who are in charge of food inspections (including tracking salmonella outbreaks) and also would have been monitoring and helping develop vaccines for the upcoming flu season. Every year, between 3,000 and 49,000 people die from the flu. This is how Republicans, who claim to be oh-so-worried about Obamacare, show their concern for your health.
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The one question I really wanted asked is this:
If the president were to sit down and negotiate about the depth limit, what would you be willing to offer? Additional Taxes? Or have you been refusing to negotiate ever since he got into office? Why should he meet you halfway there if you’re not offering anything up in exchange?
Do they speak English in “Have a conversation”? SAY HAVE A CONVERSATION AGAIN
Patrick, there is no point to negotiating or watering down bills/positions to satiate the GOP. They never give anything, no matter how much you give them (barring completely capitulating to their position, which then, yes, they will vote with you). Your time is better spent campaigning against them in their district/state to pressure them, as they don’t seem to understand anything else.
I hate to say this, but the Republicans have been known to compromise, so I think it is unfair to say that they won’t.
Instead, what I found really striking about Boehner’s interview was that he was totally unwilling to say anything about how they might compromise. He just kept repeating the talking point that they should sit down and negotiate. That is just total BS.
Well at least he didn’t say we won’t negotiate like the opponents. I find the latest change of position by Boehner to be troubling, that they want to include the debt ceiling. But, I could have seen it coming after he showed his cards and said he wouldn’t allow the country to default. The other side took that as a free pass and choose their fight thinking it was just a shutdown. I had thought earlier the only way with the 2 deadlines so close would be to combine them.
Now here’s irony for you from my cynical side; we have a gov’t shut down, but everyone will be paid and yet they can’t come to work. What did the gov’t say to itself; “hey if we’re shut down we can’t waste as much money” and the other politician says “oh I got it we’ll just pay everybody but not have them work, then we can really waste some money”. Meanwhile, we’ll spend extra money erecting fences and putting up road blocks so people can’t gaze upon open air monuments and spend even more money then we need to, that’ll really piss them off. Ha Ha, the jokes on the American people. They got us, we thought they we’re just trying to save money or protect the needy, but all the while they had planned out a new way to waste our money.
PSgt, I originally thought you had a good point about them not fencing off open air monuments, but I have changed my mind. What changed it? Michele Bachmann posing with a vet, telling reporters how utterly shameful it was for Obama to lock out these venerable old soldiers. And claiming that Obama was completely at fault for the shutdown and inflicting so much unnecessary inconvenience and pain.
Well fuck her. People will lose their lives because of this shutdown. Causing a shutdown, first about Obamacare and now changing their minds and making it about the deficit, is the height of immaturity. A shutdown is a VERY BAD THING. It should not be made pleasant. It wastes a TON of money for no benefit. And now we are going to pay government workers back pay? You have to be kidding me. What about the people who will not get government services they desperately need? What about people who will die because of the shutdown?
It reminds me of that Star Trek episode where these two planets had been at work for centuries, but had removed the horrors of war. Computers waged battles and calculated casualties, and the people designated as casualties calmly reported to facilities where they were humanely killed. No more destruction and suffering.
If the Republicans can convince everyone that having a shutdown isn’t such a horrible thing, then we will have one every few months. I think it is time to say no. No more bargaining with extortionists.
It’d be nice if Boehner would at least wipe that I’ve-got-you-by-the-whatever smirk off his face.
Does anyone know if a poll was done in the area’s the republican representatives represent to find out whether their rep’s current position is supported? I have no doubt that in the tea party area’s the hard-line position is supported but a poll of the moderate areas should reveal the opposite. If so and the majority of the people the rep’s represent want a clean CR then for f’s sake democracy wins.
So His Majesty sets on his throne and says “I will not netotiate! Sign a clean bill” (aka “give me everything I want”) or I’ll shut down the government until you do.” Hmmm, what’s wrong with this picture?
Jim T, you haven’t been paying attention, have you? The Democrats already compromised repeatedly with the Republicans. The Tea Party made it clear from the start that they wanted to shut down the government, and even celebrated when they got their wish. Expecting the Democrats to defund Obamacare was extortion, plain and simple. Even the American people don’t want that.
At this point, there are enough votes in the house to pass a clean bill (both Democrats and Republicans). But Boehner won’t allow a vote.
So a minority in Congress shuts down the government, against the wishes of the voters, and is now trying to blame it on the Democrats? Just what koolaid have you been drinking?
IK -my point was good, so good in fact that the crazies jumped on it and polluted it to use it for extortion. I’d tell them them to shut the H#$$ up if they’d listen. But at the end of the day my point was true and not for any political gain on my part.
It’s a messaging war now and because of stupid things like spending more money and time at keeping open air monuments closed the President is loosing the battle. I can’t help if he’s that stupid. Now he has no choice IMO but to bring all the leaders from both parties to the WH and sit in a room until this thing is settled. He got painted into a corner by the opposition, out manuevered, flanked what ever he now has to lead. Good luck with that, jeez.