New York Times email:
With the federal government careening toward its first shutdown in 17 years, House Republicans chose a hard line Saturday in their attack on President Obama’s health care law, setting up a late vote to attach a one-year delay of the health care law to legislation that would keep the government operating past midnight Monday.
The House Republican package would also permanently repeal a tax on medical devices that helps pay for the Affordable Care Act.
The House will also vote on a separate bill to ensure military forces continue to be paid in the event of a government shutdown, an admission that the outcome of the fiscal showdown is all but sealed.
The decision to choose confrontation over compromise or surrender all but ensures that much of the government will close on Tuesday, barring a last-minute decision to pass a short-term spending bill while negotiations continue.
The behavior is childish, immature, and dangerous. Let’s take it a step further and call it un-American. Do these extremists not accept that the ACA was passed by both houses of the Congress, signed into law by the President and declared Constitutional by the Supreme Court? These are the very people who would be screaming and shrieking RULE of LAW over one of their own issues such as immigration. They fail to respect the law or acknowledge rule of law when it comes to the ACA.
This Congress has done very little except try to do away with the ACA and try to pass anti-abortion legislation. They need to be sent home in shame. They are a disgrace to this great nation.
@Pat.Herve
Not one Republican vote is not a bipartisan effort or an American want and remember that the rules of both the Democrat house and, spearately, the Democrat Senate were waived to get it through, resulting in the loss of the House and Pelosi’s speakership. A big part of this is not about health care – which can be fixed – but instead about the danger that – if allowed to stand – the approach to passing ObamaCare represents to the the American democratic process. Oh and by the way, its only constitutional even now – if read as a revenue tax law not as an entitlement authorization.
The hate for the teaparty folks and repubs is misplaced. Its not about health care – although that is the democrats spin/cover. Romney Care was a part of the repub plateform. Its about the health of our democracy down the road.
Blue, I am trying to figure out if you think the govt. should shut down. I think most of us clearly have separated the tea party thugs from the Republicans. Unfortunately, As long as that vote keeps coming out of the House like it is, the two will get co-mingled.
The government is shut down. Nice job, repugs. You got what you wanted
Sadly, some of them did want the govt to shut down. Michelle Bachmann was giddy with glee over it.
Sick mofos if you ask me.
@Moon-howler
The is the first time that the FEDERAL government has done these things.
I suppose it doesn’t matter very much WHO does them. Govt is govt.
Blue, the quote is apropos, amazingly so. One small group is trying to force the American public to do something against their will and their best interests. Polls show clear majorities are not in favor of de-funding the ACA. Once again, it is the southern states, whose population is most affected by the issue, leading the charge.
The “compromise” was made when the Democrats adopted a Republican plan to improve health care. Where would one “compromise” now? Partially de-fund the ACA? Delay it for 6 months instead of a year? Any kind of so-called compromise would be a capitulation by the Senate and President to the extremists who represent a small minority of the country.
Now Blue, I have to stop you right there. “RomneyCare was part of the repub platform?” You have to know that’s ridiculously untrue. Romney ran away from his accomplishment in Mass. so fast and far that he may have set an Olympic record. This in spite of the fact that he had campaigned on RomneyCare just a few years earlier.
Another fact-check: The ACA does not REQUIRE anyone to buy insurance, it provides for a tax penalty for those who can afford it and don’t buy a policy. There are many other tax incentives and dis-incentives in the tax code. We can argue whether or not that’s a good idea, but that’s another subject.
The misinformation and misunderstanding is all part of the Republican narrative to make the law appear more unappealing than it really is. Does it have issues – Yes. Can it be made better – Yes. Does it start the change of the system to make improvements – Yes. Does it includes ideas that were once supported by Republicans – Yes, look at Romneycare and proposals by the Heritage Foundation. What did the R’s do to improve healthcare since HilaryCare – nothing, so you get what you got.
@blue
The election settled the issue as to if the American people wanted Obamacare or not.
Bipartisan efforts – with the Hasert Rule and Boehner rule in effect most of the bills getting to the floor of the House are very partisan.
The loss of the House is largely due to gerrymandered districts in many states.
You are correct that the tea party and the R’s have much hate that is misplaced. They are not just against healthcare – they are largely just against anything that Obama has touched. You can see it with all the Birthers who are now lining up behind Cruz who WAS born in Canada – but all is ok now because of his color. You can see it with the stereotype ‘humor’ of some of the R’s (Obama bucks, etc), you can see it with the Obama Phone (a program started by Reagan), etc.
“but all is ok now because of his color. ”
Way to play the race card. Couldn’t be his governing philosophy, his dishonesty, or his incompetence at all, could it?
The “birthers” are lining up, hypocritically or not, behind Cruz because he’s a conservative. If he was liberal…they wouldn’t touch him.
I won’t back off of “the race card.” I could care less at this point. Basically there have been a lot of dog whistles going off over Obama’s color. It simply cannot be denied. Cruz isn’t subject to the same scrutiny by the birthers. Could it be because even with that last name he still looks like a white boy?
Hell if governing philosophy, dishonest, and incompetence were what it’s all about I could tear in to Cruz.
If you seriously don’t think that some of the Obama vendetta isn’t about race, you have your head in the sand. That isn’t any race card played by me. Its simply having eyes and ears.
@Moon-howler
Actually is was by Pat…not you.
But since you took it up….. I don’t care about your “dog whistles.” It seems that only people predisposed to bigotry can hear them. I don’t.
Pat blamed it on his color. Nothing else. If he and you want to believe that, nothing that I say can change your mind. Go ahead. Don’t care.
You can keep your head in the sand about Obama’s failed political philosophy and his dishonesty. As long as your gravy train is running at the tune of 85 billion per month…who cares?
Some people don’t need dog whistles, Cargo. For some people, its just built in.
My gravy train? I have no gravy train, I am sorry to say.
I know for a fact that some people who hate the President hate him because of his race. It is more than obvious because of what they say.
Would Democrats accept any small change to Obamacare if it meant getting out from under a shutdown, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked.
“No,” she replied.
Now that is concern for the impacts of a shutdown and leadership if ever I saw it.
What does Obama care have to do with passing the budget? Nothing.
Blue, what if the Democrats had held Medicare D hostage over raising the debt ceiling during George Bush’s tenure in office? How about the Iraq war?
One thing has nothing to do with the other. As for Nancy Pelosi, is she now in charge now?
The deflection isn’t working. If there was concern over closing down the government, the tea party thugs would have voted to raise the debt ceiling and been done with it.
@Cargosquid
cargo – the birthers were at full force before Obama was elected to his first term (a man born in America). Now, with the very same situation, the very same people are ‘backing’ Cruz (a man born in Canada) – what is the difference between them – one born here and one born abroad.
In a related development, a huge Confederate flag was raised recently in view of I-95 near Richmond. Coincidence- or not!?!?
Maybe young Southerners are less racist than their elders and that’s good. But the teabaggers are mainly a bunch of rude old white guys from small towns and …where? Could it be the South? Could that be the area trying to hold our country hostage? Could that be the biggest welfare region? The least well educated? The area that had to be dragged into equality for all? The area now the most homophobic? Gee, is it so hard to believe that there are racists out there who hate President Obama and they’re quick to answer the dog whistle? What area is quick to b!tch about welfare and big government and yet sucks up many of our defense dollars while trying to undercut the nation’s financial credibility?
@Pat.Herve
What is the difference?
One stated that he was born in Kenya, and raised in Indonesia. Changed his story when it became a danger to his political career. Provided evidence that he wasn’t born in Kenya. Had to be forced to provide proof. So, he was lying previously or now…. I don’t pretend to know. He’s kept his school and travel records secret. Raised by socialist parents and mentors. Followed that tradition in law and politics.
The other was born of anti-communist parents in Canada. No secrets or confusion is present. Life is an open book.
Eligibility to be President? For both, there was and is a question. Both are saved by the citizenship of their mothers, regardless of whatever birther questions might arise….but some sliver of concern remains since the definition of “natural born citizen” has never been clarified.
So…what’s different? Well, Cruz is not a progressive. Obama is. Cruz is a constitutionalist. Obama likes to ignore it. Cruz is a conservative. Obama is not.
As I said…if Cruz was a white liberal…..the “birthers” would not be supporting him. Its not about race.
@middleman
In a related development…said flag isn’t really visible from the highway according to radio reports…unless they’ve moved since it went up.
Personally…I think its harmless. And about a relevant as putting up the British Flag. Both were separate countries…
@Censored bybvbl
What area is quick to b!tch about welfare and big government and yet sucks up many of our defense dollars while trying to undercut the nation’s financial credibility?
That describes Virginia….if you want to talk about “sucking up defense dollars.”
One is an America-hating Marxist that managed to use the IRS to steal an election, where the other is a modern day Thomas Jefferson?
Are you off your meds? Apparently you really don’t know much about TJ.
@Cargosquid
Yes, it does describe Virginia. That’s why it’s so ironic to have our right-wingers railing against the hand that feeds them.
@Censored bybvbl
I don’t want the government to be feeding me.
I would LOVE for Virginia to reduce its dependency on federal money.
@middleman
The longer I live, the less I believe in coincidence.
I don’t automatically eschew the Confederate flag. It is part of my heritage. However, because of the feelings it generates, I think its display has to be understated, in context and from an historical point of view. Any attempt to make political statements is unacceptable.
I think the timing punctuated the true intent of that 95 flag raising. It set off my dog whistle radar, for sure.
@Cargosquid
So you want to send all those DoD contracts to another state? Bite your tongue!
You want to move Newport News, Norfolk, Great neck, and all the other military facilities out of Virginia?
I simply do not know what to say. You want to turn our state into a banana republic.
@ Blue: It’s absolutely impossible to make even minor concessions in this situation. Any president or either party who would let a loud faction in the House threaten the American People with a shutdown of the government as the price of getting a chit here or there on legislation they don’t like, but couldn’t prevail on in the normal legislative process, should be impeached. If the Dems hold firm here and make the House Rs wear this mess into 2014 and the Presidential election in 2016, it will protect the next Republican president from the same tactics when roles are reversed.
Health care is out of the picture now. Maybe after we get past all this damage, responsible legislators (there may still be some, but a lot are in hiding), can work on amendments to portions of ACA that are generating problems. But it really can’t happen until there is a major, visible collapse of the hostage crisis.
@Cargosquid
If you plan on teaching in the state of Virginia, government will be the hand that feeds you.
We are witnessing the last gasps of the old guard. They are desperately trying to remain in control for a few more years. Trying to hide behind religion, suppress the vote, divide the country, control the wealth, scare people about the intentions of the “other,” scare people about their government-all tactics used by a group bereft of ideas or programs or young energy.
Cargo, you can tell those folks whose ancestors fought and died face down in the dirt to preserve human rights that the Confederate flag is “harmless.” My ancestors fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War and on the American side in the Revolutionary War, and I’m a lot more proud of those who fought against the British than those who fought to preserve human slavery. In my opinion, that Confederate flag should be torn down and burned…