Federal Government Shutdown

[Captain Colostomy]

I doubt GOP members can read.

[DeistPaladin]

GOP? It seems both sides have a stake, and one side is certainly not compromising.

GOP: How about this?
D: Nope.
GOP: OK, what about this?
D: Nope.

All of the fuckers are responsible, but guess what? Many of them are just doing what their constituents voted for. The tea party people were voted into office by those who wanted TP ideals. The Dems likewise. If you don't like the results you'll have to change government to get rid of checks & balances.

The GOP is mad about losing the last election, which was largely about Obamacare. The law has past both houses of Congress, been signed by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court and vindicated by a landslide election of the president who campaigned on it.

I believe what they told us in 2004 was "we won, you lost, get over it".

Seems they don't take their own advice when the tables are turned.

So rather than respect the democratic process and campaign on this issue again in 2014 and 2016, which would be the responsible, civic-minded thing to do, they take hostages and threaten to burn everything down unless we overturn the democratic process and run the country to their liking.

How are they not completely at fault for this needless, manufactured crisis? On what basis do they have the right to burn the country down unless their demands are met?

Do you have any idea what would have happened if the Democrats did this in 2007 to W Bush? I believe "traitors" would be the word the GOP would have bandied around. In fact, we know this because the DID use that term when the Democrats tinkered with the idea of not funding the Iraq War, a move which would have been completely in line with normal Congressional function.

[Captain Colostomy]

Brinkmanship. These ass suckers are just trying to save face, and along with it, their voting base.

[Lumpymunk]

Glad you brought up 2007, because it shows how quickly the rhetoric gets supercharged when politically convenient for both parties.

Example: Calling the democrats "traitors" ~.~
Example: "Taking hostages and threaten to burn everything down unless" ~.~

The fact is, government isn't shutting down and the alarmism isn't doing much but making the news a little more hilarious to watch than normal. The 1995 shutdown was for three weeks... world didn't end. Won't end this time either.

[Minimalist]

You're forgetting the Debt Ceiling problem which is coming up just at the end of the road.

[DeistPaladin]

Glad you brought up 2007, because it shows how quickly the rhetoric gets supercharged when politically convenient for both parties.

Ah yes, the "both sides do it" line or the non-specific "Washington is broken" declaration that is so much in vogue these days.

In reality, both sides don't.

Democrats would never dream of holding the entire process hostage or threaten to shut down the government, never mind deliberately default on our nation's debt. This tactic has been the GOP's modus operandi since 2010. Many of them seem positively gleeful at the prospect, as if the shutdown was the end in and of itself.

Further, while Republicans screamed "traitor" at the slightest criticism of W Bush, my description of Republican tactics is quite accurate.

We survived the 2005 shutdown during a time of great economic growth. We'll see how it affects a sluggish recovery. I hope you're right.

If there is one silver-lining, it may be an inoculation against the coming threats to deliberately default on our nation's debt, which would cause calamity to the world economy.

[Lumpymunk]

Really?

In 1977 you had a Democrat president, Democrat controlled house, and a Democrat controlled Senate... and there was still a government shutdown for 12 days.

Blame republicans?

...not the only example.

The 21 day 1995 shutdown was caused directly by Bill Clinton refusing to even propose a budget using legit numbers.

in 1990 democrats were as much to blame as Bush Sr.. Democrats wouldn't include deficit reduction in their continuing resolution... and it was Veto'd as promised. This situation in particular shows how political posturing is really done. Democrats knew that if they submitted a budget to Bush Sr. they knew he would veto, they could use it against him in the same way as is happening now, "omg you shut da gubment down!!!!"

Now look up the number of proposals the house passed and submitted to the senate vs. the number of proposals the senate and president submitted. Who has been unwilling to work with who?

[bladevalant546]

I hope people are not siding with the democrats here. Both parties are bought and paid for. Any who did it shutdown?

[Captain Colostomy]

The GOP owns this one, yes.

It appears pension delays may be the most immediate issue(for the pensioners surely!), but there are other things that rapidly snowball every day post shutdown. As Minimalist mentioned, the fiscal cliff is looming large, too.

[Whateverist]

I'd like to see members of congress impeached who fail to approve payment of the debt their body of the government approved.