Joe Economist
Council Member
The president has a shutdown strategy that is nothing more than a scortched earth policy until the GOP is forced to surrender. He is putting his politics above the welfare of the nation, and yet he has the temerity to blame the Republicans for the consequences.
His strategy is nothing more than a political bet. He is betting that the Republicans will have to fold under the pressure that he creates. He is betting that the GOP has picked the wrong issue, and that he will win by holding his breath. Understand the terms of the president's bet: Americans lose until he wins.
The issue isn't the ACA as much as the President's belief that he can have it all. He grew fat and lazy during the 2009 and 2010 time frame when Americans handed the Democrats complete control of the government. They did what they wanted, on their time table. Today he has to negotiate, and doesn't like going to work.
The GOP is doing what politicians are supposed to do. They are essentially offering to trade something that their audience generally doesn't like, increasing the debt limit, for something that its audience wants, defunding Obamacare ("ACA"). In the world of politics, the Democrats should respond with an alternative, one which protects the ACA while providing more party favors for the Republicans such as approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, offshore drilling, or reductions in pollution regulations. The breakdown in this process comes from the Democrats who have refused to participate in a political process.
Longer Version :
http://www.policymic.com/articles/65949/who-caused-the-government-shutdown-obama-and-the-democrats-are-at-fault
His strategy is nothing more than a political bet. He is betting that the Republicans will have to fold under the pressure that he creates. He is betting that the GOP has picked the wrong issue, and that he will win by holding his breath. Understand the terms of the president's bet: Americans lose until he wins.
The issue isn't the ACA as much as the President's belief that he can have it all. He grew fat and lazy during the 2009 and 2010 time frame when Americans handed the Democrats complete control of the government. They did what they wanted, on their time table. Today he has to negotiate, and doesn't like going to work.
The GOP is doing what politicians are supposed to do. They are essentially offering to trade something that their audience generally doesn't like, increasing the debt limit, for something that its audience wants, defunding Obamacare ("ACA"). In the world of politics, the Democrats should respond with an alternative, one which protects the ACA while providing more party favors for the Republicans such as approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, offshore drilling, or reductions in pollution regulations. The breakdown in this process comes from the Democrats who have refused to participate in a political process.
Longer Version :
http://www.policymic.com/articles/65949/who-caused-the-government-shutdown-obama-and-the-democrats-are-at-fault
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