Posted on 09/20/2013 12:02:22 AM PDT by Kaslin
A riveting day has dawned. House Speaker John Boehner, long criticized for inconsistent conservative passion, is actually allowing members to vote on a budget bill that ties continued government operations to a defunding of Obamacare.
This would be the strategy Ted Cruz and his allies have been offering for weeks, earning them harsh criticism from Democrats and timid Republicans alike.
The House, run by Republicans, will pass the measure. The Senate, run by Democrats, will not. No matter what those votes might be, a presidential veto pen stands ready to kill the whole idea of a bill that funds the government past October 1 with the glaring omission of Obamacare.
So why even try this? Won’t it freak people out? Won’t the media hate us? Won’t some voters call us obstructionists?
Yes, yes and yes. So let’s do it.
After decades of inconsistent conservative leadership, there are finally people in office with the guts to take bold stands unseen since Reagan-- maybe unseen since Goldwater.
After endless years of half-measures and middling efforts, unapologetically muscular conservatism is going to cause some alarm. It will startle Democrats, who have long enjoyed rolling a Republican party that’s been there to be had, and it will positively terrify establishment Republicans, who see that their conservative batting averages are suddenly insufficient.
As for the media, I could not possibly care less what they think. Are we really going to plot strategy so as not to draw fire from liberal network anchors and faux conservative pundits currying favor at Georgetown parties?
Shrinking from what conservatism requires because we fear negative media reaction is like guiding foreign policy to avoid making terrorists mad. In both cases, guess what? They already hate us. We should do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.
While we can, and should, tell the media where to take a walk, we do actually have to care about voters. But again, operating from a foundation of fear is completely wrong.
Rather than lose sleep over what independents will think of a government shutdown, let us march forward with votes in both congressional chambers, telling President Obama, every Democrat and every voter that Obamacare is an unprecedented scourge that requires the strongest negative response.
The sound and feel of passion like that will energize millions of conservative voters weary of season after season of caves and compromises. It should also earn the respect of moderates and independents who may be ambivalent about Obamacare but surely appreciate the rare spectacle of politicians showing some spine.
As for charges of obstructionism, the public needs a history lesson. Rarely have we soared so high as when we have stood in opposition to bad things. We stopped slavery. We stopped Hitler. We stopped Saddam’s rape of Kuwait.
Now we must stop the prospect of government robbing us of free market health care decisions. The time will come for suggestions on how to reform insurance and manage safety nets for the truly needy. Before we begin to stripe that field, we must slay the beast of Obamacare. At last it seems we have warriors willing to do so.
But now we get to the familiar Republican habit of exploding differences of strategy and nuance into bitter grudges.
As a fan of the Cruz approach, I winced when he lobbed charges of “surrender” at those who sought a more measured, line-by-line dismantling of the Affordable Care Act.
Conversely, it is unsettling (and, quite frankly, stupid) for the more pragmatic Republicans to blast Cruz and his nervier colleagues as “out of touch with reality.”
Everyone knows Senate passage of a continuing resolution without Obamacare funding is the longest of shots. But here’s some “reality” for everyone: there is singular value in standing for something when the odds are against you. Against a longtime norm of leaders leaning in the direction of prevailing winds, such courage is downright remarkable.
Every Republican in the House and Senate should vote for the immediate defunding of Obamacare, period. If fate dictates this strategy should fall short at this moment, the party should dust itself off, warm with the glow of having cast the right vote.
Then it will be time for the next phase of Republican unity-- the pivot from sledgehammer to scalpel as the party dives into the tangled mess of this poisonous legislation and dismantles it brick by brick.
Placemark
At least he makes sense this time.
(WWW.DONTFUNDOBAMACARE.COM.........Sign it NOW!!!
We already lost the messaging. We aren’t shutting down govt...we are fully funding govt and will pass a bill to fully fund it. Except for obamacare where the cost projections have changed and its not being rolled out as promised and as prescribed by law....due to this we can’t waste more money implementing a fundamentally flawed bill. We need to stop implementation now and then we can fix it in due course.
Bump!
Ultimately if the house decides it will not fund deathcare under any circumstances, then they could shut down the federal government indefinitely. Then it’s just a question of who blinks first.
I don’t think the gop wing of the uniparty has the courage or willingness to engage in this sort of brinksmanship. Cowardice is a hard habit to break. I guess we’ll see. And for the record, I will gladly eat my words should they be shown to possess a spine that has to date proven to be undetectable.
In the mean time I think we should make the phone calls to encourage the approach. It won’t hurt and it just takes a few minutes to dial them up. We should at least give them the opportunity to do the right thing. If they fail, then at least we’ve done our job.
Yes.
We need to stop believing Reid’s warning that we’re jumping into a briar patch if we fight this.
CONTACT! CONTACT! CONTACT! your Senators and Representatives.
Rinse!
Spit!
Rinse!
Spit!
Rinse!
We are within two weeks of the LIVs suddenly discovering that the government is ordering them to buy insurance. Anything that makes it clear to them exactly who’s doing this is worthwhile. The GOP now needs to organize an answer to the complaints, something along the line of, “hey, you voted for Democrats, and everybody knows Democrats are all about telling you how to live your life”. Unique “teaching moment” coming here. If it goes to veto so that it becomes clear it’s Obama ordering them to buy insurance, all the better. The one thing you can count on him doing is trying to distance himself from every oCare problem, just as he did with HIS little red line problem.
The messaging isn’t lost - still lots of time - and such time is the time that much more attention is paid by voters.
Message should also include the nice things that could be done with some or all of the $25 Billion that will be saved in the next year by not implementing.
Yes CW, if they really thought it to be so bad for repubs, they wouldn't try to prevent it.
They're skeered.
The only thing people need to know is that the President and Congress have exempted themselves from this god-awful program. We should be sending letters and emails non-stop to our Senators and Congressmen threatening to throw the whole bunch out unless they either join in on the fun or stop this atrocity.
BTTT
Boehner and EVERY Republican that goes on the air someplace needs to practically SHOUT to the interviewer and the audience...”WE ARE NOT SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVT>>>>>>WE ARE FUNDING IT COMPLETELY EXCEPT FOR OBAMACARE, AND I ASSUME YOU WILL BE HONEST ENOUGH TO REPORT THAT FACT INSTEAD OF SAYING WE ARE SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVT”!!!!!!!”IT WILL BE OBAMA< HARRY REID AND THE DEMOCRATS WHO SHUT DOWN THE GOVT.>>>>NOT US”!!
It is Soooo nice to see you here. I was very afraid you’d left me here to fight on all by myself.
I am all for this but with the dead fish Boner running it,FORGET IT. He sounds as enthusiastic as Bill Clinton stranded on a desert island alone for the rest of his life.
The onslaught of the Democrats and their allies in the media has only begun,I would not care and would fight all the way against it if there were a leader that would or could make the case,nobody wants this disaster,but who is outlining all the OUTRAGES ABOUT THIS? Independent payment advisory board,skyrocketing premiums,job loss,working hours reduced,exemptions for the elite among us,those who fought to pass this monstrosity.
All we hear is you can’t do this,not only from democrats but republicans! With Boner running the show we are toast
Hi. Nice to be here (if only on a “less is more” schedule). ;^)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3069030/posts
This all could have been avoided if people would have listened.
In case you don't know, I am very bitter.
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