Red-state Democrats flirt with a brief government shutdown over coal miners’ health care

WaShington Post ^ | 12/9/2016 | Kelsey Snell

[VanShuyten]

Senate Democrats are appealing to the working-class white voters they lost to President-elect Donald Trump by threatening a short government shutdown over issues important to them.

Red-state Democrats up for reelection in 2018 are forcing the standoff over the year-end spending bill to keep the government open — insisting on health-care benefits for retired coal miners and requiring the use of American steel in infrastructure projects.

[VanShuyten]

For some unknown reason, the MSM failed to incite us over this shutdown, which starts at midnight tonight. I only heard about it on the 6 o'clock news in a short report about how the Congessioal Liquor Store in DC is worried their business will be hurt if there is a government shutdown.

[NFHale]

This would be those same democrats who, foru eight years, kept telling those same Coal Miners they were going to bankrupt the coal industry and put them out of a job???

[Pearls Before Swine]

but... but... I thought shutting down the government always backfired?

Maybe that’s only true if Republicans do it?

[goldstategop]

Now they’re concerned about their constituents.

After allowing Obama to undermine them for years.

I smell panic setting in among Red State Democrats.

[SoFloFreeper]

These Democrats are morons. But I repeat myself. This tactic is going to backfire bigly.

[Paladin2]

Jill Stein ‘Rats, on Duty to just screw stuff up.

[goldstategop]

Let’s see - if Democrats threaten a government shutdown, that’s good. If Republicans threaten a government shutdown that’s bad.

Maybe Messrs. Ryan and McConnell might explain to us why they’re deferring to Democrat extortion on the stop-gap spending bill.

[Kellis91789]

The “Buy American Act of 1933” already requires preference of American made products for all federal construction projects. All that’s needed is to clamp down on the policy of allowing the bureaucrat purchasing agents to “waive” the requirement.

I don’t want to give the Compost clicks and the excerpt doesn’t say why federal funds are going to pay coal miners’ retirement benefits ? Anyone care to enlighten me ? Not that the EPA and Obama are not responsible for the coal industry decline, but why would the US taxpayer be on the hook without some sort of lawsuit judgement showing the government responsible ?

[VanShuyten]

From the WaPo @ 7:30 pm, Friday:

“Democrats relented late Friday and agreed to allow a vote on the spending measure hours before government funding was set to expire at midnight. The bill is expected to be cleared for President Obama’s signature before that deadline, avoiding a shutdown.”

[VanShuyten]

The retirees depended on bankrupt coal companies and now medical insurers that are going belly up or pulling out of the area. The Dim solution is to have the Feds take over, of course.

All of this lays right at the feet of Obama and the Dim Congress that passed all those awful laws and regulations.

The Dims that threatened shutdown were almost all up for re-election in states Trump won. They somehow think unemployed miners will remember this and forget about why they’re unemployed in the first place.

I guess they thought this stunt would save them.