Posted on 10/04/2013 8:21:00 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday blasted Congressional Republicans for their “wrong-headed” budget brinksmanship he said led to a partial government shutdown, while maintaining that city services are still immune to the impasse in Washington.
“It’s time for the Republican leaders in Congress to step up, provide leadership and tell a small minority in their party to stop trying to hold the country hostage to their ideology,” Emanuel told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday.
As the first federal shutdown in nearly 18 years entered its second day, Emanuel said city services are still unaffected by the shutdown, which has caused thousands of Chicago-area federal workers to be sent home without pay.
But if the shutdown persists, the city’s immunity could wear off, Emanuel said. He pointed to Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers food to home-bound senior citizens.
“That’s a federally-funded program, administered locally. It will have an impact, both on the people that provide it, [and] the people that rely on it,” Emanuel said. “And it’s wrong. It’s foolish. It’s preventable.”
Joyce Gallagher, who heads the city’s Senior Services Area Agency on Aging, said there have been no impacts on the meals program yet, and she did not anticipate any down the road. The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for clarification.
Though Emanuel wouldn’t name names, the mayor said he has been talking with leaders he knows in Washington, D.C. from his years as a Democratic Congressman.
“The ones I’ve talked to are fully conscious this is a wrong-headed strategy,” he said.
He also defended President Barack Obama’s handling of the shutdown, suggesting that it’s time for the GOP to drop its at-any-cost opposition to the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare.”
“The election was a referendum. Elections have consequences. The American people have spoken, he has gotten re-elected, and he’s being very reasonable about a way to move forward. They are being unreasonable and irresponsible and reckless.”
House Republicans have blamed Senate Democrats and the White House for refusing to accept any of their proposed changes to the president’s signature health care law.
Uh, he best mind his own chickens.
Wow all these angry dems giving Republicans advice. So nice of them to tell us our strategy is backfiring.
Wow, Ballerina Boy’s tutu is all wee-weed up!
Yep, Chicago is the next Detroit.
Ted really caulked their tailpipes with ginger:
those donkeys are prancing like Lipizzaners!
Well Rahm is an expert on blasting, lots of folks getting blasted everyday in Chicago land.
Spoken like the fattest calf at the government teat.
your citizens still killing each other in mass Rahm????
Shut up, Rahm, and go back to the bath house.
The killings in the murder capital of the US will continue, “business” as usual with or without the Federal shut down.
A “small minority” of representatives simply cannot hold the nation hostage. Unless I’m mistaken, the House can only pass legislation with simple majority (as in half +1) votes. A good follow up question to Mr. Emanuel would be how does a “small minority” manage to do that? Are we to believe all the other Republican representatives wouldn’t vote against that “small minority” if it was politically advantageous to do so?
Rahm Emanuel is absurd, but of course, we already knew that.
Dude, fix the South Side and get back to us.
El-Presidente may have shut down Armed Forces Radio for our overseas troops (such a nice, caring liberal), but you are right, he’s not doing anything to shut down the gang bangers.
Hey, Rahm E !
Now that you have been running the show in Second City for a long time now, how is that “Never let a Crisis go to waste” ideology working out for you?
Must be right up your alley as nothing is a bigger crisis than being the Mayor of the Murder Capital of the “Hoped and Changed” Obamanation that you worked so very hard to build.
Nice to see that all the Dems are reading off the same script.
I think Rahmblow has his parties mixed up. The Republicans are 99% together on their votes in the House. That message of a "small minority" is BS and makes a good Dem/Media Activist talking point but it is not the truth Rahmee!
Rahm should pay more attention to his own city, Chicago...
The murder capital of the world.
Where are all the articles/reports/stories telling the Dems to stop their shutdown? After all, it's the Dems in the Senate that caused this, specifically ol' Dingy Harry.
You know, the sort of scum that votes for democrats?
Go back to the sandbox, loser.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.