Don’t Reward the Politics of Blackmail, or We’ll See More Shutdowns

[Bill USA]

http://www.offthechartsblog.org/dont-reward-the-politics-of-blackmail-or-well-see-more-shutdowns/

More than the fate of health reform (and whether millions of uninsured Americans get health coverage) is at stake in the battle over the government shutdown. How well — or poorly — our democracy functions is increasingly on the line.

The shutdown battle is not over the funding levels at which the government will operate under a continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2014. President Obama and Senate Democrats have agreed to accept the Republican position that the CR maintain the fiscal 2013 funding levels, which reflect the sequestration budget cuts.

No, the shutdown is clearly, even nakedly, over a minority of members in one chamber of Congress (the House) trying to use a shutdown to extract, essentially as ransom, an otherwise unachievable legislative goal — to defund, delay, or otherwise unravel health reform. (It’s a minority of one chamber because if House Speaker John Boehner allowed an up-or-down House vote on the Senate’s clean CR last night, it likely would have passed.)

Thus, the President and the rest of Congress must not give any concessions to hard-line House Republicans in return for ending the shutdown. The reason is simple: if they make concessions, then threats of government shutdowns will likely become a regular feature of our political landscape, and more shutdowns will likely occur in coming years. The President and Congress will have rewarded the tactics of using a shutdown as a form of blackmail, paving the way for its use on a more regular basis.
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[yurbud]

1. since the GOP is dying demographically, they will continue to do this whether it works or not

it's all they got left.

[blkmusclmachine]

2. We'll see if the DEMS learn a lesson (this time). If history is any guide,

[Bill USA]

3. actually, most Democrats knew you can't trust the Repugnants. It was Obama who insisted on treating

then like reasonable, rational people.

He wouldn't listen to the Dems, thinking since he was actually a moderate Republican he would find those in the psycho-idiot caucus who would be willing to join him in compromises. He found out, their idea of compromise is give them 100% of what they demand and they will accept that as a compromise deal. He finally is realizing that his efforts of bending over backwards got him nowhere. In fact it actually made matters worse.