The Government Shutdown Countdown Lowdown MEGATHREAD

[Sheilbh]

That's not what I meant but rather that everyone in congress is a) competent and b) has the ability to stay on script. The inability of one rep to coherently respond doesn't mean that there are no talking points.  I'm pretty sure the McCain campaign put together talking points for Palin.

The House has gone rogue!

Fair point. So the House leadership should try and set up lots of important meetings to get the input of these members and keep them far, far away from the cameras.

[DGuller]

Does Boehner even have an option to end this on his own?  Sure, he can bring this to a vote and rely mostly on Democrats, but can't the Tea Party nutcases just depose him as a speaker and get one of their own in charge for the next act of hostage taking?  What then?  Have the less nutty Republicans all defect to Democrats as a group so that the speaker position is out of the hands of Tea Party?

[garbon]

Does Boehner even have an option to end this on his own?  Sure, he can bring this to a vote and rely mostly on Democrats, but can't the Tea Party nutcases just depose him as a speaker and get one of their own in charge for the next act of hostage taking?  What then?  Have the less nutty Republicans all defect to Democrats as a group so that the speaker position is out of the hands of Tea Party?

The mind of a slav is a scary, disorganized place.

[Sheilbh]

Does Boehner even have an option to end this on his own?  Sure, he can bring this to a vote and rely mostly on Democrats, but can't the Tea Party nutcases just depose him as a speaker and get one of their own in charge for the next act of hostage taking?  What then?  Have the less nutty Republicans all defect to Democrats as a group so that the speaker position is out of the hands of Tea Party?

The problem for Boehner - and why I sympathise with him - is he's constantly undermined by others who want to be Speaker. But each one of them knows that, right now, it'd be a poisoned chalice. So he's left there having to deal with the situation and with his authority draining away.

[grumbler]

Does Boehner even have an option to end this on his own?  Sure, he can bring this to a vote and rely mostly on Democrats, but can't the Tea Party nutcases just depose him as a speaker and get one of their own in charge for the next act of hostage taking?  What then?  Have the less nutty Republicans all defect to Democrats as a group so that the speaker position is out of the hands of Tea Party?

The House Tea party Caucus has something like 49 members.  They couldn't overthrow Boehner.

[Kleves]

Heard an interview with a Republican congressman from Indiana. He called Obamacare "the most insidious law ever created by man." I wish the Republicans would heed Kirk Lazarus:

[DGuller]

Does Boehner even have an option to end this on his own?  Sure, he can bring this to a vote and rely mostly on Democrats, but can't the Tea Party nutcases just depose him as a speaker and get one of their own in charge for the next act of hostage taking?  What then?  Have the less nutty Republicans all defect to Democrats as a group so that the speaker position is out of the hands of Tea Party?

The House Tea party Caucus has something like 49 members.  They couldn't overthrow Boehner.

Ok, not literally the Tea Party Caucus, but rather the caucus of all those Republicans that are currently opposing the bill.  I imagine that if they have the numbers to invoke the Hastert Rule, they also have the numbers to invoke the "GTFO, speaker" rule.

[Razgovory]

I do not think so.  If they had that power they would have exercised it already.  There maybe be more extremist republicans then are just in the Caucus they still aren't enough.  We essentially have three parties in the house.

[Valmy]

Heard an interview with a Republican congressman from Indiana. He called Obamacare "the most insidious law ever created by man." I wish the Republicans would heed Kirk Lazarus:

I am not sure I can take the realization that there could another Congressman as stupid as Louie Gohmert.

[Ed Anger]

He learned that at the crik.

[KRonn]

I don't approve of the Repubs taking the hard stance on Obamacare (ACA), it was never going to be repealed. But yesterday, didn't the Dems refuse any negotiations on the continuing  resolution bill, including an amendment that would require Congress to use the ACA and not get any special treatment? Both sides are playing hardball, just the Repubs started off in a worse position, IMO.

[Sheilbh]

The Obamacare exemption/non-exemption was people playing politics (like selectively trying to fund certain things), see here:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/359742/obamacare-non-exemption-patrick-brennan

It is also worth pointing out that this CR has a lower amount of discretionary spending than the Ryan budget - it's low.

[DGuller]

I don't approve of the Repubs taking the hard stance on Obamacare (ACA), it was never going to be repealed. But yesterday, didn't the Dems refuse any negotiations on the continuing  resolution bill, including an amendment that would require Congress to use the ACA and not get any special treatment? Both sides are playing hardball, just the Repubs started off in a worse position, IMO.

KRonn, do you ever make any judgment calls, are there any situations where both sides are not at fault?

[Brazen]

Jon Stewart delivers another mot juste:

"If it turns out that President Barack Obama can made a deal with the most intransigent, hardline, unreasonable, totalitarian Mullahs in the world, but not with Republicans, maybe he's not the problem."

[The Brain]

I can made stool.