The Fed Shutdown Poll and Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

The clock is ticking.  Friday at midnight, April 8th.

Who will come out on top: GOP teabaggers who want to starve old people and elimate capital gains taxes, Planned Parenthood and the EPA, or our beloved, sane and rational President?

[Neil]

Both sides are not only wrong, but also stupid.

[KRonn]

I wish our "sane and rational" President would come out with some ideas, and some strong leadership on budget reform. He sits back and lets others do the dirty work; I have to assume he doesn't want to tackle this tough and tricky task, or feels he can put it off until after 2012 and he gets re-elected.

Indeed, the clock is ticking. Over $14 trillion in debt, and adding $1.5 trillion a year. How long before that house of cards crashes down?

[Valmy]

Taking down tiny but unpopular departments like PP or EPA is just political theatre.

Both sides suck.

[Neil]

The Republicans need to stop raiding the treasury to enrich themselves.

[KRonn]

Taking down tiny but unpopular departments like PP or EPA is just political theatre.

Both sides suck.

Yeah, the wrong places to start. But both sides are afraid to start with anything more heavy. As it is, the Dems are already trotting out the "children will die", "seniors will be threatened" rhetoric. And if the Dems started first on, say Social Security or Defense, the Repubs would be slamming them in turn.

That's why the President needs to lead on this, and help Dems and Repubs work together. Some are already working together but others have their talking points to bash the other side. The Dems for their part, as they over use the phrase extremist for everything. Like trying to cut an over 14 trillion debt is extremist!

[Darth Wagtaros]

I'd like to think some sort of sanity will result, but until all the idealogues are eliminated from the mix this won't happen.

[Caliga]

I wish our "sane and rational" President would come out with some ideas, and some strong leadership on budget reform. He sits back and lets others do the dirty work; I have to assume he doesn't want to tackle this tough and tricky task, or feels he can put it off until after 2012 and he gets re-elected.

Dude, what?  You expect something concrete out of him?  Really?  That's cute.

Obama is a salesman, and the product he sells is Obama.  Wait, I meant hope and change.

[Valmy]

Dude, what?  You expect something concrete out of him?  Really?  That's cute.

Obama is a salesman, and the product he sells is Obama.  Wait, I meant hope and change.

Man I am dreading 2012.  This coming Presidential election will make 2004 look like a clash of titans.

[DGuller]

To be fair, if Obama says that the sky is blue, Republicans will all get their marching order next morning to all repeat the line that the sky is brown, with Fox News anchors in tow.  Maybe he's just hanging back and letting the people out of the spotlight hammer something out.

[KRonn]

To be fair, if Obama says that the sky is blue, Republicans will all get their marching order next morning to all repeat the line that the sky is brown, with Fox News anchors in tow.  Maybe he's just hanging back and letting the people out of the spotlight hammer something out.

Agreed that it's a tricky path. Depending on what the budget issue is he'd get hammered by the right on defense or such, or the left  when cutting social programs. But he does need to take action, try to pull the parties together, set some direction, so that he doesn't take the brunt, and neither party will. All will be in the fight and can all share in the actions, both positive and negative. But if one party only leads then they're fodder for the other side.

[Darth Wagtaros]

To be fair, if Obama says that the sky is blue, Republicans will all get their marching order next morning to all repeat the line that the sky is brown, with Fox News anchors in tow.  Maybe he's just hanging back and letting the people out of the spotlight hammer something out.

That is a poor strategy then.  All it does it make him seem impotent or under the thumb of the Democratic machine.  He should be leading the charge for something. I don't really care what, because most of his presidency has been spent sitting back and letting others take the risk.

[Berkut]

To be fair, if Obama says that the sky is blue, Republicans will all get their marching order next morning to all repeat the line that the sky is brown, with Fox News anchors in tow. 

If that is the case, then the response is to come out and say "Hey, the sky is blue" and then make fun of the dipshits who say otherwise.

Refusing to comment on sky color just makes him look like an empty shell, without any actual ideas or leadership of his own.

[Berkut]

Maybe he's just hanging back and letting the people out of the spotlight hammer something out.

I think you are describing his entire presidency, apparently.

I guess we could assume that he is really active and doing things, and we just can't tell.

[grumbler]

I guess we could assume that he is really active and doing things, and we just can't tell.

Results to date indicate that this is untrue.

I think he simply doesn't know what a president does.  He spent all his time trying to get elected president, without spending time figuring out why he wanted to be president.  Now he has the job, and it is too late to figure out what to do once elected.

I think that, if he would get behind the bipartisan effort that Michael Bennet and Mike Johanns are pushing, he could be seen leading without actually having to display leadership.