October 8, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Government Shutdown: Lies, Damned Lies, And Republicans
I know this will come as a deep and emotional shock to all who read this, but it must be said — Speaker John Boehner, congressional Republicans, Fox News hosts, and conservative talk radio jackals, are all lying through their teeth about the government shutdown, or in the case of Fox News, the government “slimdown.”
See, Fox News is not exactly sure which message will stick. Will Americans blame President Obama for the government shutdown or Republicans? Will Americans go along with Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity on the government shutdown when he said he’s “not feeling it”? So yeah, Fox News decides to go with “slimdown” to hedge their bets. After all, either way the “Fair and Balanced” network can still blame Obama if the shit hits the fan.
As for the rest of Santa’s misfit toys, Republicans say, “don’t blame us,” it was President Obama and Democrats who chose government shutdown over negotiation. Wait. Really? Last I heard, President Obama and Harry Reid were requesting that the House pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. That’s far from controversial, and in fact seems to be the opposite of wanting a government shutdown. But hey, what do I know, using logic and reason, and well, my ears. And it gets even better. The funding level Democrats have already agreed to include the sequester cuts, which means Democrats have already given a huge concession that would fund the government at near “Paul Ryan budget” levels.
So let me see if I’ve got this straight. Republicans want President Obama and Democrats to negotiate over the terms of dismantling a health care law that President Obama and Democrats passed over three years ago. And if Republicans fail to pass a continuing resolution until President Obama and Democrats agree to this “negotiation,” this systematic destruction of the Affordable Care Act, that means it is President Obama and Democrats who are responsible for the government shutdown. Did I miss anything? Even though Republicans initiated this entire fiasco, they think we are stupid enough to believe they are not to blame. Well, maybe the Republican base is naive enough to believe that, but as polls would suggest, nobody else is buying it.
