this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
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founded 1 year ago
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Washington is reaching a consensus: the government will shut down in 10 days — and Republicans will bear the brunt of voter disgust over it.

With House GOP leadership on Wednesday again showing little progress in moving a stopgap funding bill to prevent a shutdown, officials have begun a two-pronged effort to prepare for a shutdown that seems less avoidable every day.

There is the official side of government, where the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget has been working with agencies to make contingency plans for when funding runs out. And there is the political arena, where party operatives are focused on a different goal: inflicting maximum pain on their Republican adversaries and seeking to pin them with blame for an interruption in federal services and paychecks for government workers.

While both sides will inevitably throw blame at the other, Republicans are feeling a keen sense of apprehension that their party will suffer badly should a shutdown transpire.

“We always get the blame,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator. “Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

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[–] [email protected] 79 points 1 year ago (4 children)

“We always get the blame,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator. “Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

The answer is in his question: “Name one time that WE'VE shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

[–] partial_accumen 47 points 1 year ago

"Every time I do something I get blamed for it! How is that fair at all?! Why doesn't someone ELSE get blamed now and then for things I do" -Simpson (R) probably

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, except Democrats used to catch the blame all the time when McConnell filibustered something. It's part of their strategy to do things and have the other party get blamed for it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The tactic was for Republicans to sabotage government, and then use the failure they caused as a talking point about how government is useless and gets in the way. They could then rally people around the idea that government is an enemy that needs to be eliminated. But I think people are wising up to that strategy. There have been a lot of high profile problems recently that can all be linked to deregulation and rolling back government oversight.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Sounds like an onion quote.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

You’d think a ‘Pub, of all people, would know that giving to someone who hasn’t earned it is socialist. As staunch capitalists, ‘Pubs earned all the blame and they can keep it.

[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 year ago (4 children)

“We always get the blame,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator. “Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

Then stop doing this shit, Mike…it’s not rocket science.

[–] superduperenigma 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

“Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

This is a terrific selfawarewolves quote.

"Name one time that we did X and we haven't got the blame for doing X."

[–] Ensign_Crab 9 points 1 year ago

"Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this."

[–] Frozengyro 6 points 1 year ago

And if it wasn't their fault ( in the instance refusal to collaborate with the other side) they wouldn't always get blamed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

We always get the blame for the things we do

Y'all the cishet white conservative concept of responsibility is wild. The idea that the problem isn't your actions, it's that people notice your actions and that it's you doing them is Narcissistic Abuse 101.

[–] NevermindNoMind 46 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This whole thing is unbelievably stupid. Past shutdowns were also stupid, but the Republicans shutting down the government had something they wanted (entitlement cuts, funding for the border wall, whatever). Here there is no unified demand, it's just a dozen or so Republicans who were elected to burn it all down keeping their campaign promises. So why not just ignore them? Because McCarthy will lose his speakership if he so much as thinks about a bipartisan compromise.

There's no game plan here, no options, no strategy. For the dozen holdouts, the plan is the government shuts down until Biden and Senate Dems cave and agree to slash government spending by 10%, fund the border wall, and give the middle finger to Ukraine. That's not happening, ever. And they know that, these aren't serious demands, this is just an attempt to burn it all down but disguised as a principled position on government spending. McCarthys dumb plan was to pass a super partisan continuing resolution to keep the government funded for a month, which the Senate strip it of all the conservative junk and send it back to the house, and then ??? What conservatives would accept that??? We'd be right back in the same situation we're in now. But the holdouts won't even agree to that dumb strategy.

There's a longshot where all Dems and a handful of Republicans could sign a motion to vacate forcing a clean CR onto the floor, but 1) procedurally that takes a full month to do, and 2) you need Republicans willing to sign on bucking both McCarthy and the base. Even if this scenario saves the day, the government will still shut down for a month or more, and again it's only a continuing resolution so we're back in this same clusterfuck in another 30 days after it passes.

The only realistic way out of this is McCarthy does the right thing, works with Democrats to find a bipartisan solution, and stops listening to the derangement caucus in his party. He'll probably lose the speakership, he'll probably lose it no matter what happens anyway so maybe just do the right thing?

As I'm sitting here today, it feels like we're in for a looong shutdown, not because Republicans are dug into a demand, but because they have no demands at all. You elect people to burn it all down, and that's exactly what they are going to do.

[–] Jessvj93 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yes, this is the big difference this time around, previously the threat of being blacklisted from the RNC/CPAC plus local obligations (contracts/ect) falling through. This time though we have people outside that establishment that want the government to shutdown. They want this to happen and to hurt, the only good move here is McCarthy working with Dems.

[–] SinningStromgald 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I think instead of government shutdowns from now on we should have government lockups. Congress can't come to an agreement? Everyone in Congress goes to jail till they sort it out. Bologna and cheese sandwiches on white bread with water three times a day and a 6'x8' cell for every two members of Congress.

All other government employees keep getting paid and keep doing their jobs but Congress goes jail to sort it's shit out.

Like time out for kids.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Pope selection style. Watch the smoke

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Ehh... hard for them to negotiate by yelling through cell doors, no?

I'd settle for locking them in the house floor until they've got it figured out.

[–] Iusedtobeanadventurer 3 points 1 year ago

Yo at least let them have the grape flavored "nutrient packs" while you're at it..

[–] Bytemeister 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm a fan of "if government spending is so out of control" then when you vote "no"on funding the government, the immediate action is that all of your financial privileges as a congressmen are suspended. No pay, no travel allowance, no health insurance, not even a fucking parking pass. And you stay that way until you vote yes...on the NEXT government funding bill. Put your money where your mouth is.

[–] SinningStromgald 1 points 1 year ago

They are always eager to cut funding for social programs that are not their pay or benefits. Suspicious?

[–] AlternateHeadline 28 points 1 year ago

"The people single-handedly responsible for shutting down the government - causing economic upheaval and strife - have resigned to being labelled the 'bad guys.'"

Story at 11.

[–] Ensign_Crab 17 points 1 year ago

Republicans are shutting down the government yet again because they know that they can reliably use it to extract concessions from Democrats. And Democrats keep confirming this.

[–] Sweetpeaches69 9 points 1 year ago

👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

“A government of the people, by the people, for the people” must really leave a sour aftertaste in many American mouths these days. I dont envy you guys. All the best from a European nobody.

[–] PeckerBrown 1 points 1 year ago

You had me at 'Republicans resigned', then bitterly disappointed me.