General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP leaders fight amongst themselves over shutdown scheme
Posted with permission.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/08/12/19988817-gop-leaders-fight-amongst-themselves-over-shutdown-scheme?lite
GOP leaders fight amongst themselves over shutdown scheme
By Steve Benen
-
Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:00 AM EDT
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spent yet another weekend openly mocking congressional Republicans for failing to follow his lead -- he wants a government shutdown unless Democrats agree to defund the federal health care system, and the Texas Republican is furious he doesn't have more establishment allies.
Party elders, by one account, are "increasingly concerned -- alarmed, even -- by" the effort, which has split Republicans into two powerful but divided camps.
Ordinarily, this is the point at which GOP leaders would intervene, take sides, and take steps to resolve the intra-party fight. But in this case, leading Republicans -- House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- have sat on their hands and said nothing, refusing to even state an opinion.
It fell to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to throw some cold water on the shutdown scheme in comments to National Review.
"Repealing Obamacare remains the goal," Cantor said, "as is doing everything we can to protect people from its harmful effects here and now, like delaying the mandate for people, not just big business." But for the moment, connecting government funding to that effort isn't likely part of his plan.
The language is a little clunky, but Cantor apparently believes there aren't enough votes for defunding or repealing the Affordable Care Act, so there's no real point to shutting down the government.
And immediately after Cantor said this, the chairman of the Republican National Committee said largely the opposite.
Greg Sargent flagged Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus making these comments on one of the Sunday shows.
"So Mr. President, if you want to shut the government down because you want to continue to fund this monstrosity that you've already admit is half broken, then go ahead."
So, on Friday, the House Majority Leader says Republicans don't really intend to shut down the government, and on Sunday, the head of the RNC says if Republicans shut down the government, it's the White House's fault for not meeting Republican demands.
It's a good thing the GOP has its act together, isn't it?
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,442 posts)but alleged "Democratic" posters attacking a Democratic President on a Democratic website, and that not only fills up the GD 1st page, but fills up the DU front page.
K&R
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)in public - on TV