Don’t fall prey to ‘both sides-ism’: Republicans are to blame for government shutdown

[UCmeNdc]

Indeed, the debate happening in Washington right now is not even between Democrats and Republicans. It’s not even about the deficit, or the budget, or government spending priorities. Rather, it is one strictly occurring between Republicans who are trying to find some magic bullet to destroy “Obamacare” – the country’s fiscal health be damned.

In the House of Representatives, bills that would allow the government to continue to operate were amended with provisions defunding or delaying Obamacare. This is, for Democrats, a nonstarter. The reason is obvious: the Affordable Care Act is the president’s signature achievement and he is not going to sign a bill that undoes or even delays it.

Nor should he. Obamacare is the law of the land. It was passed by Congress, signed by the president, upheld by the US supreme court, and it is already going into effect. There is no reason for President Obama to be cowed by such legislative extortion.

Yet, rather than accept the reality of Obamacare, Republicans are using the prospect of a government shutdown and/or a default on the nation’s debt to try to stop it.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/30/dont-fall-prey-to-both-sides-ism-republicans-are-to-blame-for-government-shutdown/

The GOP knows Obamacare will help the middle class.

[Tigress DEM]

1. It's a TEABAGGER FIASCO is what it is.

Rethugs learned back in '95 not to play this game.

They got their butts handed to them after doing this to Clinton and it's going to be an even bigger loss for them this time.

GET OUT THE VOTE and / or BECOME AN ELECTION JUDGE TO MAKE SURE VOTES GET COUNTED.

[Dawson Leery]

2. The teakooks are behind this assault.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. It's what the Corporate Media does. LIE. With impunity.

[Igel]

4. The President has already delayed part of it.

The part that would have affected businesses. With scant legal cover, as well--the law says it is to go into effect. But rather like Jackson's attitude towards SCOTUS' decision, Obama's attitude is that if Congress wants it to go into effect they can damned well implement it themselves. Then again, that was a long time ago when the SCOTUS wasn't as strong as now.

The problem is that the defense of his "signature achievement" is also the government shutdown. Takes two to keep the process from working. Demand no delay, get a shutdown. Demand a delay, get a shutdown.

He refuses to allow the 2008 election to be refought because elections have consequences. Then again, the current mess is the result of the 2010 and 2012 elections and elections have consequences.

As for the ACA being the law of the land, as though that makes it somehow sacred, so's the War on Drugs. There should be no demands to undo something that's passed by Congress, signed by the President, upheld by the US surpreme court, and which has long since gone into effect.

The rhetoric also seems to say that the House's job is just to pass budgets that are wanted by the Senate and the President. That's rather like saying that the President should never veto a bill because his job is to sign bills passed by Congress.

It's a mess. Motivated reasoning won't help work through the logic.