Seems we have quite an argument going here on DU regarding the faction
that is willing to raise the questions of sedition, treason, dereliction of duty,
blackmail, sabotage, etc. and whatever else that describes the actions
of a minority faction within the Republican party that has convinced
the Speaker of the House to refuse to bring a clean CR to the floor
to approve the budget AND the group that says, "oh, no!"
it's not sedition, treason, etc., it's just the political process
and everyone needs to back off the rhetoric. Indeed, it has
come to name calling (I alerted last night on one post
that called anyone agreeing with the sedition position
an imbecile and ignorant--and the jury voted 4-2 to HIDE
the post).

So. I think we all agree that the government shut-down is NOT a good thing.
The looming deficit ceiling showdown is NOT a good thing. And I come back
to my thread title, "You do not negotiate with terrorists and you do not play
nice with bullies." I doubt anyone would agree that the appropriate
action for a pilot who discovers a hijacker aboard who has threatened
to crash the plane unless he gets his way would be for the pilot to go back and have a conversation
with the hijacker.

There is a definite benefit to FRAMING this discussion. Regardless of whether
the Attorney General would ever file any charges that would stick--or
result in the Tea party politician gang behind this mess being brought to trial--I believe there is value to
raising the issue of describing these actions as not supportive of the Constitution of the United States.

There is a battle going on here. The intent of this gang is to tilt the balance of power among
the branches of government way over to a minority faction within one branch of government.
This is not right. And there is nothing wrong with metaphorically identifying the actions
of this gang as blackmail, extortion, or hostage taking.

Are the actions of the Tea Party gang supportive of the Constitution of the United States?
If the answer is "no", then let the chips fall where they may.

Get ready to write LTTE --especially in red states--as folks in the
red states where Republican Governors/Legislatures refused to allow
Medicaid expansion or open state exchanges are now seeing people
furious over the rate increases on their insurance plans--all blamed
on Obamacare, of course.

I opened our local paper (Raleigh News&Observer) this morning to see a bunch of letters from
people complaining about their existing plans being canceled and their rates raised. So,
I fired off a LTTE:

It was disturbing to read the number of letters to the editor regarding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) from people who have seen their insurance premiums dramatically raised by their insurance carriers (primarily BCBS). However, what is more disturbing is the lack of reporting from the News & Observer explaining why this has happened in North Carolina at the same time in many other states across the country people are overjoyed to discover that, not only can they finally find health insurance, but that it is extremely affordable. The NC Insurance Commissioner, Wayne Godwin, has been happy to explain it: thank the GOP in NC for rejecting the expansion of Medicaid, refusing to set up a state exchange to sell insurance and also passing a law which forbid the Department of Insurance from helping citizens to understand the ACA and recruit insurance carriers to a state exchange which would result in increased competition (and lower rates). I'm sure the Republicans are snickering all the way to the bank on this. Surely the irony has not escaped them: blame it on Obamacare and watch profits rise.



And how did I know what the Insurance Commissioner had said? Thanks to this interview (found on my fb news feed)

http://www.politicsnc.com/to-spite-your-face/


So, get ready to counter the complaints that you are bound to see in the red states that refused to expand Medicaid or
run a state exchange.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

The state actually went for Obama in 2008--first time voted for Dem presidential
candidate since Jimmy Carter.

All the Dems stayed home in 2010 and the Repubs in the State legislature took over.
Gerrymandered districts.

In 2012 MORE NC voters voted for Dem Representatives, but because of the gerrymandering,
the House delegation which had been split 7 Dem 6 Repub, became 9 Repub 4 Dem--EVEN
THOUGH MORE people voted Dem in House Rep races.


North Carolina provides a striking example. The state’s congressional vote and delegation had usually split closely in the decade since 2002. In 2010, for example, the House delegation was 7 to 6 Democratic. After the 2011 gerrymandering however, the results no longer reflected the state’s fairly even partisan split. In 2012, the Democrats won more congressional votes than the Republicans, 50 percent to 48.9 percent, but the new gerrymandering gave the GOP a 9 to 4 congressional majority.

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/07/14/democrats-its-the-states-stupid/

Wow. I love this guy. He's been around a long time and haven't heard much
from him lately on the national scene.

So I'm sitting at the nail shop (an extravagance, what can I say) having a pedicure.
They have two flat screens on the wall tuned to CNN with the closed captioning on
during the Ashleigh what's her name show. (I never watch CNN at home.)

I started paying attention when I recognized McDermott. And I was THRILLED to
see him not only say...more than once...that Boehner was not telling the truth,
but also talk about the threat to the Constitution--and the process it lays out--
which I was jumping up and down about yesterday.

Here's the statement on his webpage:

McDermott to House GOP: You Ought to Be Ashamed

WASHINGTON, DC – After the Republicans’ failure to pass a “clean” Continuing Resolution last night, resulting in a government shutdown, Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) released the following statement:

“For a party that claims to love the Constitution, Republicans have no problem throwing it out when it doesn’t suit them. This is not how bills are passed or repealed.

“The Affordable Care Act has sailed through the checks and balances this country is founded upon: it passed both Houses, was signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court. For one party, in one branch of Congress, to hold this country hostage in order to override that Constitutional process—disrupting the lives of federal workers and the American people who depend on their services—is unconscionable.

“The GOP leadership and its rabid fringe ought to be ashamed of this failure of governance.”

http://mcdermott.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=710:mcdermott-to-house-gop-you-ought-to-be-ashamed-&catid=25:press-releases&Itemid=20

He went further than the statement, in the interview on CNN. He stopped just short of putting together the fact that these Repubs are not following the Constitution, which they took an Oath of Office to uphold.

I would love to see more Dems pounding home this point. This is NOT about negotiating or discussing or talking together...this is about an attempt by one faction of one party to subvert the democratic process.

and raised the question of whether the Tea Party Reps and Boehner could be charged
with sedition. I'd love for any DU'ers who are lawyers to chime in on this idea.


Here's what I said:

Mr. President:

I am writing to let you know that I stand with you regarding the implementation of the ACA. It is law. Although my husband (a psychiatrist) and I, a retired hospital administrator, would have preferred to see a single payer system, we are appreciative of many of the provisions of the ACA, particularly the result that so many thousands of Americans will now have access to health insurance.

However, I believe the Republican action to shut down the US Government is not about provisions of the ACA. That is just an excuse for them. I do believe the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party is out to destroy our system of government. And that cannot be allowed to happen. The men and women who are behind the votes to shut down the government took an oath when they were sworn into office--an oath to protect and defend The Constitution of the United States. I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me that the actions of this gang are intended to cripple the United States and to tilt the balance of power between the branches of government way over in favor of a minority of individuals in the House of Representatives. That is not right, it is not proper, and it must stop. Again, I am not a lawyer, but I wonder whether a case could be made by the Attorney General charging these out of control Tea Party Representatives--and House Speaker Boehner-- with sedition. I am quite serious. They have taken their ideological differences with you beyond the realm of reason and are flirting with terrorism. Our enemies do not have to come from beyond our borders. They do not have to blow things up. They just have to be out to rebel against the authority of the state--and the disrespect they have demonstrated regarding the ACA as law sure seems to qualify, along with their refusal to do the jobs they were elected to do by working with the Senate to enact a budget.

Throw the book at them, Mr. President. Just throw the book at them. You have my full support.

Respectfully,

I think it will be important to watch the news media to see where the blame is assigned for the shutdown.


WASHINGTON — For the first time in nearly two decades, the federal government staggered into a partial shutdown early Tuesday morning after congressional Republicans stubbornly demanded changes in the nation's health care law as the price for essential federal funding

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/30/3241464/health-law-challenge-threatens.html#storylink=cpy


Right up front on the front page--there it is--blame laid at the feet of Republicans.


Please chime in with quotes from your local print media to see how this will be treated.