Obama And Dems Are As Responsible For Government Shutdown

[Romero]

The AHA may be a law but most of its funding comes from new taxes and cuts in Medicare and Medicaid spending.

That's right, the funding of Obamacare has already been looked after. There is no extra funding for Obamacare in the Continuing Resolution. The Senate-passed budget is the same amount as the Paul Ryan budget.



So, this has all been about the Republicans holding the American economy and people hostage because they can't accept Obamacare is happening. They couldn't defund or repeal Obamacare 41 times so they're throwing a tantrum and holding a gun to America's head.



35 million Americans will now finally receive the health care they sorely need. What kind of sickos would want to take health care away from tens millions of people?

[Obvious Li]

sorry to once again point out the many holes in your logic homy but here are just two......

1. this whole white elephant regarding 40 million americans not having health coverage is just that...nonsense. When i ran companies in the USA a LOT of my employees who were single or under 30 CHOSE to not purchase health care....like all young people they thought they were invincible and would rather spend $250/mo on a car payment than towards purchasing health care...the poor, black,crippled,gay old people you are so concerned about are already covered under medicaid



2. what we are now seeing across the board is that companies with more than 50 employees are making most new positions part time or casual to avoid the new substantial obamacare premiums....another unintended consequence of government interference in the marketplace that the leftards never seem to forsee....but invariably happens. Thanks alot Obama for my new part time job along with the increase in taxes and debt which must invariably follow....



there are a million other things wrong with this enforced government destruction of the best health care system in the world but just a couple of examples of the lefts climate warming logic being brought to bear in the health arena......pretty soon their system will be as bad as ours and then you Huff and puff devotees will have something to celebrate....

[Romero]

There are around 50 million Americans uninsured. Now they'll be able to afford the health care they need and deserve. People with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied. How unreal that the people who needed health care the most weren't allowed to have it.



$250/month is a lot for people who don't have much money. It can cost around $1,000/month or more for families. It'll be a lot less expensive with Obamacare. Tens of thousands have already found out they can afford it now.



Yes, some profitable companies are trying to screw over their workers. No surprise. Most won't.



As bad as ours? We have one of the greatest and most inexpensive health care systems on Earth.



Time for the US to join the rest of the developed world.

[Anonymous]

Obama has said he would change the name of the Washington Redskins if he was the owner. Glad to see he has his priorities in order with the government shutdown. I wonder if this is what the cabinet member who said the WH doesn't care how long this goes on meant by we are winning.

[Romero]

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) on Monday echoed Peter King's (R-NY) statement that the person to blame for the current government shutdown is Texas Senator Ted Cruz.



"If I had to cast blame anywhere, I would say it was Sen. Cruz and those who insisted upon this tactic that we all knew was not going to succeed," Dent told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.



"What he did essentially, Sen. Cruz, basically, he took a lot of folks into the ditch. Now that we're in the ditch, you can't get out of the ditch, the senator has no plan to get out of the ditch, those of us who do have a plan to get out of the ditch and will vote to get out of the ditch will then be criticized by those who put us in the ditch in the first place."



Dent also challenged House Speaker John Boehner's assertion that there aren't enough votes to pass a "clean" continuing resolution to fund the government, saying "I believe there are the votes to pass a clean CR."



Earlier this afternoon, Obama issued Boehner the same challenge. "Hold a vote," the president said. "Call a vote right now. Let's see what happens. If Republicans and Speaker Boehner are saying there aren't enough votes, then they should prove it. Let the bill go to the floor and let's see what happens. Just vote."



On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested that Boehner's afraid such a vote would actually pass, as almost 20 Republicans, including Rep. Dent, have agreed to support it.



http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/07/republican-rep-dent-ted-cruz-put-us-in-a-ditch-without-a-plan-to-get-out/">//http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/07/republican-rep-dent-ted-cruz-put-us-in-a-ditch-without-a-plan-to-get-out/

[Anonymous]

Obama and the Dems could end this partial shutdown by negotiating with the other side. Whay aren't they doing that? It's not in their interests to do that....for now.

Rep. Nunes: Democratic congressmen tell me privately they want to prolong shutdown

Two days into the government shutdown in Washington, D.C., and there is still no end in sight.



The good news: Both sides actually met at the White House Wednesday. The bad news: All they did was butt heads.



Many right wing Republicans seem to have all their chips on defunding the Affordable Health Act, so-called Obamacare, and are refusing to budge.



Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, who said the shutdown is bad for the GOP and has publicly criticized his party for what he calls a "silly" strategy, said the shutdown gives Democrats a political advantage.



"The Democrats are giddy about this behind closed doors. I mean, they think that this is going to give (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi back the gavel," said Nunes. "They're very cocky, very confident."



"They want to continue this. They want to keep the government shut down as long as they can. They're encouraging our folks to do it," said Nunes.



Nunes said his colleagues from across the aisle have privately told him that Democrats want to keep the government shut down.



Yes, said Nunes, Democrats are speaking "tongue in cheek. But I mean, look, Democrats believe in big government, no question. But this is benefiting them politically."

http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/03/rep-nunes-democratic-congressmen-tell-me-privately-they-want-to-prolong-shutdown/">http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/03 ... -shutdown/">http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/03/rep-nunes-democratic-congressmen-tell-me-privately-they-want-to-prolong-shutdown/

[Romero]

Again with the "somebody told me" and "behind closed doors"? Where are the names? Where are the actual quotes?



Oh, wait - it's "tongue in cheek" and "this is what I personally think the Democrats believe."



"In other news, a 'friend', who wishes not to be named, told the National Enquirer that Brad Pitt has a massive drug problem."



All we need to do is look at who voted for the shutdown. It was the Republicans. They voted 'no' to keeping the government open, plain and simple.



They have negotiated. "Get rid of Obamacare" is not a compromise. Imagine if the Dems had insisted on raising taxes on the wealthy or they would shut down the government. We'd know who to blame and we know who to blame now. Even many Republicans agree they're to blame.



It's benefiting the Democrats alright. The Republicans are at war with each other and the American people are against this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

^^Romero, we're not talking about the Jackie Chan death hoax here or National Enquirer rumours. The story first appeared in The Wall Street Journal. It was most likely a cabinet member. It makes perfect sense too as the Dems feel they have the most to gain from this partial shutdown.



If Obama was serious about ending it he would immediately enter into negotiations like a REAL leader. It is simply not in his interests. If it drags on though his gamble will start to crumble as the public will demand he negotiate with the other side.



What are you anyway? Some partisan Obama PR man? He could end this if he really wanted to.

[Romero]

They have negotiated and compromised. The Senate-passed Continuing Resolution was negotiated and compromised to the Republican's very own budget level, and includes continuing the sequester. The Democrats originally wanted a higher budget and an end to the sequester. That's compromise. Republicans got exactly what they wanted, then demanded more - they wanted Obamacare gone too.



Why would Obama agree to that? He was re-elected in part for it, it passed the House and Senate and it was ruled constitutional. Not to mention millions of Americans desperately need the same kind of basic health care we enjoy in the rest of the developed world. I wouldn't want to take health care away from millions of Americans. Would you?  



They've tried to defund Obamacare 41 times and failed each time. Democracy, process and the courts didn't work so now they're holding the entire economy and the American people hostage. Like most Americans and even many Republicans, I'm against this nonsense that the Tea Party is trying to pull.

[Anonymous]

^^ President Obama is sitting out one of the most important policy struggles since he entered the White House. With the government shutdown, it has reached the crisis stage. His statement about the shutdown on Tuesday from the White House Rose Garden was more a case of kibitzing than leading. He still refuses to take charge. He won't negotiate with Republicans, though the fate of ObamaCare, funding of the government and the future of the economic recovery are at stake. He insists on staying on the sidelines—well, almost.



Mr. Obama has rejected conciliation and compromise with Republicans. Instead, he attacks them in sharp, partisan language in speech after speech. His approach—dealing with a deadlock by not dealing with it—is unprecedented. He has gone where no president has gone before.



Can anyone imagine an American president—from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan, from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton—doing this? Of course not. They didn't see presidential leadership as optional. For them and nearly every other president, it was mandatory. It was part of the job, the biggest part.



Obama could at least try to end this by at least talking with Boehner and co, but he won't. It's not in his interests. Boehner wants to talk, so come on Obama and Reid show some leadership.

[Romero]

^^ President Obama is sitting out one of the most important policy struggles since he entered the White House. With the government shutdown, it has reached the crisis stage. His statement about the shutdown on Tuesday from the White House Rose Garden was more a case of kibitzing than leading. He still refuses to take charge. He won't negotiate with Republicans, though the fate of ObamaCare, funding of the government and the future of the economic recovery are at stake. He insists on staying on the sidelines—well, almost.



Mr. Obama has rejected conciliation and compromise with Republicans. Instead, he attacks them in sharp, partisan language in speech after speech. His approach—dealing with a deadlock by not dealing with it—is unprecedented. He has gone where no president has gone before.



Can anyone imagine an American president—from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan, from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton—doing this? Of course not. They didn't see presidential leadership as optional. For them and nearly every other president, it was mandatory. It was part of the job, the biggest part.



Obama could at least try to end this by at least talking with Boehner and co, but he won't. It's not in his interests. Boehner wants to talk, so come on Obama and Reid show some leadership.

It's a fact that the Democrats have negotiated and compromised. It's a fact that they've let go of what they originally wanted and agreed to the Republican's budget and continuing the sequester. It's on record. Democrats wanted more and agreed to less.



Did you know that Obamacare is actually based on Romneycare? It's been working very well in Massachusetts.

Health Care Reform Works in Massachusetts and It Will Work in America



by Governor Deval Patrick



As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) takes effect this month, it might be helpful for people to know how its prototype in Massachusetts is working, after nearly seven years.



Virtually every resident in the Commonwealth is insured. More private companies offer insurance to their employees than ever before. Over 90 percent of our residents have a primary care physician. Primary care is less likely to be delivered in expensive emergency rooms. Preventive care is up. Health disparities are down among women, minorities and low-income people. Most importantly, on many measures, we are healthier.



As the ACA is implemented this month, the entire country will begin to enjoy the benefits that we have seen from health care reform here in Massachusetts, and much more. Small businesses benefit from the ACA through new tax credits that make health insurance more affordable. With more carriers and plans to choose from, there is a more competitive rate-setting environment. People with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied insurance. People who get really sick can no longer be kicked off their insurance. And kids can stay on their parents' plans a bit longer, until they can get their own.



Tea Party Republicans don't want the Affordable Care Act. Do they really mean they don't want these kinds of improvements in the lives of millions of Americans? I don't think so. Would they rather we address these issues with a government program instead of through the market-based, individual choices that are the framework of the ACA? I don't think that's true either. Have they proposed an alternative way to accomplish these goals? Nope. Despite a presidential election, a decision by the United States Supreme Court, and over 40 failed repeal attempts, it's clear that what Tea Party Republicans don't like about Obamacare is the "Obama" part of it.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gov-deval-patrick/massachusetts-health-care-reform-law_b_4057633.html">//http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gov-deval-patrick/massachusetts-health-care-reform-law_b_4057633.html

I think we may both agree on what this really comes down to. Tea Party and other Republicans want to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, and Democrats won't give it up.

[Romero]

Surprise, surprise...

A Crisis Months in the Planning



Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama's health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan.



Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed "http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/ryanriebe/joint-letter-on-sequester-savings">blueprint to defunding Obamacare," signed by Mr. Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups.



It articulated a take-no-prisoners legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles: that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans — including their cautious leaders — into cutting off financing for the entire federal government.



Last week the country witnessed the fallout from that strategy: a standoff that has shuttered much of the federal bureaucracy and unsettled the nation.



A defunding "tool kit" created in early September included talking points for the question, "What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed for it?" The suggested answer was the one House Republicans give today: "We are simply calling to fund the entire government except for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare."



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&">//http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&

[Anonymous]

Obama's refusal to negotiate is not sustainable and shows an incredible dereliction of duty for a leader.

[Renee]

Surprise, surprise...

A Crisis Months in the Planning



Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama's health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan.



Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed "http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/ryanriebe/joint-letter-on-sequester-savings">blueprint to defunding Obamacare," signed by Mr. Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups.



It articulated a take-no-prisoners legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles: that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans — including their cautious leaders — into cutting off financing for the entire federal government.



Last week the country witnessed the fallout from that strategy: a standoff that has shuttered much of the federal bureaucracy and unsettled the nation.



A defunding "tool kit" created in early September included talking points for the question, "What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed for it?" The suggested answer was the one House Republicans give today: "We are simply calling to fund the entire government except for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare."



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&">//http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&

Wow, did you JUST find out that important political strategies AREN'T hatched in the spur of the moment?  

[Romero]

Surprise, surprise...

A Crisis Months in the Planning



Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama's health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan.



Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed "http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/ryanriebe/joint-letter-on-sequester-savings">blueprint to defunding Obamacare," signed by Mr. Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups.



It articulated a take-no-prisoners legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles: that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans — including their cautious leaders — into cutting off financing for the entire federal government.



Last week the country witnessed the fallout from that strategy: a standoff that has shuttered much of the federal bureaucracy and unsettled the nation.



A defunding "tool kit" created in early September included talking points for the question, "What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed for it?" The suggested answer was the one House Republicans give today: "We are simply calling to fund the entire government except for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare."



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&">//http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html?_r=1&

Wow, did you JUST find out that important political strategies AREN'T hatched in the spur of the moment?  

Thanks, Renee! I appreciate it. More:

On the budget impasse, the speaker acknowledged that in July he had gone to the Senate majority leader Harry Reid, and offered to have the House pass a clean financing resolution. His proposal would have set spending levels $70 billion lower than Democrats wanted, but would have had no contentious add-ons like changing the health care law.



Democrats accepted, but they say that Mr. Boehner then reneged under pressure from Tea Party conservatives.



"I and my members decided the threat of Obamacare" was so great, Mr. Boehner said, "that it was time for us to take a stand. And we took a stand."



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/us/politics/obama-aide-urges-lawmakers-to-raise-debt-ceiling.html?_r=0">//http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/us/politics/obama-aide-urges-lawmakers-to-raise-debt-ceiling.html?_r=0

 So enough with the "Obama won't negotiate or compromise" crap. Democrats had agreed to everything Republicans wanted.



Boehner and the Republicans are lying. It couldn't be any more clear and obvious. They were more than willing to shut down the government.



And now Republicans are saying defaulting isn't a big deal. Nothing to worry about.



Remember that when it happens.