Right now the Republicans, both in the House and the rank and file voters, are seeing Democrats worried, complaining, being negative. We are expressing our dislike and fear of the shutdown.
This means that they have leverage.
So how to be positive, make them worry, end their leverage? Below the fold.
So given the damage already done to the economy, and to real people (children not getting food, cancer patients dying, etc.) it is hard, and maybe heartless, to try to celebrate, to put on our collective Pollyanna faces. But if it ends the shutdown sooner, we are doing it for those people being hurt by the Republicans...
Think about what the Republicans want, especially the ones behind the shutdown. We need to attack their confidence, even as we project our own. They have a few goals. Obamacare is a goal for election reasons. Election goals are in pursuit of budget goals. At the end of the day, all of this is to make sure that the federal government shrinks, except for the military.
Solution, crow about how great the shutdown will be for our house chances. Brag to any Teabagger you know that with the shutdown the Democrats will win the house, and in 2014 we will have a budget that restores every dollar of spending cuts from the sequester and other tricks, but will still be balanced by a combination of tax increases on millionaires and cuts to military spending.
If they believe you, they will start to wonder if you are right. If they think you might be right, they will be trying to end this as soon as possible. There are enough people in the know who can see how the house won the budget already, the CR is basically a Rand Paul budget. Make them think about throwing all that away for whatever they can get from a shutdown???