The United States is hours away from a supposed government shutdown. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) reports that the Senate Dems have just sent House Speaker Boehner's 'compromise' plan back to the House. The Republicans seem determined to hold all gov't funding hostage until they can defund the Affordable Healthcare Act, or at least delay it for another year. This refusal to debate the healthcare bill sends a message to the Republicans: that their prime legislation is off the table. Will the Republicans get the message? Probably not.
Why do they want to delay the President Obama's signature legislation until 2014? because 2014 is a midterm election year and they are hoping to regain control of the Senate so they can gut the healthcare bill themselves.
And, how will the Republicans regain control of the Senate? The obviously don't have the numbers behind them in voter support. We have seen poll after poll on waning Republican support. The Republicans win because they have rigged the voting system to suppress minorities. The Supreme Court took out a critical part of President Johnson's Voting Right's Act earlier this year to make it easier for state gov'ts to enact their own voter suppression laws. It was revealed after the 2012 elections that most Republicans in the House kept their seats only through gerrymandering. The point is that the Republican party is so bought that they can't win an election on merit anymore; it is much easier for them to take their opponents' votes.
That is why it is important for every American citizen to vote in November 2014. If the country had a 100% voter turnout, those 'anti-New Deal' Republicans and Tea-baggers in the House would be gone, replaced with representatives that citizens actually want. But, if you are discouraged from voting for any reason (the lines are too long, I'm just one person, I have better things to do, etc.), you are fulfilling someone else's plan to suppress the votes. Your vote cannot and should not be taken from you and it is the strongest tool you have against the anti-democratic forces that have nearly succeeded in transforming this country into an oligarchy.
If the Republican party force a shutdown of gov't funding, one good thing may come of the coming recession: a national epiphany among Americans and millions of pointed fingers aimed at the Republicans who were willing to send the country into another financial crisis because they are so against the idea of Americans obtaining affordable healthcare. It seems that the Democrats are aware of this, which is why they are holding the winning cards right now. Lets hope they don't cave.
The Republican party is essentially playing Russian roulette. The twist is that no one else is playing.