There has been a lot of talk from both political parties that a government shutdown is on its way. The Republicans have owned the issue of the budget this year by promising to strip it down. If the Senate does not pass a bill to their liking, and if Obama does not sign it, then they are ready and willing to let the government shutdown, or at least so they say.
This is not too dissimilar from the actions of the Republicans in 1995 at which time they were led by Newt Gingrich (who exactly leads the Republican party now is another discussion entirely). At that time the Republicans did initiate a government shutdown which turned out to be a moronic move, one which allowed Clinton to win in the 1996 elections. The actions of the Republican party, and Gingrich in particular, looked childish, especially after Gingrich made the ridiculous comment that he was angry the president made him sit in the back of Air Force One.
Considering that Newt is having something of a resurgence lately anyone could be forgiven for thinking the Republicans might discuss how a government shutdown is an ill-conceived idea. Apparently this is not the case as just today, GOP members are saying that a shutdown is likely. Are they not aware that the public will see them as responsible for a shutdown that will cut off funds from government workers? Or are they banking on the public deciding to blame Obama for everything and let them off scot free?
I remain uncertain that the Republicans will actually go for a shutdown but if the Democrats are politically smart, something they have not been as of late, then they will not fall for the Republicans’ bluff and see if this new batch of Republicans and tea partiers are willing to go as far as they claim.
There does remain one problem, however. During all this talk of a possible government shutdown what is noticeably left out of the conversation is the economic impact it would have on our economy which is just starting to recover. The economy of the 1990s was a lot more sound, at least on the surface, than it is now so to expect a shutdown to affect the economy in the same fashion as the one in 1995 did is a mistake. I do not like to make disastrous predictions, most of the predictions made in 2008 about the economy destroying itself turned out to be false, but I think it goes without saying that a shutdown of the government would grind our economy to a halt and also bring down the morale of an already demoralized America. I wonder if even this new wave of supposedly fiscally responsible Republicans would dare take the risk of being responsible for a setback in America’s recovery. Sure, some of the more loony ones, like Rand Paul, would be for shutting down the government but most of the new members of congress do not lack that much self-awareness. Hopefully the Republicans will see that they must reach a deal on the budget for the good of their party.
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