Ya know, Barry "Almighty" seems to be more than just a little confused on how this whole negotiation thing is supposed to work. And yes I know that Barry likes to play this game of politics by his rules, and his alone. So no one should have been the least bit surprised when, on Monday, Barry turned what was nothing more than a manufactured photo opportunity, into an opportunity to blast House Republicans for what he called a "manufactured crisis." How ironic, we have here the king of the manufactured crisis, accusing the Republicans of doing that which no one does better than Barry himself. Weird, don’t you think? Anyway, Barry once again demanded that the Republicans fund the government and raise the debt limit with no strings attached and without any negotiating taking place.
"Pass a budget, end the government shutdown, pay our bills and prevent an economic shutdown," Barry demanded of the Republicans. "And as soon as that happens, I am eager and ready to sit down and negotiate with Republicans on a whole range of issues." Now look, I know I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I always thought that the entire concept of negotiation required that it come BEFORE the deal, not after. I mean otherwise, doesn’t that kind of defeat the whole purpose of negotiating? And yes, I fully realize the fact that Barry thinks he’s a whole lot smarter than the rest of us, but I think this is going just a bit too far. But be that as it may, this time around Barry’s venue of choice for unloading on the Republicans was the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
We’re told that Barry was supposedly there to get some briefing on "what happened with Hurricane Karen, became Tropical Storm Karen and then fortunately dissipated, so we dodged a bullet there." He said the government shutdown has made it more difficult for them to respond to events that never even happened: "So Craig (Fugate) was just explaining to me here at FEMA, about 86 percent of the FEMA workforce is furloughed. In response to the potential event that might have happened down in Florida and along the coasts, Craig called back 200 of those workers. Keep in mind calling them back doesn't mean they were getting paid; it just means they had the privilege of working without pay to make sure that they were doing everything they can to respond to the potential needs of their fellow citizens." Blah, blah, blah.
That, I guess, then led Barry into what I suppose was to be his main point here in this obviously staged little event. Because he then went on to say, "Right now, Congress should do what's in the best interests of the economy and the American people, and that's move beyond this manufactured crisis and work together to focus on growth, jobs and providing the vital services that Americans all across the country depend on, including the services that FEMA provides." As far as I’m concerned, and I’m surprised that I’m even saying this, I think that’s exactly what I see currently being undertaken by Speaker Boehner. He is actually trying to do that which is in the best interests of our economy and to prevent, or to delay, that which will have some pretty dire economic consequences for the American people.
Look, the House Republicans have passed a number of smaller bills, 26 at last count, the purpose of which is to fund various vital services, but the Democrats have done little else but to denounce the effort as inadequate. Barry also took the opportunity to defend himself against criticism that he won't even talk to Republicans. And in what was really nothing more than another demonstration of his ability to lie through his teeth, he said, "I heard a lot of talk over the weekend that the real problem is, is that the president will not negotiate. Well, let me tell you something. I have said from the start of the year that I'm happy to talk to Republicans about anything related to the budget. There is not a subject that I am not willing to engage in, work on, negotiate and come up with common-sense compromises on." OH REALLY?
And he went on, "What I've said is that I cannot do that under the threat that if Republicans don't get a hundred percent of their way, they're going to either shut down the government or they are going to default on America's debt so that America for the first time of history does not pay its bills. That is not something I will do. We're not going to establish that pattern. We're not going to negotiate under the threat of further harm to our economy and middle-class families. We're not going to negotiate under the threat of a prolonged shutdown until Republicans get a hundred percent of what they want. We're not going to negotiate under the threat of economic catastrophe that economists and CEOs increasingly warn would result if Congress chose to default on America's obligations." Just so much bullshit!
Barry insisted that there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House to end the shutdown immediately -- "with no partisan strings attached." Barry said, "If Republicans and Speaker Boehner are saying there are not enough votes, then they should prove it. Let the bill go to the floor, and let's see what happens. Just vote. Let every member of Congress vote their conscience, and they can determine whether or not they want to shut the government down." Ok, then why is it only in the House that we must have a straight up or down vote? Why are we prevented from doing the same thing over in the Senate when it comes to anything related to Obamacare? Might Barry not be quite so confident when it comes to holding his Democrats together in a vote that would delay it or even defund it?
And while he was at it, Barry also pretty much demanded that Republicans raise the debt limit -- and end the sequester. "Pass a budget, end the government shutdown, pay our bills and prevent an economic shutdown," he told Republicans. "And as soon as that happens, I am eager and ready to sit down and negotiate with Republicans on a whole range of issues." Now if I remember correctly, this entire sequester thing was actually HIS idea. It was probably the only good one he’s had since coming into office. So if I were him, I might be tempted to leave that one alone. After all, it really wasn’t all that much money, in the big scheme of things. But hey, that’s just me. But even though it wasn’t really all that much money, to the Democrats it’s still something that we can’t afford to cut. It must be spent!
Finally, have you ever noticed, and I’m sure that you have, how it is that whenever the Republicans finally work up the nerve to play a little political hardball, in the same manner that Democrats always do, they’re always accused of, somehow, playing dirty, or of being against the little guy? And even though it’s the Democrats who have done far more to hurt that very same little guy, because their motives are always seen as being so pure, their behavior is seen as being nothing more than the nasty, but necessary, business of politics. I suppose that it’s just another example of what we can all chalk up to as being that same old double standard than always comes into play. But this time around, we cannot allow ourselves to be bullied into backing down. Not this time, the stakes are just way too high.
No comments:
Post a Comment