Congress threatening to shutdown unless ACA is defunded/repealed immediately.

[Kyreth]

Eh we're already boned, we may as well just get the default over with so that I can get started on putting together my dystopian future motorcycle gang

http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/wp...2013-09-30.jpg

As we speak, they're attempting another bit of parlimentary jiggery to try and get a compromise through. We'll see.

[ringthree]

The Reid and McConnel plan is done and should be released in the next hour. Word is Boehner said he's done putting up hurdles

If house votes first there is a chance this shit is signed by Barry tonight.

Yeah, looks like this will finally go through. I was shitting my pants there for a while. Boehner has earned the smallest smidgen of respect from me for blinking.

The real question is the political fall out. If the tea party goes ballistic then it will be awesome. The reason Clinton got so popular after this happened the last time was because there were two shutdowns. The first it was kinda a split decision against the Republicans, the second time it was a crush for Clinton. Normal (non-Tea Party) Americans HATE rehashing shit like this. It puts Obama in the driver seat and pretty much means that Republicans will get nothing out of the next budget negotiation. They have pretty much fucked themselves for the rest of Obama's term.

[tyven]

Lul there has been a delay. Guess it's nothing major but they still aren't in agreement on sequester cuts. Not a deal breaker

House will indeed vote first. Can't wait to see if Cruz tries to filibuster tonight.

[Waraji]

House will indeed vote first. Can't wait to see if Cruz tries to filibuster tonight.

Any chance anyone will know his name after this? Let alone any chance at anything but a marginal political career, as the Tea Party crew seems to be on their way out the door. Really hate this guy, and Rubio.

[ringthree]

Any chance anyone will know his name after this? Let alone any chance at anything but a marginal political career, as the Tea Party crew seems to be on their way out the door. Really hate this guy, and Rubio.

A significant number of Tea Party reps are now essentially locked in for 10 years, and likely beyond that because of redistricting in 2010.

[kuronosan]

I despise Marco Rubio. Such an obviously fake pile of shit.

[Quicklet]

I don't see how enough republicans would go along with Cruz to let him filibuster. Also, isn't the point of having the House vote first is so that the Senate can fast-track it and avoid having a 30-hour delay if Cruz wants to be an asshole and hold things up?

[Niiro]

I hope the Murican voters kick every single one of those assholes out when they're up for re-election.

Ha, nono, you can expect the same 90%+ incumbency as per normal.

Not that voting them out would make any difference anyway, their replacement would behave no differently.

[Blubbartron]

Ha, nono, you can expect the same 90%+ incumbency as per normal.

Not that voting them out would make any difference anyway, their replacement would behave no differently.

Truth. Relevant video that I've seen shared on Facebook (shockingly, from a super conservative, not terribly bright, friend of mine):

[octopus]

Note that the video is from 2011, but yes it's quite relevant to our problems right now.

[ringthree]

That dude is completely delusional. He is blaming Obama for unlimited campaign contributions? That is just retarded. The president has ZERO control over it. This dude is all over the place. He wants infrastructure, but blames Obama for everything?

[Niiro]

Did we watch the same video?

He's focusing on the actual issue (congress) and proposing that initiative from the president is one of the few ways to go about dealing with the problem directly.

I didn't get any impression that he was criticizing Obama specifically, the problem is institutional, it's relevant to any presidency or congress.

[Waraji]

That's probably why what he's saying is relevant still. That video gets posted here a lot.

[ringthree]

Did we watch the same video?

He's focusing on the actual issue (congress) and proposing that initiative from the president is one of the few ways to go about dealing with the problem directly.

I didn't get any impression that he was criticizing Obama specifically, the problem is institutional, it's relevant to any presidency or congress.

On multiple occasions he said the problem was one person, Obama, and when the conservative guest tried to correct him and say everyone he said, no it was just one person.

Also, screaming while dramatic, is just so much bluster. We should know that by now. He was blaming "everyone" and by everyone he meant Obama.

[archibaldcrane]

Money in congress is a constitutional issue. Without an amendment, no legislation matters. However, Republican intransigence is not out of fear of losing funding, it's out of fear of being primaried by Tea Party republicans - the normal ways a party keeps unit cohesion are failing for the Republican party right now. That's partly because of the new "second source" of funding that the Tea Party taps into (individual billionaires and rich old republican men who want influence, as opposed to big business), but this guy's ranting about "extraction" without defining it is particularly unhelpful.

[Niiro]

On multiple occasions he said the problem was one person, Obama, and when the conservative guest tried to correct him and say everyone he said, no it was just one person.

Also, screaming while dramatic, is just so much bluster. We should know that by now. He was blaming "everyone" and by everyone he meant Obama.

I think you're misreading a lot of his message and intent. Don't let the screaming mislead you, this is a guy who gave up his career in political journalism because he just came to accept the futility of it all and wanted to do something that actually mattered (they had a piece on the Daily Show about him, he works in hydroponic farming development and helping employ military veterans now).

His criticism of Obama was criticism of the office, or any president going along with the current system.

[ringthree]

I think you're misreading a lot of his message and intent. Don't let the screaming mislead you, this is a guy who gave up his career in political journalism because he just came to accept the futility of it all and wanted to do something that actually mattered (they had a piece on the Daily Show about him, he works in hydroponic farming development and helping employ military veterans now).

His criticism of Obama was criticism of the office, or any president going along with the current system.

I disagree. /shrug It's an appeal to populism.

If I want "reasonable Republican" I will go back to watching Morning Joe.

[tyven]

I don't see how enough republicans would go along with Cruz to let him filibuster. Also, isn't the point of having the House vote first is so that the Senate can fast-track it and avoid having a 30-hour delay if Cruz wants to be an asshole and hold things up?

House voting first means only 1 opportunity for a 30 hour delay instead of 2

[ringthree]

House voting first means only 1 opportunity for a 30 hour delay instead of 2

Cruz has already said that he will stand down. Does that mean anything? We will see.

[Drex]

What a surprise, create 3 weeks of drama, hammer out some backroom deal at the last minute. Then MURICANS go "YAY, THEY DID IT" then they proceed to vote in these same idiots over and over again instead of ousting all of them on both sides of the political discourse.

govt works most smoothly in "backroom dealing". it's when media starts jamming cameras in everyone's face 24/7 saying "WHY DID YOU CAVE? HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR VOTERS WILL REACT?" over every little negotiation and concession that everything seizes up like this. the 3 weeks of drama are the media extracting their pound of flesh for ratings; this is routine now.