Obama slams Republicans for threat to blow up entire economy

[cronus]

What we've got here is a failure to communicate....one side metric and one side imperial.

[Seth]

The House should add to the budget bill that Obama has no authority to pick and choose what parts of Obama care to implement. Something oddly not already apparent to the former "constitutional law professor"

No more Obama exceptions, so business fines start Jan 1st 2014. I bet then it'd get repealed real fast.

Well, the point is that they don't need to pass such a law because the President is already sworn to "faithfully execute" all federal laws.

Unlike the DOMA, there is no question here of the constitutionality of the statute that might authorize the President to refuse to enforce it under the provisions of his oath of office. It's HIS FUCKING LAW. He is REQUIRED to enforce the law as passed by Congress, and it's an impeachable offense for him to refuse to do so.

[Seth]

The House should add to the budget bill that Obama has no authority to pick and choose what parts of Obama care to implement. Something oddly not already apparent to the former "constitutional law professor"

No more Obama exceptions, so business fines start Jan 1st 2014. I bet then it'd get repealed real fast.

I take it you didn't notice the Supreme Court decisions of last year?

What in particular? Was it mentioned that Obama could arbitrarily decide what parts are to be enforced and what parts ignored? Some new line item veto that may be used at anytime?

I think Rand Paul has a smart strategy, if we are stuck with Obama care then we are stuck with all of it until Congress amends it legally.

Yup. The Republicans are demanding, with every right to do so, that the law be enforced and that everyone must "work to rule." The idea is (and its a good one) to prevent the Obamanuts from putting off the actual negative impacts of the law until AFTER the mid-term elections so that people won't feel the full brunt of the law until (they hope) the democrat party has retaken the House and consolidated its hold on the Senate further.

It's exactly what Obama has done before...put off the true impacts of his policies in order to gain a political advantage at an election.

Good for the Republicans for calling bullshit and standing firm. It's about fucking time.

[Ian]

Here's a crazy conspiracy theory, since some folks here seem to be perfectly willing to buy into them: This whole shutdown over demands to defund or delay (again) the Affordable Care Act has been orchestrated long before now behind the scenes by at least Boehner, Obama and Pelosi, and some other leaders too. The Tea Party has been a colossal pain in Boehner's side, and he needs to get his house in order. To to that, he must get the GOP far-right fringe to stick their necks out so they can finally be chopped. If and when he finally stands up to them and allows a vote on a clean budget, he'll be lauded as a pragmatic compromiser by everyone except the teabaggers he sold out, who will villify him and very likely try to remove him as Speaker - and that's where Pelosi and her Democratic votes come in, to save his position in exchange for taking the wind out of the sails of the radicals in his party.

[Seth]

Here's a crazy conspiracy theory, since some folks here seem to be perfectly willing to buy into them: This whole shutdown over demands to defund or delay (again) the Affordable Care Act has been orchestrated long before now behind the scenes by at least Boehner, Obama and Pelosi, and some other leaders too. The Tea Party has been a colossal pain in Boehner's side, and he needs to get his house in order. To to that, he must get the GOP far-right fringe to stick their necks out so they can finally be chopped. If and when he finally stands up to them and allows a vote on a clean budget, he'll be lauded as a pragmatic compromiser by everyone except the teabaggers he sold out, who will villify him and very likely try to remove him as Speaker - and that's where Pelosi and her Democratic votes come in, to save his position in exchange for taking the wind out of the sails of the radicals in his party.

Plausible...

Of course when Obamacare fucks the proletariat over, as it is doing already, it'll come back to bite him in the ass at the mid-terms.

[Seth]

So, if the dems are in the catbird seat why are they panicking like this? Why aren't they just sitting back smugly and holding their tempers? Sounds like desperation to me.

Editors' Picks:

Doves and peaceniks no more: These Democrats relish the role of bullies

By Jennifer Harper

The Washington Times

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Democrats, who have long posed as the party of peaceniks and doves, have been anything but during the great rhetorical war of 2013. In fact, the party of George McGovern and Jimmy Carter has been mad as hell as of late, leading an offensive of bombastic insults and rhetorical bullying that has dominated the government shutdown. It’s a perfect storm, with Democrats leading the pace.

President Obama called Republicans “reckless and irresponsible,” casting the Grand Old Party in the role of villain. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, referred to Republicans as “anarchists,” and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, deemed Republicans “legislative arsonists.”

“Public attacks make it personal. The response, the entire conversation, goes to the attack, not the problem at hand. The moment there’s an audience, posturing takes over,” said Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute and author of five etiquette books.

Insults have hidden risks because people don’t always equate aggressive behavior with authority. Roger L. Simon, founder of Pajamas Media, has suggested that Republicans counter Democratic acrimony with a Ronald Reagan-style “charm offensive” to win over disaffected voters.

There are a bunch out there. The Pew Research Center revealed that 77 percent of the public is either angry or frustrated with the government while Gallup found that almost half of Americans said the budget debate was an attempt by both sides to gain political advantage.

Yet unity in the proverbial foxhole has its place, too.

“I want to publicly praise Speaker John Boehner for standing firm against the Democrat government shutdown and their refusal to negotiate on a law they themselves have delayed and exempted themselves from,” said Rep. Steve Stockman, Texas Republican.

“Democrats have hurled every insult imaginable, such as ‘terrorist,’ ‘arsonist’ and ‘murderers’ against Americans who differ with President Obama. Despite their threats and childish behavior, the speaker has been steadfast in his vision to reduce the size and scope of government and treat everyone fairly,” Mr. Stockman said.

None of this is a shock to Mark Gerzon, a conflict resolution mediator who co-designed and facilitated the Bipartisan Congressional Retreats in 1997 and 1999, dubbed “civility retreats” by the press of the day.

“As someone who has spent 20 years in the crossfire between the armies of left and right, the government shutdown does not surprise me. What surprises me is how long it took for the long-defective partisan machine to actually break down,” Mr. Gerzon said.

“The blame game can be a winning strategy at election time. Election time now never ends. It used to be that politicians played by slash-and-burn election rules for a few months before November every other year. Now they play by those rules all the time. There is almost no ‘governing’ anymore. It is all electioneering.”

The 24/7 media, of course, are there to chronicle every moment.

“Incivility, dishonesty and character attacks that once were a bad habit during campaign season have become a way of life,” Mr. Gerzon said.

He thinks a civility retreat would work again as long as the American people make it clear that they want the political system fixed and that the event has “political muscle.” Implementation of recommended changes and enforcement of agreements “must not be left to party leaders to act upon because they will not follow through.”

He recommends a bipartisan team of lawmakers who are “transparent and public” in their deliberations. There is a place for very private discussion, too.

Story Continues →

[Ian]

Looks like I'll at least be getting back pay after this mess is all over:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. government shutdown saga continues on Capitol Hill today, but for the 800,000 federal workers sent home without pay there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that, if cleared by the Senate, would assure those employees would receive their back pay when the government reopens.

The “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act” passed with a rare, unanimous vote and is poised to pass through the upper chamber unhindered.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... y-be-paid/

So for Seth, Warren and any other hateful anarchists libertarians people who were actually looking forward to this perhaps not happening, it's time for you to get your bearings on reality. The House passed this unanimously. Ponder that for a while.

[klr]

Good news.

Also, I note the Navy - Air Force game has gone ahead. Some things are just too important ...

[Seth]

Looks like I'll at least be getting back pay after this mess is all over:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. government shutdown saga continues on Capitol Hill today, but for the 800,000 federal workers sent home without pay there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that, if cleared by the Senate, would assure those employees would receive their back pay when the government reopens.

The “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act” passed with a rare, unanimous vote and is poised to pass through the upper chamber unhindered.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... y-be-paid/

So for Seth, Warren and any other hateful anarchists libertarians people who were actually looking forward to this perhaps not happening, it's time for you to get your bearings on reality. The House passed this unanimously. Ponder that for a while.

Hey, I don't mind if people who actually worked during the shutdown get paid. They earned it. As for the rest of the trough-slopping government employees, they got a furlough, they got a few unpaid days off. Big deal. Who cares? Happens to others all the time. Small price to pay given how much more they make as federal employees than the average US wage...something like double or more...for the same work.

So suck it up buttercup, you're a public SERVANT and when you don't work, you shouldn't get paid.

But we all know that Congress' sympathies lie with the government, not the people, because the government is their master and provider, so they look out for their own first, which is why the exemptions for Congress and staffers in Obamacare remain in place, among other perks of being a public employee.

Were it up to me, no employee in public service anywhere, including specifically elected office, would make more than the national median wage in the previous fiscal year. Period.

That way the motivation for government employees would be to make government smaller and more efficient and the public sector economy bigger and more prosperous because their livelihoods depend and are gauged on the strength of the national economy, not on one hand washing the other.

If they don't like that, they can go get a job in the private sector.

[MiM]

Looks like I'll at least be getting back pay after this mess is all over:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. government shutdown saga continues on Capitol Hill today, but for the 800,000 federal workers sent home without pay there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that, if cleared by the Senate, would assure those employees would receive their back pay when the government reopens.

The “Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act” passed with a rare, unanimous vote and is poised to pass through the upper chamber unhindered.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... y-be-paid/

So for Seth, Warren and any other hateful anarchists libertarians people who were actually looking forward to this perhaps not happening, it's time for you to get your bearings on reality. The House passed this unanimously. Ponder that for a while.

Hey, I don't mind if people who actually worked during the shutdown get paid. They earned it. As for the rest of the trough-slopping government employees, they got a furlough, they got a few unpaid days off. Big deal. Who cares? Happens to others all the time. Small price to pay... .

This far I actually agree with Seth

[piscator]

If they don't like that, they can go get a job in the private sector.

They're getting paid. If you don't like that, you can quit paying taxes.

[Ian]

So Seth, why didn't a single member of Congress see things your way? Not even one protest vote from some teabagger with few or no federal workers in his district? Can't you look past your own angry ideology and try to answer Why?

Start by considering the difference between a salaried employee and an hourly wage employee. Then consider the difference between being on vacation and being fired.

I am indeed a public servant. I chose it as my career. And YOU should get on your knees and kiss MY feet that I did. I could be making more money in the private sector, but I chose to defend your whining ass instead.

[piscator]

Thanks for your service Ian. My life would be completely different were it not for the skills and talents of dedicated public servants working their asses off for us all.

[Ian]

You're welcome.

(And how so? )

When I get back to my office it won't be just another day though. I'll have plenty of catch-up work after X many days. The stuff I deal with is overseas and hasn't been on leave along with me. In my case this shutdown would've been far easier to manage in late winter, but I digress...

[Warren Dew]

So Seth, why didn't a single member of Congress see things your way? Not even one protest vote from some teabagger with few or no federal workers in his district? Can't you look past your own angry ideology and try to answer Why?

Start by considering the difference between a salaried employee and an hourly wage employee. Then consider the difference between being on vacation and being fired.

I am indeed a public servant. I chose it as my career. And YOU should get on your knees and kiss MY feet that I did. I could be making more money in the private sector, but I chose to defend your whining ass instead.

Actually, Ian, you should get on your knees and kiss Seth's feet, since it's his taxes that pay your overinflated bureaucratic salary.