२३ डिसेंबर, २०१८

I'm thinking: Because the people I want blamed won't get blamed.

I'm reading "Why the blame game over the government shutdown is pointless" by Dylan Scott (at Vox). Let's see what he actually says:
So Trump, despite seeming eager just a few days earlier to take credit for a shutdown and precipitating the crisis by threatening to veto a spending bill, is pointing his finger at the Democrats.... It sure sounds like the president is shutting down the government, and let’s not forget he just got done saying that was what he wanted to do....

Under President Barack Obama, every spending deadline seemed to require at least a momentary crisis.... This is just the way Washington works. Impending deadlines are the best motivators to compel Congress to act....

[T]he government, as most Americans understand and experience it, will still be running tomorrow, whatever the headlines might say. So you’re free, as Trump and Democrats in Congress surely will, to point fingers. But at this point, most Americans don’t have much reason to take notice. 

५० टिप्पण्या:

Darrell म्हणाले...

It's the Democrat Shutdown.
They can end it at will with the next Senate vote.

gilbar म्हणाले...

isn't The Blame Game pointless, because no one seems to be noticing the shutdown?

iowan2 म्हणाले...

Despite the claims by my betters in the media, Christmas seems to be an excellent time to shut down the govt. Even people who spend a lot of time with "the News" Don't, right now. Family and friends are gathered, the TV is OFF, showing sports, or has a streaming music channel coming from the surround sound theater system. The only people paying attention are those paid to spin the information handed down from on high.

And at this moment, Schummer is responsible for the shut down. The House Passed a Bill, Democrats are under orders from Schummer to refuse cloture. President Trump has done nothing, because no bill has reached his desk. Schummer has refused to negotiate. Offered zero alternatives.

Drago म्हणाले...

People in America have figured out that "Govt Shutdown Theatre" is precisely that, so our (lefty/LLR) Never Let A Fake Crisis Go To Waste Strategy is failing since Trump wont play along!!!

So lets just forget blame and simply Impeach!!!

--every lefty and fake LLR everywhere

traditionalguy म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

I'm thinking: Because all this jabber about blame placing is trash and too meta, hence boring.

sinz52 म्हणाले...

Of course nobody cares which side is to blame. (And after half a century of observing politics, I'm sick and tired of the rabid partisanship myself so I refuse to participate in that garbage anymore.)

Because these so-called "government shutdowns" don't affect 90% of Americans personally.)

I've never been inconvenienced, much less hurt, by any of these government shutdowns.

The services I care about the most--national security, the FBI, Medicare payments, and Social Security payments--are unaffected.

In fact, these "government shutdowns" serve as a teachable moment for how many government services are NOT essential to our daily lives.

How can you tell whether a particular public or private service is truly essential? Check whether it offers immediate help or at least 24-hour emergency service. The military, first responders, hospital emergency rooms, AAA or OnStar roadside service, plumbers, electricians, all qualify. Most other government services do not.

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

We have just witnessed a masterful political performance. CNN and MSNBC and NPR were faked out of their shoes when Maestro Trump' had his Army in the House pass a new bill that added Wall Money and slipped it into the Senate . Instead of a Trump shutting her down with a veto, Schumer and minions are the ones seen as shutting her down.

As Patton once said, " I almost feel sorry for those poor, miserable bastards."

The Bergall म्हणाले...

If it wasn't for the drama no one would care nor watch.

Tommy Duncan म्हणाले...

"But at this point, most Americans don’t have much reason to take notice."

Through observation most people have come to understand that government shutdowns are non-events. The TSA continues to grope 80 year old women and social security payments flow. A bunch of useless bureaucrats get a few extra days off over the Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, Democrats scream "wolf, wolf".

JAORE म्हणाले...

During the last, Obama era, shutdown several of our family passed by the road going through a civil war site. There were several rangers on duty to assure we did not travel this road.

I'd been to the site before. Nothing but (relatively) undisturbed view of hills and valleys, the road and a few monuments. Also, a far smaller visible ranger presence. It appeared to be an effort to maximize the visible harm of a shutdown.

Bet that road is open today.

Jaq म्हणाले...

It’s like Democrats and their press allies refuse to understand the dynamic at play. Plus they have a lot of sound bites that sound OI as long as you ignore the context. Not reporting facts uncomfortable to the Democrats is their strategy.

Laslo Spatula म्हणाले...

When a child throws a tantrum by holding his breath until he turns blue, what corresponds is a period of quiet.

Unfortunately, while the child may pass out, the little fucker never dies.

I am Laslo.

Jaq म्हणाले...

LIke Mickey Kaus said, it was Trump’s central promise on which he got elected, not some personal whim. I don’t think that he minds lashing himself to the mast, like Lt Dan, Tweeting “Is that the best you got!"

narciso म्हणाले...


So Dylan realizes trump has the best of the argument


https://www.americanthinker.com

Harold म्हणाले...

Really the only people hurt by the shutdown will be when the essential, especially the military, workers don't get paid at the end of the month. We'll see how willing Trump and Schumer will be to face a flood of stories about all the young enlisted families who have run out of money and can't afford diapers and formula.

Hagar म्हणाले...

Little or no work is done in government offices (including state and local) over Christmas week anyway. It was always difficult for me to get the person(s) I needed to talk to to stop partying and pay attention to me and my problems until after New Years.
And they all have experience with these crises at budget deadlines and save up to tide them over for a paycheck or two.

Next, I see it is suggested that Trump prevail on McConnell to tie the 5 billion for the wall to the Democrats' infrastructure demands, such as Cuomo's request for 25 billion for a new tunnel under the Hudson, etc.

robother म्हणाले...

The American people are beginning to finger this out.

Tommy Duncan म्हणाले...

Tim said: "Not reporting facts uncomfortable to the Democrats is their strategy."

"Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving." --Iowahawk

Browndog म्हणाले...

The point of a government shutdown, if I understand correctly, is that the government is no longer authorized to spend money. Yet, spending is not reduced one red cent.

In fact, during the famous Obama shutdown, spending increased, as the government worked extra hard to keep war vets out of open air memorials and such.

Drago म्हणाले...

The LLR's and lefties (but I repeat myself) were desperate to see if they could get Trump to abandon the central promise of his campaign.

It would be "Read My Lips" all over again and the Trump 2020 Campaign would just implode.

Trump knows by now that all the "concern" and "persuasion" and lefty/LLR media "talking points" are all designed to achieve precisely that: Get Trump to abandon core promises and then use that pound him and separate him from his base.

Basically, it's the LLR Chuck Pro-dem/left Smear Strategy on this blog writ large.

Hey Skipper म्हणाले...

Laslo murders another keyboard.

Damn you, Laslo, have you no mercy?

Mark म्हणाले...

Trump can't sign an appropriations bill -- which is necessary to keep the government open -- unless the Senate at least votes on the bill, which is has not.

So long as Congress has not sent an appropriations bill to the president's desk, any "shutdown" is caused by Congress.

Hey Skipper म्हणाले...

Here is a typical story from the NYT.

Amazing how the Dems are completely absent. Although no more amazing than the NYT being able to take Mark's obvious fact on board.

Roy Lofquist म्हणाले...

There ia a story, probably apochryphal, of a corporate data processing manager who noted that his department printed thousand upon thousands of pages of reports every month. He ordered that every month 10% of the reports not be delivered. If he received a complaint the report was delivered. If not it was dropped from the schedule. He earned manager of the year and was promoted because he cut his budget by half.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“When a child throws a tantrum by holding his breath until he turns blue, what corresponds is a period of quiet.

Unfortunately, while the child may pass out, the little fucker never dies.

I am Laslo.”

The child is Trump?

Hey Skipper म्हणाले...

[Inga:] The child is Trump?

No, it's you and your ilk.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

A reminder is necessary here.
Congressional leadership does not pass important appropriations bill for a reason. So they are not debated under regular order. The leadership actively works to force this questions into 'critical' situations, so a select few of the leaders can get what they want, behind closed doors, avoiding the debate that hold politicians accountable to their voters.
This is all by careful design. Not some example of rank partisanship. It is in fact a bi-partisan agreement. Comprehensive immigration? Not a goal. The left wants the new voters, the right wants cheap labor. Both are getting what they want, and both can blame the other for disappointing the majority of both parties that what the border crossings limited to legal crossings.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

The media is ignoring the fact that Republican controlled congress, over the last 2 years, did pass appropriations bills by regular order. More than 70% of the govt is funded the way it is supposed to be. Proving my earlier post.

Tommy Duncan म्हणाले...

Inga, how does your comment not apply to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, rather than Trump? Trump has no budget bill to veto. Congress has not acted because the Democrats are "holding their breath" over border funding. At this point the so-called government shutdown is caused by Congress.

Hey Skipper म्हणाले...

Tommy:

You are being very mean.

Your three facts are four more than Inga can process.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Schumer is to blame at this moment because the House passed a bill and the Senate won't approve because the Democrats will vote against it on the wall funding all alone.

This will change, though, after the new Congress is seated. At that point, the House will pass a bill without the wall funding, and I think the Senate will then proceed to pass that bill or the Republicans will be the ones either filibustering it, not allowing it to come to a vote, or passing it for Trump veto (if he does).

Scott will be changing his tune by the time that change in Congress happens, so Althouse is completely correct about the motivation for this essay.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

I'll believe the government is shut down when it ceases to tax me.

Mary Beth म्हणाले...

Really the only people hurt by the shutdown will be when the essential, especially the military, workers don't get paid at the end of the month.

In the past, active military who do their banking with USAA have been able to get interest-free payroll advance loans from the bank during shutdowns. Unfortunately, international regulations prevent some deployed members from receiving this.

Birkel म्हणाले...

Crises help people forget about principled resistance...
-to ever-expanding spending.
-to ignoring the will of the American people.
-to ignoring the laws of this country.

IOW, crises help the Deep State subvert the will of the People and her Posterity.

rcocean म्हणाले...

The Democrats are shutting down the Government because they don't want to fund border security.

Its that simple. Of course, the liberal MSM has to lie or obfuscate this.

Somehow, Trump is to blame, or its the fault of Congress.

Never will the blame be placed where it belongs, on Schumer.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Remember: Whenever the Democrats are to blame - Don't play the "blame game".

LOL

rcocean म्हणाले...

Just fund the wall and border security and its all over.

rcocean म्हणाले...

"This is all by careful design. Not some example of rank partisanship."

And so is McConnell's support for the filibuster. If you look in the past, filibusters were rare and only done with extraordinary circumstances.

Today, Schumer (with McConnell's Consent) uses it to shut down every piece of legislation the Uni-party doesn't like. Anything Wall Street and the CoC wants (like tax cuts) is mysteriously NOT covered by the filibuster.

walter म्हणाले...

Airport/Hotel "News" Network will be doing its best to keep it in folks' faces.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

McConnell should force Schumer’s troops to stand up and filibuster. Let’s get some video footage of Democrat senators babbling in the filibuster we can use in the fall of 2020 to defeat some of these clowns.

Char Char Binks, Esq. म्हणाले...

Yay! Crime is now legal!

Birkel म्हणाले...

Which crimes, Char Char?
I need a list.

अनामित म्हणाले...

There is no "Shutdown" Let me count the ways:

1. All entitlement spending continues
2. 75% of the appropriations bills are passed. meaning Defense, VA, etc are business as usual
3. The 25% that have not been passed, (DHS, DoJ, etc) have high numbers of "essential services, which still continue, e.g. TSA, FBI and CBP still serve
4. This won't be Obama theater with the NPS putting up barricades to prevent people from looking at Lincoln on the Mall
5. It's Christmas, most Feds are taking leave. Hell, non-essential Feds are trying to cancel leave (they are not supposed to be able) so that they can be sent home because of a shutdown and paid later rather than use vacation
6. all employees will be paid regardless of whether they were locked out, which is what this amounts to.
7. smaller Government at the same high price

Kevin म्हणाले...

So you’re free, as Trump and Democrats in Congress surely will, to point fingers. But at this point, most Americans don’t have much reason to take notice.

We’re not going to point fingers and neither should you.

Civility bullshit.

Jim at म्हणाले...

The child is Trump?

Yeah. Because nothing screams Adult in the room! like shutting down war memorials in a fit of pique.

cubanbob म्हणाले...

The government shutdown means nothing. Can anyone who isn't employed by government or a dependant of someone employed by government point out just how they have been negatively impacted by this shutdown? Indeed the longer it lasts, the more money Trump should ask for lengthening the border wall and removing the back pay provisions for the federal employees. And when asked where the extra funds for the expanded wall will come from Trump should state from reduced federal infrastructure spending for NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco and DC. Let Schumer and Pelosi explain subway spending for NYC and mass transit subsidies for the others benefit the nation as a whole more than keeping border jumpers out.

Bunkypotatohead म्हणाले...

A Trump hating friend who works at the GPO complained last night that she would have off work Christmas eve. Complained!

Narayanan म्हणाले...

As mature adults shall we not distinguish between responsibility and blaming some one.
Child throwing tantrum, parent/patriarchy hold firm.
We have impasse/shutdown.
Blame child, hold parent responsible and encourage parent aka Trump.

Narayanan म्हणाले...

that Blogger Big Mike has to write "McConnell should force Schumer’s troops to stand up and filibuster."
Incredible unseriousness of the political class.
That Republicans don't want actual filibuster speak to their internal corruption.