Posted on 10/02/2013 2:05:34 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
BOSTON -- A sharp-tongued Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday said he was "embarrassed" by having to explain the government shutdown to a group of visiting students from London this week, and hopes voters punish Republicans at the polls next year.
"I think tea party Republicans are playing a big game with little people and I hope God forgives them for that, but I hope voters won't," Patrick told reporters after celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
Well into the second full day of the federal government shutdown, the Democratic governor said his party shouldn't have to compromise by acceding to Republican demands that the Affordable Care Act be defunded or delayed in order for the government to continue providing services to the American people, many of which help low-income residents, students and small businesses.
The governor said his administration is still trying to decipher the full impact of the shutdown in Massachusetts, which has closed national parks and museums, threatened the processing of student and small businesses loans, and could impact the delivery of low-income home heating assistance as the mercury begins to drops.
Patrick said his administration would soon have to "make some decisions" about the more than 4,000 state workers paid fully or partially with federal grants, and his office said they anticipate having more details later in the day after the governor attends a meeting on the issue.
"The people who have engineered this are the small number of tea party, hard-right Republicans in the House caucus and they want this. They want the government to be shut down. They don't, in many respects, fundamentally believe in the role of government. If they are the impediment to the normal function of the federal government and supply of services to the American people, it's very hard to see how this impasse gets broken," Patrick said.
President Barack Obama summoned Democrat and Republican leaders to the White House for a meeting on the shutdown later Wednesday afternoon, but few have hopes for a quick resolution with both sides entrenched in their positions and heated rhetoric reaching a boiling point.
Asked whether Democrats should a cut a deal with House Republicans, Patrick responded quickly: "No. There are not two sides to blame in Washington. You can't cut a deal over something that's been resolved."
Patrick said he met on Tuesday with a group visiting from the London Business School, and the conversation turned to the government shutdown and continuing political gridlock in the capital.
"Frankly, to me, it was embarrassing. We're a first-world country and the notion that a small number of people in the Republican caucus in the House can shut down the functioning of government in a totally irresponsible way over an issue that has been resolved is unacceptable," Patrick said.
Republicans control the U.S. House and Democrats run the Senate. Senate Democrats and President Obama have urged the House to pass a "clean" bill to keep funding government operations, but Speaker John Boehner has refused and House Republicans are insisting on changes to the Affordable Care Act, which they say is a heavy-handed and expensive approach to expanding insurance access that is unaffordable and will hurt the economy.
Despite the ideological difference between the parties over Obamacare, the shutdown has not slowed the implementation of the law with state-based insurance exchanges opening around the country on Tuesday for individuals to begin enrolling in health plans.
The governor said the rollout of the new online exchange has gone "pretty smoothly" to date, and the volume of traffic to the site has been high but "nothing compared to other states that haven't had the experience we've had."
Though most Massachusetts residents already have health insurance, a little over 150,000 individuals with subsidized coverage through the Commonwealth Care program will have to reenroll before January in plans that conform to the Affordable Care Act standards. Another 100,000 individuals will be shifted from subsidized coverage into the state's Medicaid program known as MassHealth, while 45,000 uninsured people will become eligible for MassHealth for the first time.
"There are going to be hiccups and as long as people are patient, we have many months to get people signed up. As long as people are patient, we're certainly committed to smoothing it out," Patrick said.
Dems running by vilifying the Tea Party will be a big fail.
This is the meme that seems to be making the round on the Facebook:
“I have to explain to some foreigners who are visiting me what is going on, this is embarrassing!!!”
I’m seeing it among musicians, hipsters, and politicians.
Smells like Harry Reid, John Kerry, and Joe Bidens phony friends they always “tell tales” about.
You built it. Nobody else made it happen. It's ALL YOURS Democrats. You own it.
It is indeed.
Well Guv....somebody’s gonna get “punished”!
You might allow for the fact it will be the Tea Party on the “dishing it out” side of the equation....
Deval is just another racist doing his best to malign the so Called “Tea Party” people who comprise the older working who have paid their dues and have made this country great. On the other hand Deval Patrick is jus another freeloading politician draining the coffers of the USA for his own purposes. He will be going the way of David Dinkins.
I hope voters punish totalitarians and dismantle all of their mandates. It’s easy to...
live - free - republic
I am embarrassed having Duval try to represent our nation to foreigners.
The “game” is to the Communist / Socialists to remove their progressive unaffordable healthcare data gathering enslavement “mark of the beast” chipping program removed and to stop spending money like drunken sailors because its killing our economy by making it worthless...
Obama's other mentor besides Frank, FDR..
Watch out for Obama's version of The Great Sedition Trial of 1944
A version of this is very likely IMO.
". . . one of the blackest marks on the record of American jurisprudence. In the legal world, none can recall a case where so many Americans were brought to trial for political persecution and were so arrogantly denied the rights [guaranteed] an American citizen under the Constitution.”
Today's Democratic Party, MSM, universities, Hollywood, and more are aiming to destroy "teabaggers" just like FDR tried to destroy Uncle Joe's and his critics.
The people of Boston disassembled the house of Thomas Hutchinson, then lt. governor of Mass Bay Colony, later governor. He didn’t think they were right to oppose the Stamp Act. They thought they were.
Oh really Dev....who supports killing the littlest people of all and then forces others to help pay for it? 'Thou shall not murder' A God Commandment your Dems dont seem to believe in.
Obama Care, passed by a dem controlled House and Senate, who never read the bill. Passed in the dead of night on a Christmas Eve and not one Republican voted for it.
The democrats use lies and scare tactics to control the dummies. Obama Care is all about control. We WERE a first world country until Obama took over.
The Tea Party does not have a single US Representative or single US Senator in congress yet. And we are still blamed for their problems. Show me one congress critter with a (T) after their name Patrick, you lying scumbag.
What kind of alternate universe is Patrick living in? The shutdown lies at the feet of the Democrat Party. The GOP needs to hammer home the point that the Dems think this law with all its faults and the damage resulting from it are more important than people having a 40 hour a week job.
Hey Patrick! You know what’s really embarrassing? Is that place where freedom originally ignited from the king is given over to the likes of YOU and your ilk. Then, turning into that communist crap hole you call a state up there.
Now that, sir, is embarrassing!!!
..the dork forgets the Tea Party are voters too...moron.
And much to their dismay....GROWING
Dems really like that word “punish”..Valerie must be holding classes again.
The “game” is to remove the Communist / Socialists to progressive unaffordable healthcare data gathering enslavement “mark of the beast” chipping program and to stop spending money like drunken sailors because its killing our economy by making it worthless...
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