Posted on 10/10/2013 5:03:15 AM PDT by Kaslin
As of writing this article, Americans have endured more than a week of government “shutdown,” with no end in sight. Despite House Republicans sending several budget proposals to the Senate, President Barack Obama and his Senate Water Carrier, Harry Reid, continue to dig in their heels; refusing to even consider negotiating an end to the slowdown. The contrasts with the last government “shutdown,” nearly a generation ago, are dramatic.
I was a member of Congress during the winter of 1995/1996, the most recent government prior “shutdown.” That historic budget battle was no less tense or divided than the current one. A key difference between then and now, however, is that both then-Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Democratic President Bill Clinton understood politics was not a zero-sum game -- where one side's loss must always equal the other side's gain. These two savvy politicians knew that while each side needed strong sound bites to appease their party's base, at the end of the day, and for the good of the country, an agreement needed to be reached -- even if neither side achieved 100% of its goals.
Barack Obama is no Bill Clinton.
Rather than take notes from his predecessor and negotiate an end to the government shutdown -- then claim both victory and credit -- Obama and Reid remain resolutely obstinate. Worse, they are deliberately and selectively directing that certain agencies and functions of the federal government shut down completely – not in any effort to conserve resources, but for the sole purpose of inflicting as much and as visible pain on the American people as possible.
Their tactics are despicable and border on tyrannical.
“We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can,” one National Parks Service ranger told the Washington Times; and evidence of this Machiavellian scheming can be found across the nation. Not satisfied with merely closing national parks like Mt. Rushmore, the NPS placed cones blocking scenic overlooks where drivers at least could pull over and take pictures. At Yellowstone National Park, one of the country’s most popular, Park Rangers are using drawn firearms to make their point.
Such surreal scenes are taking place at sites owned by the American people from coast to coast. But the Administration is not content to flex its own muscle to score political points.
Obama is commandeering private businesses to do his dirty work. Bruce O'Connell, owner of the Pisgah Inn off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, was ordered to close down his business, send guests packing, and cancel remaining reservations during his peak business season. Why? He leases his building from the federal government. Federal park rangers even attempted to shutdown the Mt. Vernon historical site, which has operated as a private non-profit for more than 150 years.
Perhaps none of this showboating compares to the moral disgrace of turning America’s national war memorials into presidential political hostages. These freestanding, open-air sites scattered around the nation’s Capital, now are completely closed to the public -- something that has never before been done in any of the 16 prior government shutdowns. Even the closure signs themselves are designed for maximum political impact, with the word “SHUTDOWN” emblazoned in upper case letters as the reason for the “inconvenience.”
To further illustrate his point, Obama ordered barricades (or, “Barrycades” as they have come to be fondly referred, in a reference to the President’s college-era nickname) be placed around these monuments, including memorials visited daily by war veterans and their families. When these barricades were breached initially by resolute WW II veterans – themselves all too familiar with the machinations of tyrannical despots -- they then were wired shut. Federal law enforcement officials guard the barricades, and threaten civilians and veterans alike with prosecution should they now try to violate the peevish directives of their “Commander in Chief.”
This truly is disgusting; but does serve to illustrate that the President’s political Party truly has lost touch with the people they supposedly serve. The memorials belong to the citizens of the United States; including the men and women who fought and died in the wars memorialized by these historic monuments. They are not Obama's to shut down, regardless of the reason.
Democrats won’t admit it, but this is why they are losing the shutdown battle. Unfortunately, unless Reid breaks ranks with his Beloved Leader and opens good-faith communications with Republicans in the House, Americans will have to get used to Obama’s petty and vindictive conduct; it appears to be the only way he knows how to behave, and is certain to continue through his second term.
he is a small mean little man
Actually, if we take back the Senate and keep the House and add strong seats to them both...we don't have to put up with behavior from 0bama. We'll pass bills, he'll veto them, and then Americans will again be taught the power of the congressional override of the veto.
0bama is handing us, both Republicans and Tea Party extreme and prime examples of petty & vindictive democrats with this 'no negotiation' political stunt.
No, sorry we do not have to put with 0bama for another 3 years, we are going to have an opportunity to stop this nonsense next year. The question is...are we smart enough to go after it.
This is the flip side of the many highway signs I saw during the TARP days praising government funding.
“border on tyrannical”
Why are we afraid to call it like it is? We are experiencing full blown and naked tyranny.
I have been preaching that since 2011, before the 2012 election. There was no reason that we could not have taken the senate over at that time, but there is way to muck bickering going on our side. The only way we can defeat the rats is through unity, not division. Also not only would have been able to override his veto, we would have been able to remove that arrogant pos from office after the Republican House impeached him and there was nothing the rats could have done about it
That’s the key, are we electing the right candidates? I’m for canning any GOP’r elected before 06’ and replacing them with yet-to-be-corrupted citizen legislators.
Top down, the GOP needs an enema. Most of the turds clogging the pipe are Rockafella types who still control much of the GOP from the North East. They also favor the current and outdated primary system where only a select few states and demographics influence who stays in the race until the end. I’m in Texas and don’t get to vote on all the candidates by the time I get to vote. They also don’t seem to see the idiocy of allowing debates hosted by hyper-partisan media.
So, when the health care is run by democrats with federal money involved, they can also shut down health Just like they shut down the national parks care to
punish their enemies. What an abomination.
Let's boil this down. Based upon the CR's the House sent the Senate, the government is shutdown because the Democrats refuse to subject themselves and their aides to the rules (and costs) of Obamacare. It's that simple. Every Republican should be screaming that every time they see a microphone.
Republicans, repeat after me: "The government is shutdown because Democrats won't embrace Obamacare for their own Healthe Care."
Textbook fascism. Textbook tyranny.
“O” apparently NEVER grew up or else he has NO conception of how American politics works.
He can take his pick on that one..but there are only these two explanations of his conduct.
“.....Park rangers are using drawn firearms to make their point.”
DRAWN firearms? Is that true? If so, that moves the whole national park BS to an entirely different level.
The republicans had better not reward the pigmy tyrant in the White House for pitching his fit.
Consider your graphic “borrowed” as in stolen
The problem is unequivocally fraud at the ballad box. There is concrete proof of fraud in many districts reporting in over 100% of the voting block and hardly a peep is made. I expect no different in 2014; actually, I take it back, I expect it to be worse in 2014. It’s a finely tuned fraud machine at this point. Expect us to lose seats.
By Order of the President
This memorial has been closed
Your actions are being monitored by the NSA
We Know who you are
Failure to follow orders of the President
Will result in you being contacted by the IRS
The RINOS hate us, because it is our job to shut up and keep them in power to make deals to enrich themselves and their friends.
The Pay Our Military Act was signed into Federal Law by Obama on 9-30-2013.
Obama KNEW that death benefits were covered when he signed the bill into Law on 9-30-2013 !
This documents that Commander in Chief Obama CHOSE to punish, after death,” those who had given their last full measure of devotion” by dictating that Funeral Expenses be denied to HIS dead Warriors.
Obama has thus shown himself to be a ghoulish tyrant who is more than willing to inflict maximum pain “on his own people,” to borrow an expression that Obama used recently against his fellow tyrant in Syria.
Please post on this thread the hotlinks to any news articles on the 26 slain Warriors that Obama has refused to pay funeral expenses for, prior to Obama’s yesterday’s CYA “legal” action.
Obama must be held accountable for this ghoulish Dereliction of Duty as the Commander in Chief.
Reid is even more vindictive than Obama, and he does so from the shadows.
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