dagblog - Comments for "Republican civil war on ObamaCare flares"

I haven't had time to write

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 04:30:12 +0000

In reply to It's good to have your input

I haven't had time to write for CNN in a while. I figure I'll write something on this topic but wait until we get a little closer. The proposed government shutdown is timed for my deadline, so it will be a race to see who falls down first.

It's good to have your input

artappraiser — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 03:23:40 +0000

In reply to Having nearly finished my

It's good to have your input before CNN does.

Having nearly finished my

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:47:52 +0000

In reply to Republican civil war on ObamaCare flares

Having nearly finished my second book on Republican infighting, I'd like to imagine that I can call myself expert on the subject. So here is my "expert" opinion.

There have been many, many premature predictions of Republican civil war over the past thirty years, and it takes great hubris to think that one can predict it correctly this time.

That said, I have never seen such an open intraparty confrontation in recent history, and I think there's a higher chance of an explosion than at any point in the past 100 years.

I do not believe that it will happen over "defunding Obamacare." The right wing is making a lot of fuss, but they don't have the numbers in this fight.

Nonetheless, the House conservatives are clearly determined hold fast on their priorities. At the last budget compromise, Boehner promised them a stand-up fight on the next debt ceiling vote. If they don't get their government shutdown on Sept 30th, they will certainly demand major concessions to raise the ceiling.

If the Democrats don't cave, and I don't think they will this time, that will put Boehner in a very difficult spot. When the markets start tumbling, the Chamber of Commerce will scream. If Boehner surrenders, the right wing will attack. If he doesn't surrender, the pro-business moderates will defect. Either way, it will be very ugly.

Boehner on shutdown: Don't Go

artappraiser — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:32:04 +0000

In reply to Republican civil war on ObamaCare flares

Boehner on shutdown: Don't Go There

By Jake Sherman, Politico.com, July 30, 201

Speaker John Boehner will use a private party meeting Wednesday to lay out a new strategy to chip away at Obamacare, brushing back at House and Senate conservatives who have urged a government shutdown if the law is funded.

Boehner (R-Ohio) will give a presentation saying that the House Republican leadership supports continuous votes to build “on the successful, targeted strikes against the law that took place in the House this month and resulted in significant Democratic defections, chipping away at the legislative coalition that keeps the president’s health care law on the books,” a GOP leadership aide said on Tuesday evening [....]

Ted Cruz: Shutdown over Obamacare wouldn’t be ‘disaster’ for GOP

By Jose Delreal, Politico.com, July 30, 2013

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday downplayed the long-term consequences of a government shutdown on the Republican Party, calling for a grassroots mobilization to pressure lawmakers to defund the Affordable Care Act.

“I think the received wisdom that ‘95 was a disaster is completely wrong. I think it was important that Republicans stood for principle and it actually led to some serious solutions to the fiscal and economic challenges facing this country,” Cruz said at an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation.\

“The sort of cocktail chatter wisdom in Washington that, ‘Oh, the shutdown was a political disaster for Republicans,’ is not borne out by the data,” he added [.....]