The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    Barack Obama preemptively shuts down Government to appease Republicans

    By William K. Wolfrum on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 6:33am | Politics, Humor & Satire

    WASHINGTON – Continuing his pattern of negotiating before being at the negotiating table, President Barack Obama shut down the Federal Government today.

    “We must work together,” said Obama, on the 16th hole of Pebble Beach. “By shutting down the government right now, we’re showing Republicans that we are open to their suggestions.”

    Having won control of the House, Republicans enter the new Congress confident and with one major agenda item – destroy Obama. Noted for his need to have Republicans like him, Obama used an obscure Constitutional law to shut down the federal government, as well as all state and local governments.

    “We mean business,” said Obama. “I’m well aware that Republicans want to destroy my Presidency and legacy. It’s time to meet them halfway.”

    For their part, Republicans were not pleased.

    “Barack Obama’s socialist agenda will not stop with shutting down the government,” said incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner. “Until Obama begins impeachment proceedings on himself, this country will never be safe from terrorist attack.”

    Obama Senior Adviser David Axelrod said that the plan for the President to impeach himself is on the table.

    “We’re looking at it,” said Axelrod. “All I know is that having the Government open hasn’t helped us at all. We’re open to any and all alternatives that Republicans want so that they’ll play golf with us.”

    –WKW

    Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Humor & Satire

    Comments

    Well, they certainly won't play basketball with him.


    by Donal on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 7:40am

    Damn, you make me laugh, really hard. hahahahahah.

    by tmccarthy0 on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 8:52am

    Sums up perfectly what many of us are perceiving.  Reads like something the humorist Andy Borowitz might write these days.  


    by AmericanDreamer on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 9:09am

    OMG, every word--perfect.  But damn, the truth hurts.  I'm laughing through my tears.


    by Ramona on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 9:24am

    Baseball beeen, berry berry good to David Axelrod.


    by cmaukonen on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 9:50am

    For a moment I thought I'd accidentally clicked on Politico.com.

    by CVille Dem on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 11:11am

    Well... I know the elites won't much like it, but - speaking as an ordinary American - I'm just glad somebody stopped the pain.


    by quinn esq on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 11:37am

    Axelrod went on, ""We have to deal with the world as we find it," Axelrod told the Huffington Post. "The world of what it takes to get this done."

    He said that during the Lame Duck Session there would be a bi-partisan effort to finally pass a law mandating an extra hour of daylight savings.  "Sometimes you just...uh...don't want to get off the course; you...uh...know what I...uh...mean?"


    by we are stardust on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 12:29pm

    This is a great idea. If we had 2 hours of daylight savings time moving the clock forward every day in 12 days we'd have an extra day of productivity and be one day ahead of the rest of the world.  That's more than 2 days a month!

    Sure it might be a little uncomfortable at 6 days in when parents have to get their kids up at 10  to get them to school at midnight but in these tough economic times everyone has to sacrifice.And in 6 more days it'll be all back to normal anyway, with one whole day produced out of nothing.

    When the economy improves we can move the clock back 2 hours every day until the people have made up the lost sleep.


    by oceankat (not verified) on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 5:36pm

    I hope this goes viral and makes it to the WH. They still don't have a clue.  What with this and Krugman calling O a wimp (h/t America Blog) maybe the truth will get through to them.

    Thanks for the belly laugh, WKW.

     

     


    by AmiBlue on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 3:18pm

    giving the top 1 percent a two-year extension would cost the Treasury $130 billion over two years,...$130 billion would be enough to rehire every teacher, firefighter, and police officer laid off over the last two years and save the jobs of all of them now on the chopping block. Not only are these people critical to our security and the future of our children but, unlike the top 1 percent, they could be expected to spend all of their earnings and thereby stimulate the economy....If the President can’t or won’t take a stand now (on tax cuts) — when he still has a chance to prevail in the upcoming lame-duck Congress — when will he ever?

    Robert Reich


    by NCD on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 4:07pm

    NCD, thanks for the post. I enjoy reading Reich. And I guess I'm annoying most of the posters here today and perhaps will you as well.  But what $130B would buy doesn't seem relevant when there is not a snowball's chance that $130B would be appropriated. If there was ever a time to prevail on tax cuts it was before the election, coupled with a strong stance against the banks,etc. But we've been dropped into a different zone now, new configurations of the enemy. Now it seems like there are only two options--whether to approve all the tax extensions or none. I certainly respect those who say let them expire now and renegotiate with the new Congress, but I wouldn't do it that way if I thought there was a chance of none at all.


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 5:51pm

    I suppose there is always the chance the White House might take seriously what voters said their votes meant, as opposed to what the newly elected Republicans in Congress and the GOP Spin Machine, said voters meant, in this recommended summary of one survey's results:

    http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010114510/voters-speak-analysis-caf...

     


    by AmericanDreamer on Sat, 11/13/2010 - 11:01am